The five point manifesto
What exactly do second generation Chinese leaders want from their fellow leaders in first gen Chinese ministries?
A while ago I posted on the dynamics of majority culture and minority culture (here) – which highlights how the majority culture are not necessarily conscious of how the minority culture perceives them, and how easily the work of the minority culture can be misunderstood and undermined.
Here is the five manifesto that we drafted several years ago. These five points summarise what first generation leaders must do in order to allow second generation ministries to flourish. In many ways this is the companion piece to that earlier post, highlighting what can be done by the leadership of the majority culture.
While it is written with Chinese culture in mind, we believe it is equally applicable for other second gen cultures. It addresses the nature of the partnership, the nature of unity, and the important leadership role first gen leadership have.
1. Give second generation ministries the freedom to direct their own mission.
Second generation Chinese culture is different from first generation Chinese culture. The things that work well for reaching the first generation may in fact work terribly for reaching and growing the second generation.
Allow second generation ministries to develop their own ministry philosophy, and do not impose a different ministry philosophy.
2. Pursue gospel unity and not organisational unity.
Do not pursue the organisational unity of big church camps and combined church events, since these actually undermine the effectiveness of second generation ministries.
What we want is true gospel unity- which involves different congregations supporting each other generously (in prayer, resources, finances, forgiveness) in their individual pursuit of their own mission.
3. Support their ministry in your own preaching and teaching.
Often families are spread across different congregations – and we do not have the ability to challenge aspects of their family’s culture. However as leaders of first generation ministries you have the most access and influence over the parents and other leaders. Use that capital to address issues that affect our ministry.
And so speak to your second generation colleagues about what issues they are noticing. And in your preaching and ministry challenge the idolatry of study and success. Challenge parents to be involved in the spiritual upbringing of their children. And encourage parents to see full time ministry and missions work as desirable paths for their children.
4. Foster a ministry environment that second generation congregation leaders can understand and genuinely participate in.
Second generation congregation leaders care about their church and want to participate. However this is often difficult in practice. On paper the constitution says one thing, but in practice things operate in a completely different way. This makes it difficult for second generation members to understand and navigate, and they become frustrated when their attempts to bring issues into the open are seen with hostility and denials. When ministry suggestions are denied or ministries damaged because some leader needed to gain face.
And so second generation ministries need champions who are able to make space for them in the unwritten church polity, and preferably to call others to follow the written church polity, so they can be fully involved members of their church.
5. Teach your congregation to think like missionaries.
We have been telling second generation congregation leaders that they must think and act like missionaries when relating with the first generation Chinese, realising they are in a bi-cultural situation.
However we also need people in first generation Chinese congregations to not be culture blind, to realise they are relating to people who are genuinely of another culture, and to themselves think and act like missionaries towards the second generation congregation. This is a culture shift that requires them to be trained, coached and reminded.
When hatred of sin dishonours God
1. Something much less than hatred
I’ve noticed a few things about sins.
Instead of hating sin, we tend to do a number of strange things towards sin. I’ve noticed that sometimes:
- We defend it, encourage others in it, justify it.
- We enjoy it and are entertained by it.
- We harbour it quietly, knowing that it is sin.
- We long to get involved in it, and secretly wish we weren’t Christians so that we could.
And so often when it comes to sin there is a theoretical, intellectual commitment that yes, sin is bad – but there is no strength of hatred of sin from our affections. That is because for us our opposition to sin is only at the intellectual level – but not at the level of the heart. And instead our easy acquaintance with sin reveals hearts that do not love God – and which instead loves what those sins do for us…
2. When hatred of sin dishonours God
There are some cases where we do find certain sins outrageous and distressing – and not others. And sometimes these cases can reveal the true idols of our heart. Because we are outraged when someone sins against those things that we truly cherish.
Take the example of when someone’s personal freedoms are infringed upon – and they get irate. It is because their idol is themselves, and someone has dared to undermine their selfhood. Or take the example of someone who loves money – and who therefore finds theft, fraud, embezzelment particularly affronting.
This means that when people are outraged by certain sinful acts, God may not be necessarily pleased with their outrage. This is because it stems, not from a love for him, but a love for something else. And so it is actually an extension of idolatry.
This makes no sense for those who only hold a simple view of sin, thinking that sin is merely certain acts. Because who cares what the motivation for someone’s hatred for stealing comes from! However truly God-honouring hatred for sin stems from a love for God.
In his Confessions, Augustine wrote that: “he loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee which He loves not for Thy sake.” By this he meant that our love for something (even something good) is idolatrous if it does not flow from a love for God.
However the opposite is also true: our hatred for something (even something bad) is idolatrous if does not flow from a jealousy for God!
3. How to properly hate sin
This then is how we grow hot in our hated for sin. It is by growing correspondingly hotter in our love for God. And as a result, things which we see offend against the honour and name of the God we love, become outrageous to us.
It is like a husband who loves his wife. Those who dishonour her, he hates – because he loves his wife. His hatred is a direct consequence of his love. The stronger his love, the stronger the hatred.
However if we find a man who claims to love his wife, yet does not show any hate those who dishonour her – well, you would want to question his love for her.
But now take the example of a husband whose wife is dishonured – and yes, this time the husband is outraged! But it is not on account of her honour that he is outraged – instead, he is outraged because her sobbing inconveniences him. or because he doesn’t like having to hear such nasty words in his presence. or because it is against a higher principle of justice to which he holds. Such outrage may be directed at the same act - but it does not stem from the right source, and therefore does not honour his wife.
As you grow in your love for God, and as you grow to see how certain sins offend against the majesty and honour of God, then you will find yourself developing a properly God-honouring – and strong – hated for that sin. And this will be true whether you find those sins in yourself – or in others.
Confucianism – and rites
Rites in Confucianism
One of the distinctive things about Confucianism is the focus on the rites (禮, li). In order to establish harmony throughout the land and cultivate virtuous men, Confucius taught that people should reach back into antiquity and devote themselves once again to the rites of the ancestors.
Confucius’ disciples outlined some of these in The Analects (論語, Lun Yu), but more elaborately in The Classic of Rites (禮記, Liji). This contained instructions on the manner of offering sacrifices, how one was to behave toward different classes of peoples – even down to what kind of clothing one should wear.
To the modern ear, it may not seem to make a lot of sense – but take a moment to consider how we have modern rites, and how they function in our society today.
Consider how we have the common custom of shaking hands: when two people meet for the first time, they both extend their right hands towards each other, grasp, squeeze and slightly shake for one second, and then let their hands drop. It’s quite a natural and smooth expression of social harmony. But not only that it reinforces a feeling of harmony.
And you particularly notice this when what you expect to happen in the hand-shaking ritual doesn’t happen. Imagine instead that as you reach out your hand, the other person doesn’t. Or if you shake but the other person doesn’t let go but continues to hold your hand throughout the conversation - well that is suddenly very awkward. There is a noticeable feeling of disharmony because the other person is not doing what is expected of them.
We don’t have many rituals in our modern world – but if you take that one simple ritual, and multiply that into every sphere of life, and every relationship, then you are coming close to the kind of society that Confucius sought to create through the rites. The rites become the means for society to go from inhumane behaviour (in the form of warfare during the Warring States period) to humane and dignified behaviour.
The rites was also the way for society to go from disordered relationships (in the form of rebellion) to ordered and reverential relationships. Because what some of the rites did was they gave expression to particular sets of relationships. You may recall that there were five key relationships in the Confucianism: ruler-subject, father-son, husband-wife, older-younger, and friend-friend. These relationships were largely hierarchical in nature, and the rites gave people a way to express and reinforce those relationships.
The following, for instance, shows how the sacrifices to the gods gave expression to a person’s reverence and submission to them:
“Sacrifice as if present” is taken to mean “sacrifice to the gods as if the gods were present.” The Master, however, said, “Unless I take part in a sacrifice, it is as if I did not sacrifice.”
Analects 3.12
A good example of this that still exists today is the wedding tea ceremony. As the bride-to-be kneels and serves tea to her parents, and later on to the groom’s parents and family, she is wordlessly giving expression to the nature of those relationships. But in Confucianism this was only one of many rites that was to govern and regulate civilised society.
This is what missiologist Paul Hiebert has to say about the importance of rituals,
“Modern people commonly regard rituals as harmless interludes or discount them as meaningless performances. But rituals play a central role in most societies. They are multilayered transactions in which speech and behaviour are socially prescribed. [...] They give visible expression to the deep cultural norms that order the way people think, feel, and evaluate their worlds. [...] Because rituals dramatise in visual form the deep beliefs, feelings, and values of a society, they are of particular importance in studying worldviews.”
Paul Hiebert, Transforming Worldviews, 82-83.
Rituals in Chinese Christianity
And so it should come as no surprise that Chinese Christianity will express itself in forms that contain rituals. And in particular rituals that express some kind of relationship. They may not be elaborate, but if you tinker with them you will discover that they are jealously guarded!
Consider the period of reverential silence before a service. Consider the call to worship, the rituals surrounding the offering, the threefold Amen. Consider the practice of holding the service on a Sunday morning. Consider also what is appropriate dress for a worship service.
All of these function to express and reinforce a humble and reverential relationship to God. But more than that, they are considered important: the feeling would be that something would be missing if the collection was done through electronic funds transfer, it would be wrong to wear untidy clothing to church – because of what that would mean for them about that relationship. Remember that the rituals give expression to the relationship!
Now in saying this it is quite legitimate for a particular culture to express it’s love for God in its own forms. And for a culture that prizes rituals, it is entirely appropriate for it to create Christian rituals to express Christian realities. As a result Christians from other cultures should be careful of demanding that they relinquish those rituals and becoming just like them.
However what is important to consider is the reality that is being expressed by those rituals. Is it expressing an awe-filled, grace-filled, gospel-shaped relationship with God? Or is it expressing a transactional Christianity and a distant God? Does it acknowledge God as glorious and sovereign? or as a deity easily fooled by our attendance at his shrine, whose favours are easily bought off with cheap offerings?
It would be terrible if our rituals more closely resembled and reinforced the Confucian reverence for the distant t’ien. Or if they promoted a transactional relationship that is at odds with the Bible. Our wordless rituals, just as much as our words in a sermon, must reinforce, and never undermine the gospel. They must uphold the truth of God, and not a lie.
But in the Gospels Jesus also warns of a second danger of rituals… Because when one conscientiously observes the outward ritual, that might mislead themselves and others to think that they also have the inward affections – when this is not necessarily so.
In Mark 7 Jesus addresses a group of cranky Pharisees who challenge his disciples about ritual observance. Jesus says,
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with`unclean’ hands?”
6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “`These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”
Mark 7:5-8 (NIV)
Further on from there, Jesus points out that while they thought purity came from ritual observance (and impurity from ignoring rituals), that is not at all the case:
18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him`unclean’? 19 For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean”.)
20 He went on: “What comes out of a man is what makes him`unclean’. 21 For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man`unclean’.”
Mark 7:18-23 (NIV)
Jesus points out that purity before God was not actually a matter of washing cups – but of the inner affections of the heart. The rituals are helpful in expressing something of the holiness of God – but how silly to mistake the ritual with the reality! To focus on the ritual and neglect the reality!
And so you can easily imagine a churchgoer who diligently observes a period of reverential silence before a service. Or who always wears covered shoes to church. If their heart actually treasures career advancement or face above all – then their rituals are worthless. In fact, worse than worthless – because it can fool them into thinking that they are pleasing to God…
And so you can see that while rituals may be helpful in giving expression to the realities of the gospel, we must be aware that the observance of rituals – even Christian ones – can easily distract us from the truly significant issues of what is going on with our hearts.
Sydney Chinese church movements – 2011
In future I will probably post these in the middle of the year – there are way too many moves happening in the Nov-Feb period, and it makes more sense to deal with them all at once when things have settled down for the year. But for the time being…
Here are Chinese church English ministry moves for Sydney for the year 2011:
Dale Baikie finished ministry as English pastor of Chinese Methodist Church Carlton at the end of January.
Andrew Wong began as interim youth and young adults pastor at WSCCC in January. He was previously studying at SMBC, and will later be preparing for overseas ministry.
Andrew Drury finished ministry as youth worker at Asquith Anglican in February.
Tho Luu finished up his part time role at NSCAC. He is focussing on his North Sydney responsibilites with City Bible Forum.
Ben Ho began serving at CPC Surry Hills.
Kitty Chan began serving part time at CPC Surry Hills.
John Gurusamy began as English pastor of Living Stone EFCA in February. He was previously International Minister at St Matthew’s Anglican church, Manly.
Ernest Chiang began at Chinese Methodist Church in Carlton in March.
David Martin returned from East Asia and took up a part time role at NSCAC in April until the end of this year. He will then be moving to Hebron Chinese Alliance Church in Westmead.
Thomas Chin began serving at Beverly Hills Baptist Church as English pastor.
Anthony Dumbrell is now serving at EFCA Living Springs.
Darran Holder started as student pastor at NDCCCS in April. He and Sarah will be moving to a new ministry next year.
Stephen Coxhead started at Cheung Chen CCC.
Jasmine Yong is now at NAAC as chatechist. She was previously at St Andrew’s Cathedral.
Albert Lam moves from full time to part time MAP at EFCA East Lindfield.
John Dickson was ordained at NDCCCS on 15 May.
Candy Leung left Lidcombe Anglican Church in June.
John Menzies left NDCCCS in December and began his new role at Regener8.
Douglas Fyfe graduates from MTC. He will be serving at NDCCCS in the coming year.
Kitty Chan begins ministry at CPC Surry Hills as youth pastor. She has been studying at SMBC.
Kenneth Lo return to Malaysia to take up a ministry position. He has been studying at MTC.
Chris Lung graduates from SMBC. He has been serving at Sydwest and will be serving at Chinese Alliance church in Brisbane.
Fiona May began a full time role at York Street Anglican.
Leo Chen began serving at Ashfield Anglican.
Here are other Chinese ministry moves:
Charles Yu was ordained at NSCAC in Epping in May.
Frankie Law is beginning ministry at WSCCC, Strathfield. He was previously serving at Living Springs EFCA, Kellyville.
Kenneth Leung finished up at St Matthew’s Anglican Church, West Pennant Hills.
Ken Wong starting up at St Matthew’s Anglican Church, West Pennant Hills.
Jonathan Phua started up at St Matthew’s Anglican Church, West Pennant Hills.
Leung Sung finished up ministry at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Carlingford.
[ PS: any other moves you know of? let me know! ]
List of postings: Sept ’11 to Nov ’11
Here is an index of this quarter’s postings (September ’11 to November ’11). Clicking on the titles will take you to that post.
And yes, not many posts this quarter, with some pretty big things to sort out at church. However there is a post based on some things about the attitude of the Confucian gentleman towards money that I noticed on my most recent read through the Analects - something for both pastors and church leaders to consider.
And another post that might ruffle a few feathers – but which will hopefully reshape how we disciple high schoolers.
Together with others, I have also been working on another exciting blog, which we hope to announce soon. While a lot of my posts have to do with diaspora Chinese that are influenced by Confucianism, there is also a large section of Chinese migrants who are not – particularly those who have migrated from mainland China in the last ten years.
And so a group of us are working on a new blog that will bring together those working in Mandarin migrant ministry. It will be about exploring the worldview of the mainland Chinese, thinking through different approaches for outreach we have tried, and resources we have found helpful.
This promises to be an awesome, strategic resource for those wrestling with such a ministry – so stay tuned for more information about it!
November 2011
25 Confucianism – and the pastors’ stipend
29 What uni do you go to?
30 List of postings: Sept ’11 to Nov ’11
What uni do you go to?
In our part of Sydney quite a lot of Chinese Christians study at university.
And in our part of Sydney there is quite a good university with a good range of courses. It’s very close by, and has good transport links. And not only that, there are many mainland Chinese students at this university, making it an excellent choice for the purposes of befriending and sharing Jesus with fellow students.
However over the years as I have gotten to know Christians in this region, I’ve noticed that the university that Chinese Christians tend to go to is actually quite far away from where they live. Instead of studying close by, there is a strange trend that involves studying at a much further university. One that involves spending hours on public transport travelling across Sydney. Every day, for several years.
And yes, they do get a good education there, but it is strange, given that there is a pretty good university just near by, with great opportunities for connecting friends with their church’s ministry. Why is that?
I wonder if, for many, the thinking is that a university degree from that university will mean a better job, and therefore a higher paying job. And in hope of that extra edge, many will spend long hours travelling across Sydney. In the mean time forgoing the opportunity to make connections with students living quite close by to them.
When I was choosing my university, I know that inside of me there was this strong, burning desire to reach the very furthest I could with the marks I got from school. To get into the very best uni I could, no matter what it took. No matter what it meant in terms of travel. I felt compelled to stretch and secure the best opportunities, and work out the details later.
But of course if I was asked why I chose that university, I would have said that it was a good university. That I want to get a good education. That I want to be challenged. I suppose it convinced others – it was a good cloak. A useful subterfuge.
Of course, there is nothing wrong as such with going to one university or another. But what I want to highlight is how the inclinations of one’s heart may cause people to go to quite extreme lengths in the pursuit of their treasure. It is said, “What the heart desires, the will chooses, and the mind justifies.” And you can see how that dynamic comes into play, even in this simple choice of university.
Is the difference in education really so massive that we travel across Sydney for several years? Is the imagined difference in starting salary really so significant to us that we give up opportunities to befriend and minister to students living close by? Because it does have an impact on the kind of ministry we can do. On the time we have to invest in relationships. Even on our sleep!
The truth about universities is that it doesn’t really matter all that much what university you go to. We believe that it matters, and so choose accordingly – but in reality, employers aren’t all that fussed. They are really much more interested in the quality of the person than the crest on the testamur. So we needn’t worry so much.
Of course there may be great reasons for choosing a far-away university. Just as they may be bad reasons for choosing a close-by university. But what we are concerned about here in either case is what it is that our heart desires above all.
If you are already plugged in at a far-away university and feel convicted, it may be wiser to stay there and grow the relationships that you have already built. But learn now, how the desires of our heart so easily influence our choices. Observe how the desire for wealth or prestige leads to a multitude of seemingly innocent choices. And remember that sin is not primarily bad actions – but hearts that love and serve and worship a lesser god.
Confucianism – and the pastors’ stipend
1.The strange phenomenon of lowly paid pastors
There is a well recognised phenomenon of pastors not being paid terribly well in Chinese churches.
And it’s not as though on the whole Chinese people are unaware of money issues – quite the opposite in fact. Many church members would be acutely aware of their own remuneration and opportunities for career advancement. Many are very smart when it comes to earning and growing money.
However it is widely acknowledged that when it comes to providing for pastors, Chinese churches tend to maintain a steadfastly blind eye to the financial realities their pastors face. I myself have heard quite shocking stories of the remuneration that church leaders in our city have thought adequate.
But not only that, Chinese pastors are themselves strangely shy of raising the issue of the adequacy of their stipend, preferring instead to appear unworried by their finances.
There is much that could be said in terms of what could be fixed up. But today I thought I would instead shed some light on that strange phenomenon of, on the one hand churches that are slow to address the financial needs of pastors, and on the other hand pastors who are shy of asking for more money. Why is that the case?
2. The Confucian gentleman and money
In Confucianism the virtuous gentleman (junzi, 君子) is someone who exerts a transformative influence on society by developing their virtue and observing the rites. But in his description of the virtuous gentleman, Confucius interestingly portrayed him as being someone who does not give a thought for his material comfort.
Here are some quotes from the Analects of Confucius:
The Master said, “The gentleman seeks neither a full belly nor a comfortable home. He is quick in action but cautious in speech. He goes to men possessed of the Way to be put right. Such a man can be described as eager to learn.”
Analects 1.14
The Master said, “How admirable Hui is! Living in a mean dwelling on a bowlful of rice and a ladleful of water is a hardship most men would find intolerable, but Hui does not allow this to affect his joy. How admirable Hui is!”
Analects 6.11
The Master said: “A gentleman seeks the Way, he does not seek a living. Plough the fields and perchance you may still go hungry. Apply yourself to learning and perchance you may yet make a career. A gentleman worries whether he will find the Way, he does not worry that he may remain poor.”
Analects 15.32
There are other passages as well (Analects 7.16, 8.12, 15.38) but already you can see the theme of the virtuous man, content with humble things.
In fact it is more than that: this is actually portrayed as the ideal. Because by this you know that the gentleman pursues the Way with purity! Confucius taught that if a gentleman does show concern for his material comfort, he reveals himself to not be a true gentleman. Here again from the Analects:
The Master said, “There is no point in seeking the views of a Gentleman who, though he sets his heart on the Way, is ashamed of poor food and poor clothes.”
Analects 4.9
The Master said: ”a scholar who cares for his material comfort does not deserve to be called a scholar.”
Analects 14.2
This does not mean that the gentleman is completely shabby all the time. No, the virtuous man will actually ensure that his humble state will not cause others concern – but will still be dignified enough to perform the required rituals. Here again from the Analects:
The Master said, “With Yu I can find no fault. He ate and drank the meanest fare while making offerings to ancestral spirits and gods with the utmost devotion proper to a descendant. He wore coarse clothes while sparing no splendour in his robes and caps on sacrificial occasions. He lived in lowly dwellings while devoting all his energy to the building of irrigation canals. With Yu I can find no fault.”
Analects 8.21
And so you can see the kind of attitude that the Confucian gentleman has towards money: content with meagre things, not at all concerned for his material comfort, yet never compromising on his ability to perform the rites with all colour and dignity.
3. The Confucian gentleman and the Chinese pastor
But you can also begin to recognise what lies deep in the cultural background for many Chinese churchgoers and pastors when it comes to money. You can already see how it shapes what many people expect of pastors, and also what many pastors expect of themselves.
This may be why pastors are often shy about talking about their financial needs or expressing any concern with their stipend – they feel that to do so would undermine the very virtue that is crucial to their standing. It makes them unvirtuous, and disqualifies them from truly being that virtuous pastor which is their role.
And correspondingly, congregation members also want to see this. Unconsciously, this is their ideal for the virtuous leader among them. Someone who is completely devoted to the Way, and not at all troubled by their material comfort.
At this point the not-too-subtle influence of Confucianism is unlikely to be directly challenged. Because after all, Christianity also has a discomfort with greed! Confucianism and Christianity seem to speak with the same voice about those leaders who pursue financial gain (eg. 1 Timothy 3, 1 Timothy 6, Titus 1)!
But this is only true if we read the New Testament selectively. Because while Paul warns about those who pursue financial gain, he also talks quite unashamedly about money and his own financial needs (eg. Romans 15, 2 Corinthians 8-9, Philippians 4). These passages we read – and inwardly we cringe! To ask for money so openly – ugh!
But why do we cringe? Why do we find Paul so awkward in these chapters?
It may be that, unlike Paul, at this point we still have a worldview influenced more by Confucianism – than by the gospel.
List of postings: June ’11 to Aug ’11
Here is an index of this quarter’s postings (June ’11 to August ’11). Clicking on the titles will take you to that post.
WordPress stats show that the blog is regularly something like 100-300 hits a day – thanks everyone for reading! If you are on Twitter, you can follow me (@hongus) to get notified when I post an article.
This quarter featured a series of updated stats in June-July on Chinese immigration, powered from an online tool from the Department of Immigration (1 June, 5 and 6 July).
In August, there were a series of reflections on leadership in Confucian culture influenced churches, particularly regarding the Rectification of Names and the Doctrine of the Mean (3, 11 and 30 August).
A common pastoral issue I have come across in many churches are Christians who have been in churches for quite a few years, who are now finding themselves becoming spiritually dry. And on 19 August I suggest one possible cause of that. This one is worth sharing with your ministry team!
June 2011
01 Uni students from China (2002-2011)
July 2011
05 Age profile of settlers from China in 2010
06 The number of settlers from China – 1991-2010
19 The appearance of growth
August 2011
03 Confucianism – and what leaders are meant to do
11 Confucianism – and the rectification of names
30 Confucianism – and the rectification of names (part 2)
31 List of postings: June ’11 to Aug ’11
Confucianism – and the rectification of names (part 2)
In the previous post I shared with you the Confucian concept of the Rectification of Names – and the example of a pastor who does not behave like a pastor. And we saw that in churches influenced by Confucianism, such a pastor would be looked down on and despised.
However there is something else as well to point out by way of application for Chinese churches. And in many ways it’s the opposite of that pastor who dresses down, who goes barefoot, who has an earring.
Because by contrast, there are pastors who have a dignified bearing. who dress well. who are reverent in the way they speak. who are smooth in their performance of all the appropriate ‘rites’ as a pastor – but who at the same time are virtually useless in advancing the mission of God in their area!
And so when it comes to exercising church discipline, they are hesitant. When it comes to speaking out about respectable sins, they are quiet. When it comes to stretching the church beyond the comfort point for the sake of God’s mission, they will hold that off for yet another season while they consolidate the church.
One can imagine such a pastor in a Chinese church – they look pastor-ish, and may in fact have served for many years. Their congregation may be very happy with him - because he seems so right. And that’s because he matches so well what they look for in the externals. Like the ruler of the earlier post on the Doctrine of the Mean, he may be considered such a great figure because he has managed to maintain harmony in the church family for all these years!
But the great tragedy is that in many cases such pastors may in fact be doing their churches a disservice. Like tigers, they promise sound pastoral leadership – but like paper tigers they only perform the motions of pastoral leadership: the shaking of hands, the subdued clothes, the warm and inoffensive pastoral visit.
Unfortunately because they seem so right, churches may content themselves with such paper tigers leading their churches and ministries. And as a consequence such churches slowly turn their attention to maintaining the form of church, while leaving the mission of God largely unfinished…
Confucianism – and the rectification of names
Related to the previous post on the task of the ruler is an important project in Confucianism known as the Rectification of Names (zhengming, 正名). One of the things that a ruler and his people must do is call things by their correct names – which are not necessarily the ones that are given to them.
And so for instance you might have someone who holds the position of a government official – but look at his behaviour! he is rude, he is undignified, he is only interested in personal gain and not the good of the people. He may hold the position of government official – but it is recognised that he does not truly deserve the title of government official.
Here is a father – but look at what he does! he is a drunkard, he allows his lodgings to fall into disrepair, he does not care about his appearance. Yes, he may have a family – but everyone in the village knows that he does not truly deserve the name of father.
And so there is this concern in Confucianism for things to truly correspond to the name given to them. Here is a quote from The Analects:
Duke Jing of Qi asked Confucius about government. Confucius replied, “There is government, when prince is prince, and the minister is minister; when the father is father, and the son is son.” ”Good”, said the duke, “if indeed; the prince be not prince, the minister not minister, the father not father, and the son not son, although I have my revenue, can I enjoy it?”
Confucius, Analects 12.11
And so the Rectification of Names was a means by which things were either to be called their correct names (that is, the name corresponding to behaviour), or people are meant to live up to the name that they have. Either the people go about calling that government official a thief – or he behaves like a government official should!
This was important for Confucius in the task of governing the state. Unless this is done, “affairs cannot be carried on to success.” Again from The Analects:
Zilu said, “The ruler of Wei has been waiting for you, in order with you to administer the government. What will you consider the first thing to be done?”
The Master replied, “What is necessary is to rectify names.”
“So, indeed!” said Zilu. “You are wide of the mark! Why must there be such rectification?”
The Master said, “How uncultivated are you, You! A superior man, in regard to what he does not know, shows a cautious reserve. If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success. When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music will not flourish. When proprieties and music do not flourish, punishments will not be properly awarded. When punishments are not properly awarded, the people do not know now to move hand or foot. Therefore a superior man considers it necessary that the names he uses may be spoken appropriately, and also that what he speaks may be carried out appropriately. What the superior man requires, is just that in his words there may be nothing incorrect.”
Confucius, Analects 13.3
The Rectification of Names is important, not just so that there can be confidence in kingdom-wide communications. But that throughout the kingdom, things actually accord with their names.
From all this you can see that the emphasis is very much on outward behaviour. It would not be true to say that behaviour is unimportant in the West, nor that being is unimportant in the East. In both East and West ideally being and behaviour are consistent. But a clear point of difference is that in the West, being is primary, and behaviour secondary. You are a father regardless of how you behave. You are an official regardless of how you carry out your duties (until you get relieved of them!!). However in Confucianism behaviour is primary – it is this that determines the true name of things.
What are the implications for churches influenced by Confucianism – such as Chinese churches?
You will notice that there is an often unconscious standard that people are held up against. Youth in the church should behave like this. Pastors should dress like this and do visitation. The pastor’s wife should behave like that - the focus being on the externals - things such as deportment, gravity, dress, manner of speech, and the performance of rituals.
I know that some pastors try to break stereotypes by dressing down, going barefoot, getting an earring – sometimes in order to make a theological point. This works well with a Western audience because you are already thought of as pastor, and you can thereby change, you can redefine what it is that pastors do through your behaviour. The comment will be: “oh! I didn’t know pastors could do that – I guess they can!” Because in this context, being preceeds behaviour.
However this does not work in Chinese contexts. If a pastor were to do that, all that happens is that the Chinese will not think of you as a pastor at all – but some kind of clown. Someone who holds that title – but does not really fit it. The comment, with a derisive snort, will be: “that’s our ‘pastor’ – just look at him!” Because in this context, behaviour preceeds being.
Of course this doesn’t just apply to roles such as pastors, elders, leaders and the like – the same applies to concepts like worship, fellowship, calling. One might explain the theology behind true worship – but what will still be foremost for them will be the externals of what a ‘worshipful’ service is like. Because you are dealing with the being of things – which is only of secondary interest.
And this may explain some of the smirks, the disdain, the unwillingness to engage at a theological level that you may sometimes notice in a Chinese church…
