The government-registered church body from China will be holding a series of Bible exhibitions in four U.S. cities from September to November this year.
With the theme “Thy Word is Truth”, “The Bible Ministry Exhibition of Protestant Church in China” is organized by the Chinese Christian Council and Three-Self Patriotic Movement of Protestant Churches (CCC/TSPM). The event’s official website English Edition was launched on July 1st, and the Chinese edition will follow shortly.
The website provides the latest news updates on the church in China, the progress of preparation of the exhibition. The event this year will present a complete translation of the Chinese Bible and the history of the ministry’s publication, in particular, of the Bible, the publishing and distribution ministries since the Church of China restored activity in the 1980s.
In addition, the exhibition will present the faith and life testimonies of Christians in China who deeply loved the Bible, which will testify of God’s blessings and grace to the Church of China. Also, Christian artists and ethnic minorities from China will be performing.
Blessings from International Christian Leaders
Other information on the web includes the remarks of blessings from three international Christian leaders towards the “Bible Ministry Exhibition”.
Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC), encouraged American Christians living or visiting near the exhibition sites in Washington D.C., Dallas, Chicago, and Charlotte to participate in the event.
“How can Americans who don’t have opportunity to travel to China really learn about and meet Chinese Christians, that’s where a special Bible Ministry Exhibition can be so valuable,” he said.
Kinnamon said that in the past decades the NCC has had extensive interactions with the China Christian Council, so the Bible Ministry Exhibition will serve to promote further cooperation between them.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who is a devout Christian and one of the main promoter of the 2006 Bible Ministry Exhibition held in the States, explained the significance of the upcoming events for the American Christians, who firmly believes that it will “promote fellowship between American and Chinese churches, and will promote understanding and friendship between our citizens.”
“We Christians – both American and Chinese - worship the same God, believe in the same Savior, and read the same Bible,” he said. “This Bible Ministry exhibition gives us an opportunity to learn more about its growth and brings to us the greetings of our Chinese brothers and sisters. It not only helps us better understand the evolution of Christianity in China but also the development of Chinese society.”
Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe, CEO/Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance, wrote, “One of the most exciting developments in global Christianity last hundreds years has been the growth of Church in China. Later this year in the United States, the China Christian Council is sponsoring a Bible Ministry Exhibition. This will be a great opportunity for Christians in the United States to interact with church leaders from China to learn more about the context of what’s happening in China with the church and think about ways of partner with church in China in the coming years.”
Overseas Chinese Organization Launches Ad Campaign in Opposition to “Bible Ministry Exhibition”
A Christian organization named “Support Shouwang Church Website” publically urged the opposition to the “Bible Ministry Exhibition.” It purchased a half page ad in the World Journal Newspaper in Bay Area San Francisco for a three day period. The ad called for the support of the Shouwang Church in Beijing that insisted of holding outdoor services and the opposition to the “Bible Ministry Exhibition.”
“Help Shouwang Church Website” stated that the government controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement of Protestant Church joined in on the oppression of Shouwang Church. The Chinese government is assisting the “Three-Self” North America Bible Ministry Exhibition to conduct a large-scale religious diplomatic deception tour. They’ve urged for the Christian individuals, churches, and ministries in the free world to “clearly understand the truth and oppose the path of deception.”
“Church of China Bible Ministry Exhibition” website: http://www.bibleinchina.org.
