The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1914-01-01


sVely. 1t must be remembered also that, to
large extent, the equipment Of evangelistic work
was then and must be now, according to the
strength of those who have to bear it. Chinese
Christians a whole must be speedily trained
to look elsewhere than to the West for support
for carrying Christian work in China"
Here is another straw which shows how the
wind blows In the National Review for Oct. 10,
an English weekly review published in Shanghai,
is article entitled, independent Chinese
Church" which reads follows:
"As the result Of special meetings held in
Marking in March last, some four hundred stu
dents and young men signed cards indicating
their desire to study Christianity These young
men were enrolled in classes and after four
months study about 100 Of them had decided to
accept Christianity, but they objected to joining
any Of the existing Mission Churches because they
were all controlled by foreigners. The Chinese
leaders of the Mission Churches thought this
objection not without reason and thew called a.
meeting at which it decided to organize a
Church Independent of foreign control first to
meet the wants of these students, but also to
draw into the new organization If possible a
Der OF educated young men who pr0fessed to be
Christians but who did not attend any of the
already existing Churches.
It is pitiable, indeed, that we foreigners have
held such a strange hold upon these native
Churches which We have founded that intelligent
Chinese are not willing to enter them because
they dominated by foreigners They are
not to be blamed because they could not do other
wise and maintain their self-respect The Chi
nese are a democratic people and have been
accustomed TO local SolI-SOV6TnneDJ IN political
affairs for 1000 years. Naturally and rightly
they not willing to have their religious life
dominated by foreigners. These Chinese have
been accustomed for countless generations to
local self-gOVernment by system of village elder
ship which is the exact equivalent in the state to
the New Testament eldershp in the Church. Let
us get back as quickly as possible to New Tesla
ment Self-gOvernment and self-support.
In conclusion, l wish to say one word more
about my criticism for our educational work
Some OF my missionary brethren feel that my
criticisms have been too severe and would give
the impression that our educational work has
been complete failure. I have nowhere made
any such statement What I have said was that
from religious standpoint the results OF the
educational work have not justified the great
expenditure of mission money that was given for
the propagation of the Gospel and that the large
use Of this money for educational purposes has
led to the neglect of our evangelistic work the
real purpose for which the churches at home
have contributed the money. Instead Of building
up the native churches, our exotic educational
system has rather tended to educate the young
people away from the churches. Such Of them
as are doing religious work are doing it as
employees OF the foreign missions, and simply 20
to form q part Of the foreign-paid and foreign
controlled religious organization which we have
built up through our failure to from the
beginning, the New Testament principles of self
government and seIf-supp0rt.
L am sure that every openmnded brother who
has given my circular letters a fair reading will
be convinced that the question of mission meth
DDS is not closed one. AS a denomination we
Ought TO carefully reconsider this whole question
before we make the heavy expenditures of mission
money in this indirect or modern mission theory
that are called for by the Judson Memorial Fund
Movement I have given you the deepest con-
victiOns Of my heart from a strong sense of
loyalty to Jesus Christ and to you who are asked
to give this money, but Ito err is human" and
for my part | would like to have the Foreign
Mission Board the Southern Baptist Conven-
ton send a committee of very wise and fully
experienced brethren to the foreign field to study
this question in all it's aspects not to make a
globe trotter's rush from station to station, but
to stay long enough to make intelligent and
profitable study Of these problems.
Above all things let be in earnest and
mnceaSing Snirit of nraNer for the Holy Snirit, g