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Your search within this document for 'year' resulted in 125 matching pages.
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Page i
“...THE
CHINA CHRISTIAN
YEAR BOOK
1928
(FIFTEENTH ISSUE OF THE CHINA 44 MISSION"
YEAR BOOK)
Issued under arrangement between the Christian Literature
Society for China and the National Christian Council of
China under the Direction of the following Editorial Board
appointed by the National Christian Council
Rev. K. T. Chung
Miss L. K* Haass
Rev* A. R* Kepler
Dr. John Y. Lee
Mrs. Herman Liu
Rev. E. C. Lobenstine
Dr. D. MacGillvray
Rev. Edwin Marx
Dr. J. L. Maxwell
Mr. Plummer Mills
Rev. Frank R. Millican
Rev. C. E. Patton
Dr. Frank Rawlinson
Mr. J. H. Reisner
Rev. Stanley Smith
Miss Helen Thoburn
Mr. H. C. Tsao
Rev. Z. K. Zia
EDITOR
;Rev. Frank Rawlinson^ D. D*
Editor, Chinese Recorder.
SHANGHAI
CHRISTIAN LITERATURE SOCIETY
J928...”
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Page iii
“...PREFACE
LANS were started for issuing this Christian Year Book in 1927.
But various untoward events and the evacuation of missionaries
made them impossible of fulfilment. It is, therefore, two years
since this Year Book appeared. In general these two years
have created as momentous issues for the Christian Movement in
China as it ever met in any other period of its modern existence
therein. This a reading of the articles will make clear.
This Year Book has very few statistics. They are in general
unobtainable. It contains, however, considerable history, some of
which runs back as far as 1900; some of its contents are made
up of impressions, opinions and discussions. It is, therefore,
primarily historical, to some extent psychological but only casually
statistical.
To those who might feel that varying opinions occupy too
much space in a volume of this nature we can only say that such
opinions are a prominent aspect of the situation in which
Christianity in China now finds itself. An awakened...”
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Page xi
“...424
Price, Frank W., B.D., M.A*, (1923) Present Outlook for
Religious Education, XX.
Presbyterian Church (South). Formerly Professor of
Religious Education in Nanking Theological Seminary;
now Director of Religious Education, and College Pastor,
Hangchow Christian College.........* ...... 207
Rawlinson, Frank, M.A., D.D., (1902) Introduction, Recon-
structive Crises; Some Aspects of EvangelismIX;
Books in English on Religion in China, Part V,
Appendix D.
American Board. Editor of China Christian Year Book
and Chinese Recorder................ 1, 90, 433
Roots, Right Rev. Logan H., M.A., D.D (1896) Effects of
1927 on Work of Missionaries, XII.
Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui. Bishop of Hankow
Diocese. Formerly Chairman of the China Continuation
Committee. Honorary Secretary, National Christian...”
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Page 1
“...RECONSTRUCTIVE CRISES
INTRODUCTION
Editor
Two Events Since the articles published in this Year
Book were written two events have taken
place which set new standards for both the people of
China and the Christian Movement therein. These are
(1) the Jerusalem Meeting and, (2) the, at least tacit,
recognition of Nationalist authority.
Both the Revolution and Christianity
Crisis26 an now ^ace varius crises and challenges.
Christianity has been attacked, often with
virulence. This has proved, however, that Christianity
now has a permanent foothold in China.
The Nation
New Ideals China has been going through a revolution-
ary struggle for about a generation. For the
first time in this generation of struggle those principles
originally outlined by Sun Yat Sen have the right of way.
They are accompanied by two major desires. First, China^
is seeking to utilize western values and methods in her own
rehabilitation. Second, the Revolution has created a new
awareness of China's own ancient values....”
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Page 6
“...PART I
NATIONAL LIFE
CHAPTER I
EVENTS IN CHINA DURING 1927 AND THEIR EFFECT
ON THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH*
H. T. Hodgkin
The year nineteen hundred and twenty-
Movement seven dawned with the nationalist movement
in China at the height of its power. The
government recently established in the Wuhan center was
recognized by forward-looking Chinese as the best expres-
sion up to date, of the ideals of the republic for which
Dr. Sun and the Kuomintang had been contending for
many years. The spectacular advance through Hunan
to the Yangtze Valley and into Hupeh and Kiangsi, where
the nationalist forces had met with one success after
another, seemed to give an assurance that at last the
Republic would become something more than a name and
the regime of the Tuchuns come to an end. Preparations
were being made for further advances and there was a
general expectation that the campaign begun so brilliantly
would in a reasonably short space of time be carried
through to North China and bring all the eighteen...”
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Page 11
“...11 NATIONAL LIFE AND THE CHURCH
were broken off, and until the end of the year under
consideration, no Power had succeeded in re-establishing
them on terms satisfactory to itself and acceptable to the
Chinese government.
The Nanking incident gave an added sense
Missionaries of to foreigners resident in China.
Following the incident in Hankow a large
evacuation of missionaries and other foreign residents in
China had been arranged by the consular authorities of
the countries concerned. After the Nanking incident,
still more drastic steps were taken and in many parts of
China there were scarcely any foreigners left to carry on
even the most, necessary services. It seemed for a while as
if the only thing to do was for foreigners to withdraw
altogether from China except from the few points that
could be defended, leaving China to work out her own
salvation in her own way.
Following the Hankow incident and while
Troops extreme left was still in control of the
situation in Hankow, considerable...”
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Page 12
“...its leaders were
turned almost into cynics and felt that there was but little
to choose between the leaders of north and south.
While this is true it must not be forgotten
Nationalism ^at ^ere was a degree of enthusiasm for the
cause which could survive even this severe
shock. Around the personality of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen a
tradition had grown which gave to him and his principles
an almost divine sanction. Early in the year the cult of
what has been called Sanminism" (the study and pro-
paganda of the San Min Chu I or Three Principles of the
People) carried all before it. As the year proceeded
criticism of this position developed both on the part of...”
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Page 13
“...issues; they must
also do good work and fit themselves to hold responsible
office. The trend away from mere propaganda and to-
wards constructive service has been a distinct though not
as yet a. dominant one in recent months.
In estimating the effect of the events briefly
Christian summarized in the foregoing paragraphs upon
Church the Christian movement in China, it is neces-
sary, however, to remember that points such
as these only gradually became apparent and that during
the first part of the year, feelings were running very
high.
It was inevitable that the Christian
NationaHstsnd <^rches China shollld be deeP]y ved
and responsive to the currents of thought in
the nation as a whole. This, of course, was more evident
in areas under the control of, or in sympathy with, the
nationalist movement than in the northern provinces
where there was less propaganda and where strong re-
pressive influences were brought to bear. At the same
time, it will be fair to say that the general tendency
among...”
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Page 17
“...feeling has tended to predominate, and
the steady support of Chinese to the National Christian
Council, even when some of the missionaries have ques-
tioned its value, is a further evidence of the same temper.
5. Growing Interest in Public Affairs
A generation ago the Chinese churches felt
National themselves to be, as indeed they mostly were,
Movements little groups of believers, somewhat outside
the main current of China's national life.
To-day, and especially through the events of the last year,
the Christian movement has been drawn into the tide of
China's developing national self-consciousness. More and
more are leading Chinese Christians feeling that the
church must not stand outside the national movements,
that she must find a way of expressing herself in regard
to great moral issues that are raised in connection with
the economic development of the country, in connection
with her political life and international relationships, in
connection with the home and social customs. To many...”
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Page 19
“...19 NATIONAL LIFE AND THE CHURCH
schools have produced a lot of thinking by-Chinese on the
problem of voluntary versus required religious teaching
and other aspects of the educational program. No doubt
the church is gaining much in this way through the events
of the last year or two.
7. A Stronger Emphasis on Character Building
Christian leaders have watched the develop-
Nc^ed*1*13 ment of the nationalist movement with great
hope, but also with a certain amount of
misgiving. As time has gone on, it has become more and
more apparent that the crux of the question for China is
whether a leadership can be developed which will be
truly selfless, public spirited, and absolutely honest. The
breakdown in one after another of the leaders in China
has been due more to moral failure than to political
mistakes. There is a great fear in the heart of many
Chinese lest a movement so full of promise should be
wrecked through the moral failure of its leadership.
Among Chinese Christian leaders, therefore...”
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Page 20
“...of 1927. As the year proceeded, the intense
feelings and the strain through which Christians had been
living, tended to pass away, and a soberer view of the
whole situation settled, not only upon the church, but
upon the nation as a whole. Those who had looked to a
very speedy accomplishment of their objectives, came to
realize that there are still many terrific obstacles to be
overcome. Those who had tended to throw all or nearly
all the blame for China's ills upon foreign Powers came to
realize some of the grave dangers which exist within China
herself. Those who had counted upon the pronouncement
of ideals and slogans as adequate to carry the movement
forward to success, came to see how long a process of
education is required before such ideals can be understood
by the mass of the people and become operative in the life
of the nation.
For the leaders in the church no less than
Future fQr ^Qge -n ^ g^e, ^jg change proved
valuable, and as China passed into the new year, the
temper was...”
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Page 29
“...information necessary for the
National Association to formulate their projects. At first
the farmers were skeptical as to the ability of these men
from the National Association to help them agriculturally.
However, as a friendly gesture 15 mow of lanyear 100 mow were given to
them. With the manual help of some of the local boys,
they again demonstrated that scientific agriculture could
be adopted in rural China and would produce good crops.
Last summer 1200 mow were given to these experts. The
civil war has interrupted this good work for a while but
the demonstration of the compatibility of labor and
learning and also the efficacy of scientific agriculture was
not made in vain.
While the average farmer is too poor to
Agricultural ^uy agricultural...”
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Page 36
“...36
STATUS OF WOMEN IN MODERN CHINA 36
changes. The Suffrage Associations which this period
brought into existence subsequently languished. As is
frequently the case in Chinese women's organizations,
they continue to exist while their functioning is in
abeyance, to revive when the need recurs.
s rffa In 1921, when the Constitution of Kwang-
tung Province was being drafted women
leaders in Canton petitioned for provincial suffrage: on
March 29, of that year, seven hundred women paraded,
demanding their rights. They failed to achieve a provin-
cial vote but were granted municipal suffrage. When,
also in 1921, the province of Hunan drew up its constitu-
tion, a woman was elected provincial representative; she
subsequently sat with other members in the National
Parliament in Peking. Provincial constitutions of Clie-
kiang and Szechwan, prior to the northern advance of the
Southern Army and the establishment of the Nationalist
Government along the Yangtze Valley, both granted
women equal franchise...”
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Page 42
“...religious
Religious . .. .. i , i ,
Thought institutions in China, let us now seek to
define current religious thought as stimulated
by these problems and situations. The limits of this
article allow only the barest of outlines of what Bud-
dhists and Protestant Christians are thinking now. Other
religious bodies, such as the Taoists and Confucianists,
either have not yet been awakened or their thinking is not
known to the public.
The Buddhists suffered more than the
Religious Christians in the year 1927. In many places
Amoi?ht ^ey were very treated. But some
Buddhists them still think that since there is no
hope for the Buddhists themselves to initiate
reforms, it is necessary, therefore, to rely upon external
force-, whether these are their friends or not. Their
people will anyway receive certain stimuli and, therefore,
an opportunity for improvement. Furthermore, they are
convinced that the foundation of Buddhism is not temple
property, so that even with the possibility of losing some...”
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Page 60
“...PART III
CHURCH LIFE
CHAPTER VI
LOSSES AND GAINS OF THE CHURCH IN 1927
Edwin Marx
Viewing the year 1927 as a whole the losses of the
Church have been almost wholly material and institu-
tional; of things which at worst encumbered the Church,
and at best were external, transient, or non-essential.
The gains have been in the realm of the spirit. They
pertain to those aspects of the Christian movement which
are vital, essential, abiding. The losses and suffering
were of the body; the victories and rewards were of
the soul.
In the category of losses it is natural to
ses include the extensive exodus of missionaries;
the sequestration of church and mission properties; personal
property losses, some the result of intentional acts and
others incidental to conditions of war; the interference
with schools, and closing of hospitals; the harrying of
Christians, resulting in suffering of mind and body and in
deaths. The extent of these inroads is difficult to indicate
concretely without entering into...”
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Page 66
“...National
Christian Council in any year is of a
character which is little, if at all, altered by changing
circumstances. There is a regular output, for example, of
literature, including the Chinese and English Bulletins,
the preparation of yearbooks in the Chinese and English
languages, the publication of a directory of missionaries
and such special pieces of literature as may from time
to time be required in the development of the organization.
Work in 1927 attempting to give a picture of the work
of the Council during 1927, no attempt is
made to summarize activities of this kind. It is not
without significance that the Council was able in the main
to continue such regular work. Special efforts occurring
during the year, such as the work done during the New
Year in what is known as the Week of Evangelism were
certainly handicapped, by conditions of unsettlement in
China, but much regular work was continued, at any rate
for large parts of China, during the year.
The special interest, however...”
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Page 67
“...NATIONAL CHBISTIAN COUNCIL
67
The Call ^ c^ose 1926 the Council was
planning to issue widely and follow up
vigorously the 44 Call which came out of the annual
meeting held in October of that year. This was a call to
examine and follow the way of Christ in personal and
social lifea call emphasizing the fundamentally spiritual
nature of the Christian message and at the same time
stressing the necessity of working this message out through
a fearless readjustment of the individual life in accordance
with the example and teachings of Jesus. The Call "
emphasized the implications of discipleship in the home
and in the wider relationships of the Christian. Events
which took place in China at the turn of the year deeply
moved the Christian churches throughout the country and
in many places involved a complete reorganization of
their work to meet the emergency. During the spring
! months thousands of missionaries were withdrawn from
: their stations. In certain sections of the country very acute...”
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Page 69
“...NATIONAL CHBISTIAN COUNCIL
69
discussed, some of which, at any rate, are by no means
firmly established and the application of which to China
is a very doubtful advantage. Early in the year the
National Christian Council faced the fact that many
Christians, including pastors and other leaders, were
seeking guidance as to the Christian attitude towards such
economic questions. It was realized that in recent years,
representative Christian groups in other countries have
been doing a great deal of thinking on the question of the
relation of Christianity to our industrial and social prob-
lems. It was felt that the result of this thinking should
be made available for the churches in China and still
more, that those who are competent to do so should have
the opportunity of getting together for more detailed
discussion of the problems raised.
This led to the calling of a small conference
Conference which was held in Shanghai in August, when
a group, largely Chinese in composition,
came together...”
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Page 70
“...out-
standing fact is that progress is being made in nearly every
group and in not a few at a rate which a few years ago
would have been thought impossible. The Council seeks
to serve the churches and missions by collecting and
studying the results of such steps and the nature of all
experiments made in this wide field.
Though not an outcome of the conditions
the6Jerusalem1, in China itself> the preparation for the above
Meeting meeting involved a considerable amount of
special work during the year. Care was taken
to select a group of delegates who should be as far as
possible representative of different parts of the country...”
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Page 71
“... to all those
who attend and through them to many others. This
expectation has been fulfilled. The thought given to
the subjects which came up for discussion has been of
particular value to the committees on Church and Mission
j Administration and on Religious Education as well as
! to that on the Christianizing of International Relations,
as the presentation of various questions has been the
means of bringing out many interesting points of view
and starting fresh lines of thought.
During the year, two or three of the larger
^Thfc^unciT bodies cooperating in the work of the Council,
submitted suggestions to the Council with a
view to its reorganization on more representative lines. It
is now more than five years since the National Conference
was held at which the Council came into existence and it
has from the beginning been found difficult to maintain
the very close contact desirable between the Council and
the various church and mission organizations. Still more
difficult is it to ensure...”
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