THREE-SELF REFORM MOVEMENT AMONG SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST IN CHINA

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP80-00809A000700060442-3
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
R
Document Page Count: 
4
Document Creation Date: 
December 22, 2016
Document Release Date: 
October 5, 2011
Sequence Number: 
442
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
May 24, 1952
Content Type: 
REPORT
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PDF icon CIA-RDP80-00809A000700060442-3.pdf214.12 KB
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/06: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700060442-3 r CLASSIFICATION RESTRICTED CENTRAL INTELLLIIG INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REP ORT INFORMATION FROM FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO. COUNTRY China DATE OF SUBJECT Sociological - Religion INFORMATION HOW PUBLISHED Weekly periodical WHERE PUBLISHED Shanghai DATE PUBLISHED 10 Nov 1951 LANGUAGE nu o0CY1.T Coml... nn0111DO1 .IIRIN Tx1 x~n01LL 0111x11 01 Tx1 -- RAT. nlnl^ Tx1 x.xp11 OI Rr10xb1 Iq 10 x1 .n... IA n011UTN I01 r111 ON II 0. 01 In CIT LAW. Ix xxi xxxx. TO xx Yxx ITMOT /I.ox CI Ixp. xilln0 If 4x. IIMOOYCTIOx 01 nl1 1011 1NIR10 1 rxOx111TID. Tien-fana~Vol XII, No 19, 1951. DATE DIST. 2-!f. May 1952 N0. OF PAGES 4 SUPPLEMENT TO REPORT NO. THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION THRF~~F REFORM MOVEMENT AMONG SEVII'7lH-llAY ADVEmutTS IN CHINA The following articles from the Shanghai weekly T'ien-fang describe the three-self (self-government, self-support, re- form movement among the Seventh-Day Adventists inChina.pr Recentgac- tivities include the sanctioning of the establishment of the Three-Self Reform Preparatory Committee, messages to Chairman Mao and the Chinese People's Volunteers, the reform plan of the China Headquarters of the Seventh-Day Adventist Churches, and the speech by Nan Hsiang- ch'ien, Chairman of the Sevent','?Day Adventist Three-Self Reform Pre- paratory Committee. SANCTIONS ESTABLISHMENT OF THREE-SELF REFORM PREPARATORY COtfMIT The Reform Representatives Conference Preparatory Office of the China Head - ters and the Shangha Church Group, Seventh-Day Adventist churches: quar The form MovemePrepa nt Cratory ~tbe ChinatProteResist AmericaAid Korea, stant Churches has been notified Three-Self your organization has mobilized your church members to hold accusation meetings against the American imperialist agents and their henchmen and that you have convened a representatives conference at which reform resolutions were passed a and 24 officials, including Nan Hsi-ng-ch'ien, were democratically elected to form a Three-Self Reform Preparatory Committee for your organization. The committee has received and approved your report at its 27th meeting. Accord- ingly, the committee approves your organization. It is hoped that your organ- ization will unite all the patriotic Seventh-Day Adventists to launch success- fully the accusation and reform movements and to create a church organization that really belongs to our own Chinese people. (Signed) Preparatory Committee of the Resist America, Aid Korea, Movement Council of the China'Pro Three-Self l Churches 6 November 1951 STAT Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/06: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700060442-3 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/06: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700060442-3 r MESSAGES TO CHA':RMAN MAO AND CHINESE PEOPLE'S VOLUNTEERS BY SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST REPRESENTA"IVES CONFERENCE Having conducted thoroughly a series of accusation meetings, we, the patri- otic and religious Seventh-Day Adventists, have convened our representatives conference and, at that conference, formed an organization responsible to carry out the three-self reform in our churches. This action is a heavy blow to American imperialism. We salute you with the highest honor. Under your enlightened leadership, we wish to create a Seventh-Day Adventist church of self-government, self-support, and self-preaching for the Chinese people. (Signed) Reform Representatives Conference of the China Headquarters and the Shanghai Church Group of the Seventh-D'y Adventist Churches 29 October 1951 Dearest Commanders and Fighters of the Ch_nese People's Volunteers: We wish to salute you with the highest honor. We hope also that you achieve continuous glorious victories. While you are fighting American imperialism on the Korean front, we, the Seventh-Day Adventists, have thoroughly conducted accusation meetings within our organization, which had been exploited by American imperialism for 50 years, against the American imperialist agents and their criminal acts; we have wiped them out from our organization. Now we have convened our representatives con- ference and have set up an organization to carry out the three-self reforms. We wish to assure you that we :hall create by all means a church on the basis of self-government, self-support, and self-preaching and wipe out any American im- perialist influence in our churches. (Signed) Reform Representatives Conference of the China Headquarters and the Shanghai Church Group of the Seventh-Day Advent:-.;t Churches 29 October 1951 REFORM PLAN or CHINA HEADQUARTERS, SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCHES For the past 50 years the China Headquarters of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church,4 has been utilized by American imperialism in their persistent conduct of anti-Soviet, and anti-Communist, and anti-people's movements by means of church, school, hospital, newspaper, radio, and other activities. We have felt deeply the need for reforming our churches ever since liberation under the in- spiration of the people's greatest victory, particularly since the accusation movement of the last few months in which we revealed how America imperialism and its henchmen exploited the Adventist churches to invade China. Henceforth, we should unite all patriotic and religious Adventists, under the leadership of the Resist America, Aid Korea, Three-Self Reform Preparation Committee, to take an active part in the patriotic movement to resist America and aid Korea, sever any connection with American imperialism, purge any American imperialist influence in the Christian religion, and create a church for the Chinese people on the basis of self-government, self-support, and self-preaching. Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/06: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700060442-3 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/06: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700060442-3 r A. Organization 1. The name of this reform organization shall be The Three-Self Reform Pre- paration Committee, of the China Headquarters of the Seventh-Day Adventist Churches (which hereinunder will be called the Reform Preparation Committee). It shall be organized by 20 to 30 delegates elected at the Reform Representatives Conference of Shanghai Church Group of the Seventh-Day Adventist Churches. 2. The Reform Preparation Committee shall elect from among its members seven to nine persons to organize an executive committee. The executive com- mittee shall be responsible for the direction of all reform activities. 3. In due time, a nationwide organization shall be set up when a national representatives conference is convened. The Reform Preparation Committee shall exercise the authority of the China Headquarters until the national representa- tives conference is convened. The previous executive committee of the China Headquarters of the Seventh-Day Adventist Churches shall cease to function, and its duties shall be taken over as soon as possible by the Reform Preparation Committee. 4. Various divisions of the China Headquarters shall be reorganized on the basis of expediency. The function of the China Headquarters shall'be limited to the extension of guidance to church activities in general. Its former affil- iated business organizations, such as hospitals, schools, and newspapers shall become independent enterprises or be referred to appropriate government depart- ments for further action. B. Activities 1. The China Headquarters shall rally its followers to the sincere support of the Common Program, take an active part in the movement to resist America and aid Korea, continue to carry on thoroughly the accusation movement within the churches, and eliminate American imperialist influence in churches. 2. The gospel should be preached and any poisonous elements injected by American imperialism should be purged. 3. All followers should be guided with planning and organization for con- ductior the accusation movement; Por carrying out reform on the basis of self- government, sslf-support, and self-preaching; for strengthening patriotic edu- cation; and fox establishing various study classes to heighten the political awareness of the headquarters' personnel. 1. The China Headquarters shall be financially independent and reject sub- sidies of any kind from American imperialism. 2. The former financial administration system shall be reformed. Financial records shall be kept open for inspection. 3. The Reform Preparation Committee shall request the former accountants to clear up all the financial obligations of the China Headquarters incurred in the past. 4. After accusation meetings have been conducted, and reform has-been car- ried out in the affiliated churches and organizations of the"China Headquarters of the Seventh-Day Adventist Churches, the Reform Preparation Committee shall assist them toward financial self-sufficiency. Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/06: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700060442-3 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/06: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700060442-3 r D. Personnel 1. The previous poorly organized personnel administration shall be reformed on the basis of actual needs. 2. The China Headquarters shall promote or discharge its personnel on the basis of their patriotic enthusiam, religious faithfulness, and participation in the accusation movement. This plan shall be effective upon preliminary approval by the Representa- tives Conference of the China Headquarters and the Shanghai Church Group of the Seventh-Day Adventist Churches and final approval by the Preparatory Committee of the Resist America, Aid Korea, Three-Self Reform Council of the China Protes- tant Churches, SPEECH BY NAN HSIANG-CH']HN. CHAIRMAN OF THREE-SELF REFORM PREPARATION c%sT i In the Past, the Seventh-Day Adventist Church has been used by American im- perialism as an instrument for paralyzing and poisoning the Chinese people. It was used as a base on which American imperialism built its military, cultural, and economic plans of aggression to reduce China to a land of slavery. Owing to the enlightened leadership of Chairman Mao and the Chinese Communist Party, the workers in the Shi-chao Pao, the churches'paper, have raised their class con- sciousness and thus successfully carried out a series of struggles against Amer- ican imperialism ever since the liberation. Inspired by the workers' collective genius and strength throughout the course of the struggles in the past 2 years, I have chosen to stand firmly on the side of the people and respect the will of the people. I know from experience that we can win the struggle only by relying on the masses of the people. The accusation movement during the past 3 months shows particularly that appeal to the masses is the only correct strategy. In fact, the masses have liberated themselves and transformed the old, corrupt, and American-backed Adventist Churches into a new and promising organization belong- ing to the Chinese people. Henceforth, I feel that we must mobilize the broad masses of the Adventists, .rely on them, launch self-criticizm among them, carry out the reform program thoroughly and rally them to participate in the patriotic movement to resist Amer- ica and aid Korea. If this is done, the Adventist Churches will have a very bright future and receive support from the masses of the people. I shall be more willing to accept criticism, and with a spirit of patriotism and religious en- thusiam I shall devote myself wholeheartedly to strive for a new people's Seventh- Day Adventist Church. STAT Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/06: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700060442-3