Police in Wuhan, China, the former epicenter of the global coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 16,000 (as of 12:00 EST, 23 March) and made hundreds of thousands ill, used to put down Christian witnessing in the city. Evangelists could be silenced or threatened with imprisonment. But at the height of the crisis there, as Chinese Christians risked their safety and their lives to hand out protective facemasks and dispense gospel tracts, authorities in some places changed their tune.
Reports from China say believers in Wuhan, and across Hubei Province and the East Asian nation, are rising above fear and political pressure to preach peace and hope in the face of panic. In a time of national desperation, when protective masks are scarce and valuable, instead of hunkering down behind locked doors Christians have gone into the streets to give away free masks and to preach the gospel.
A letter published by HeartCry Missionary Society relays a story about a police officer, who recently would have forcefully halted any form of Christian evangelism, listening to a Christian woman’s gospel presentation and going away with a mask and a tract. The officer quickly returned with four more security personnel.
“They are the ones [who] used to be concerned about the message,” the letter states. “But now they came to Christians for help, and they bow down to our God…. Christian[s] gained the respect that they never had because of their willingness to risk their health to serve.”
Numerous clips Christians passing out masks and pamphlets have surfaced online.
“They are sharing the word of hope and comfort from God,” states the HeartCry letter. “They have become more and more favored in the city, even in the authorities’ eyes.”
Authorities in China, the global leader in churches closed or attacked last year and No. 23 on the World Watch List’s 2020 rankings of the hardest places in the world to be a Christian, became increasingly bogged down by the crisis, leaving the country’s Christians space to publicly enact their faith more freely.
In addition to massive prayer campaigns, churches across China offered assistance to those in need, and even to the government that represses them. Congregations are giving money to affected communities, donating surgical masks and infrared thermometers, and urging prayer and fasting.
Other believers have been broadcasting messages of hope from speakers on their balconies and bicycles. In places, Christians welcomed and are continuing to welcome evacuees from the hardest hit areas into their homes.
Despite the massive growth of the church in China—there may be more than 100 million believers in the country—persecution has ramped up in recent years. China banned the online purchase of Bibles in 2018, pushed a campaign for the “sinicization” of the country’s religious institutions, and has cracked down on house churches and closed hundreds of other gathering sites.
That persecution is still present–indeed, there are still numerous reports of persecution of Christians and dismantling of churches during the crisis–but the virus seems to have opened a door for Christians to speak out.
According to a letter from a Wuhan pastor, the coronavirus epidemic presents not only an opportunity to suffer with the people of Wuhan but also to bring the peace and witness of Christ to China.
“The situation is so critical, yet [we are] trusting in the Lord’s promises, that his thoughts toward us are of peace, and not evil (Jeremiah. 29:11), and that he allows for a time of testing, not to destroy us, but to establish us,” wrote the pastor.
“We are to seek peace for this city, seek peace for those who are afflicted with this illness, seek peace for the medical personnel struggling on the front lines, seek peace for every government official at every level, seek peace for all the people of Wuhan!”
Another anonymous pastor in Wuhan encouraged his congregants to give generously to families and medical workers.
“As the church established by God in this city, not only do we need to protect ourselves and take care of our families, we also need to care for our neighbors with the love of Christ, and do our best to help,” he said.
Lucille Talusan, CBN News’ Asia correspondent, says the uncertainty around the epidemic and its accompanying quarantines has made some Chinese more receptive to the hope of the gospel.
And while many Chinese churches had indefinitely suspended corporate gatherings, with pastors preaching sermons via webcasts and staying connected through online networks, the church’s presence in responding to the epidemic has not gone unnoticed.
The international community, including governments, NGOs, and religious organizations, has also responded to Covid-19. The local and global response to the virus paid off in China, where new cases have slowed to a tickle. Now the new epicenters are in places like Italy, Iran, and the United States. This is a challenge, and an opportunity, for believers in those places to do what they can to give gospel hope in an uncertain time.
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