New China Hands?

The Christian should approach Communists with love and good will . . . humility and confidence . . . [He] should be pro-Christian, not anti-Communist . . . [He] should approach Communists with intelligent understanding . . .

With these words, the missionary representatives of 61 Protestant denominations last week faced up to a tough missionary situation--the Communist conquest in China. Meeting at Buck Hill Falls, Pa. for their annual four-day get-together, 145 delegates of the Foreign Missions Conference of North America found themselves up against the problem of whether to keep missionaries in Communist-dominated areas. The delegates found they were in almost complete agreement. No denomination intended to order its missionaries to evacuate. In all cases the decision was being left to the missionaries themselves. And for the most part, missionaries were electing to stick.

Compromise? In areas already under Red control, the Communists are proving generally to be more lenient than anyone had expected. The Rev. Earl Ballou, acting secretary for China of the American Board (Congregational), reported that he has received encouraging word from several missions in occupied areas . . . From two faculty members of Yenching

University near Peiping, he had heard that in spite of Communist occupation all classes were maintaining their regular schedules. Dr. Lloyd S. Ruland, China secretary for the Northern Presbyterians, reported Communist soldiers not only attending Presbyterian missionaries' lectures, but also expressing surprise that Christianity teaches brotherly love and the brotherhood of man. But missionary leaders are well aware of what is likely to happen to such tolerant policies when the Communists have their military victory behind them. Said Dr. Ballou on the subject last week: "I've got more hope than I've got faith."

Whatever happens, missionary boards will give missionaries every encouragement to stick it out--even if they should be forbidden to preach from their pulpits or teach in their schools. Said Dr. Frank T. Cartwright, China secretary of the Methodist Church's Division of Foreign Missions: "Some of the conservative boards may feel that doing mission work under the Communists is compromising with the Devil, but most of the larger boards feel that if we are allowed to teach Christianity, or even live a life of Christian witness alongside Communism, we would do it. We believe Christianity can stand on its own feet . . . We're willing to do a lot of experimenting. There are enough people who are willing to risk their own welfare to do so, and we boards wouldn't be true to Christ if we didn't stand by them."

Severed Ties. Journalist Robert Root has said that a new type of missionary will have to be developed for China (TIME, Nov. 15). The Rev. Rowland M. Cross, secretary of the Foreign Missions Conference China committee, said last week: "There will certainly be a trend in the direction of specialization. Those who know a trade will be at a great advantage. The boards are even considering the desirability of using celibate missionaries."

Eugene E. Barnett, General Secretary of the National Council of Y.M.C.A.s, warned that though the Communist regime might well eventually outlaw much of the present missionary program, this could prove a blessing in disguise, if the Church did not sacrifice its Christian principles. Said he: "The anti-Christian agitations of two decades ago in China dispersed the missionaries, scattered many Chinese Christians and destroyed much Church property, yet in retrospect the ordeal is seen to have purified and strengthened Christianity in that country. The Church must now be on its guard not only against violence but even more against the subtle perils of compromise."

The conference made these significant recommendations:

"It may be necessary for the Christian church in a given area to sever all its ties with its mother churches in all lands and become entirely independent. It should be prepared for such a development by ... teaching that Christian faith can be expressed in a Christian manner of living, even where there is restraint on the propagation of doctrine . . . [and] teaching that the Church is a community of ... 'cells' of 'two or three' or more ... [emphasizing that] Christians as members of the community should share in its ... political life, so far as that can be done without . . . un-Christian practices . . . [preparing] church leadership to be, if necessary, on an entirely self-supporting basis . . . This identification with the people in standards and ways of living may make their Christian and missionary service more fruitful."

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