Truth, Tolerance, and Humility in Interfaith

B1 THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018 TARGETING THE FAITH China’s jailing of pastor seen as message to growing Christian community

By Yanan Wang Associated Press In this May 2014 photo BEIJING — The Rev. John Sanqiang Cao released by paid no more than three dollars for the trip Ben Cao, the that would end up costing him his freedom. Rev. John For years, he and fellow Chinese Chris- Sanqiang tian teachers would cross the river on a nar- Cao, center, row bamboo raft from a tree-shrouded bank poses for a in southern China into neighboring Myan- photo with mar, carrying notebooks, pencils and Bibles. members of The journey that enabled the missionaries the Kachin to slip between the countries — a distance minority no greater than 30 feet — always happened group in Wa in broad daylight, according to a U.S.-based State, Myan- missionary who traveled with Cao. mar. The The ride on March 5, 2017, was diﬀ erent. prominent Cao and a teacher were on a raft returning pastor was to Yunnan province when they saw Chi- sentenced nese security agents waiting for them on the in March to shore. Decades of work in China’s clandes- seven years tine “house” churches and unoﬃ cial Bible in prison for schools had prepared the prominent 58-year- “organizing old Christian leader for this moment. He others to ille- quickly threw his cellphone into the water, gally cross protecting the identities of more than 50 the border.” Chinese teachers he had recruited to give AP ethnic minority Burmese children a free education rooted in Christianity.

GOVERNMENT BUILDS PRESSURE hometown in central Hunan province. They ity in China at Duke University. Lian noted But Cao himself could not escape. He “This reflects the gave him his fi rst Bible and exchanged let- that pastors with “lower visibility” have been was sentenced last month to seven years ters with him about Christianity. Cao, the doing similar work along the China-Myan- in prison for “organizing others to illegally tightening environment eldest son of teachers, told them that he lis- mar border with no repercussions, but Cao’s cross the border” — a crime more commonly tened to Billy Graham’s radio broadcasts and prominence in the house church networks applied to human traffi ckers. His American under President Xi felt called to pastor the Chinese people. made him “the kind of person that may sons and Christian colleagues — who have So even after marrying an American make the Chinese government nervous.” not been allowed contact with him since his (Jinping) against woman, completing seminary studies in There are now more than 38 million Prot- arrest — spoke about the case for the first New York and pastoring a Chinese-Amer- estants in China, according to offi cial esti- time to The Associated Press, arguing that any kind of religious ican congregation in North Carolina, Cao mates, and experts have predicted that the the pastor’s sentence should be reduced in retained his Chinese citizenship and split his country will have the world’s largest Chris- light of his humanitarian work. independence.” time between the countries. tian population in a few decades. “Nothing my father organized was ever He became heavily involved with Chi- Cao’s lawyer Liu Peifu said he believed the political. It was always just religious or char- Bob Fu, Christian rights activist na’s “house” churches — Protestant con- pastor’s religious organizing was a “factor” itable,” said Ben Cao, the pastor’s 23-year-old gregations that are not state-sanctioned but in his sentence, which Liu has appealed. son, a U.S. citizen living in Charlotte, North which local authorities often tolerated. Cao Cao tried to get state approval for many of Carolina. “We hope that China will be merci- Chinese missionaries going overseas.” founded more than a dozen Bible boarding his projects, Ben Cao said. He handed over a ful and see that my father’s intentions were New religious regulations implemented schools in China that trained teenagers from primary school and health clinic he estab- good.” in February stipulate that Chinese nationals poor families to become unoffi cial pastors. lished to local authorities, and did not resist Cao’s punishment was handed down as who leave the country for religious purposes Some became teachers at the schools Cao when officials asked him to halt certain Beijing pursues a plan to “sinicize,” or make without government authorization could be built in Myanmar. undertakings. more Chinese, the country’s major reli- fi ned up to 200,000 yuan ($31,780). Mean- Most of the schools have been raided and Still, Cao was under constant surveillance gions, eliminate “foreign influence” and while, leaders of churches not approved by shut down in recent years, Cao’s supporters and frequently called in to meet with secu- align faiths more closely with the atheist the state have reported being prevented s ay. rity agents who questioned him about his ruling Communist Party’s own doctrines. from leaving mainland China outright. When earthquakes struck Sichuan prov- recruitment of Chinese volunteers to build Analysts say the government increasingly A U.S. State Department spokesman told ince in 2008, and Nepal in 2015, Cao flew more than a dozen schools in Myanmar’s Wa views Christianity’s rise in China as a threat the AP that Washington is “deeply con- in to help victims, fellow missionaries said, state, Fu said. to its rule, and may be using prominent fi g- cerned” about Cao’s sentence and has urged buying clothes for them even as he wore the “There were no secrets,” Fu said. “He ures such as Cao as an example to intimidate China to release him on “humanitarian same grey jacket and shoes for years. always believed that he operated with the nascent movements. grounds.” Cao intends to retire and return “My father always tried to save as much government’s tacit blessing.” The pastor’s case also appears to show the to his family in America once he is freed, the money as possible so he could give it away,” Yunnan’s Menglian County Detention party wants to extend its control over the spokesman said. Ben Cao said. Center, where Cao is being held, declined to activities of China’s faithful even when they Chris Smith, a New Jersey congress- comment on his case. The county’s religious are abroad. man who chairs a House subcommittee on GOVERNMENT EYES aff airs offi ce said they were not aware of it. “This refl ects the tightening environment human rights, said in a statement that “Pas- CHRISTIANITY NERVOUSLY “The government chose the right church under President Xi (Jinping) against any tor Cao’s name should be on President (Don- Christianity’s rapid growth, capacity to to persecute,” Cao once wrote in a letter kind of religious independence,” said friend ald) Trump’s lips whenever he talks to Xi mobilize and resilience through harsh peri- describing the resilience of house churches. Bob Fu, a Texas-based Christian rights activ- Jinping,” China’s president. ods of persecution make it appear as a threat “Time has proven ... that God is still alive ist. “In the past, when they talked about for- to the Communist Party, analysts say, partic- and well in China.” eign infi ltration, they were referring to the BUILDING FAITH FOUNDATION IN CHINA ularly given its link to Western civilization. activitiesGrand of foreignRapids missionaries Press - 04/19/2018 inside Cao was 20 Copywhen Reducedhe met an toAmerican 80% from original“I suspect to fit (Cao) letter was page singled out for this Matthew Pennington in WashingtonPage : B01 contrib- China, but that has now expanded to include Christian couple who were sightseeing in his arrest,” said Xi Lian, a scholar of Christian- uted to this report.

INTERFAITH INSIGHT Truth, tolerance, and humility in interfaith

Douglas Kindschi relative and without any truth claims, then to acknowledge the cognitive and spiri- humanity but affirming what it means to Director, Kaufman the diff erences are not worth a fi ght, or for tual integrity of other faith commitments?” be a “creature,” limited, fi nite, and NOT the Interfaith Institute that matter even serious discussion. While seeking to respect and affirm the Creator. It is a faith statement that does not Tolerance has many meanings. A recent humanity of the religiously other, do we at imply superiority but humility. Mendes- “To tolerate is to insult. Tol- newspaper column discussed the diff erence the same time relativize the beliefs and prac- Flohr calls this a “dialogical tolerance” erance must only be preparatory to open the between tolerance and being complicit with tices of that person? which respects the integrity of each par- way to mutual acceptance.” what you believe to be wrong. Should I be ticipant, including his or her beliefs, com- University of Chicago professor Paul tolerant of racism, anti-Semitism, or mass DIFFERENCES ARE ‘CENTRAL ASPECT’ mitments, values, and practices. This kind Mendes-Flohr, in an article “The Prom- shootings? Of course not! In the medical set- He points out that there can be problems, of tolerance, born from humility, “may be ise and Limitations of Interfaith Dialogue,” ting we speak of the body’s tolerance of cer- especially in the Abrahamic faiths that make hailed a theological virtue.” begins with this quote from Goethe. He dis- tain medicines, such as how much chemo- claims of revealed knowledge, truth claims One must not compromise one’s own cusses a kind of tolerance that is little more therapy can the body tolerate, or, how much and propositional reality. He wonders if the beliefs and commitments in order to respect than a form of cultural relativism. It is an pain can I tolerate. In engineering, we speak monotheistic faiths, which are grounded the other and to engage in dialogue with indiff erence that does not take the other per- of tolerance as how much deviation from a in historical revelation and include truths ideas that oppose one’s own belief. Can son seriously. specifi ed standard is acceptable. claims, are capable of genuine tolerance. He I take seriously the theological commit- Mendes-Flohr quotes from a letter written asks, “Are monotheistic faiths constitution- ments of the others when they clash with my in the 1920s from Jewish philosopher and ACCEPTING COMMON ally antagonistic to religious pluralism?” own beliefs? In the interfaith dialogue, it is theologian Franz Rosenzweig to the philos- HUMANITY NOT ENOUGH But Mendes-Flohr does go on to describe important to respect the other person as well opher Martin Buber: “The Christian ignored In the world of interfaith dialogue, there another kind of tolerance that resolves “to as the diff erences in belief. Trying to ignore the Jew in order to tolerate him, and the Jew is also a kind of tolerance that affirms our honor the divergent beliefs and practices of the diff erences by merely saying we are just ignored the Christian in order to allow him- common humanity, but does not go further the other, not as incidental but as a central all human is an insult to the importance of self to be tolerated.” in respecting the significant differences. aspect of the religious experience and iden- deeply held beliefs and practices. Further- While there are times and places when Merely affi rming another’s humanity can be tity of the other. … It does not flinch from more, it takes away any ability to learn from one’s life or livelihood is in jeopardy, and seen as a privileged position that refl ects a engaging the other theologically.” those who are diff erent. such a minimal understanding of tolerance “contempt for other faiths.” It assumes that Returning to the Goethe quote, Mendes- The key is to maintain one’s own faith, is better than violence or death, it should we can just relate to one another without Flohr insists that tolerance must be in prepa- while respecting those who may see things not be the goal of interfaith understanding. recognizing the particularity of our beliefs ration to “mutual acceptance.” He concludes differently. It is not relativism, but humil- We can go beyond such indiff erence to seek and practices. Mendes-Flohr contends that with reference to Martin Buber, who was the ity. An affi rmation that while I affi rm abso- acknowledgment and acceptance. Jews, Christians and Muslims, as well as Jewish editor of an interfaith journal pub- lute truth, I do not claim that my limited and One can also be tolerant to the point of not Buddhists and Hindus, would want their lished in the 1920s titled Die Kreatur (The finite understanding of that truth is fully caring about truth. If I have no commitment humanity to be seen “through the particu- Creature), which seeks to encounter the complete. I become a fellow seeker, learn- to truth, then of course I can show tolerance, larity of their community of faith.” other as a Thou — an “irreducibly unique ing from others, and approaching truth in a but it is at the expense of relativizing your Mendes-Flohr asks: “Can an abiding presence” toward whom one in humility spirit of humility. beliefs and practices. It actually is an insult fi delity to the theological positions and val- shares “a creatureliness.” to your faith. If we treat religious belief as ues of one’s religious community allow one It is not just acknowledging a common [email protected]