T

he long history of the Chinese civilization resembles the winding course of a great and turbulent river, testing the limits of human reason to understand. In my journey to comprehend changes underway and foresee China’s future, I am like a sailor high up on the ship’s mast, scanning the horizon to glimpse the lay of the land ahead, sharing my sightings with others.

Like the Yangzi heading across the continent, the course of the Chinese journey runs south for a long way and then abruptly shifts north and east. The sailors detour to explore each impressive tributary, seeking their place in the modern world, before merging with the sea.

Streams from local sub-cultures and ethnicities join the deep undercurrents of Han society. Sometimes the going is rapid and rough; at other times the currents are languid and smooth. Reforms swell to full tide, then the bitter ebb tide comes.

Submerged rock formations produce predictable whirlpools and waterfalls, yet new cycles of rain and drought and erratic wind patterns and counter-currents arise. So too, we can understand changes underway at a given moment, but be caught off guard when gusts and gales bring unexpected happenings.

After centuries of formation, the boundaries of the great rivers, like the basic structures of Chinese institutions and worldview, determine the limits of change. And yet … once every half century, the whole society breaks through to new territory, like the Yellow river overflowing its raised banks onto millions of low-lying acres to seek another outlet to the sea.

So often, I have wondered why China seems to seize on every tempting shortcut in a search for national wealth and power, each of which proves to be a cul-de-sac. Then comes another revolution and a fresh attempt to catch up with more advanced countries along a new path, which in turn is a dead end. This circular history spirals forward with progress in modernization over time, but at each turn much headway is lost -- and precious lives are wasted.

Just yesterday, a Chinese friend told me he thought there were quite a few “good young people” in China today who could make real progress in political reform compared with his (Cultural Revolution) generation. “Why the difference?” I asked. “Because too many of us were killed,” he said matter-of-factly.

Doing a word study of path(s), I long for the Chinese people to find the Way, the Tao that is the Logos. I learn that the path of the wicked is indeed a thorny path whereas the path of the upright is a level highway, a straight path, a path of justice and peace, a path of life.

In recent months, I have been reviewing the history of the 1900-1949 period of Chinese and church history for projects on the life stories of Chinese Christians in the early modern period. I noticed some interesting parallels between the early modern 1900-1925 and contemporary 2000-2025 periods. Both timeframes were periods of economic globalization, technological advance, social progress and greater openness to Christianity, both in China and elsewhere. Yet both times, efforts at gradual reform were aborted by violence and outbreaks of anti-Western and anti-Christian sentiment. Out of this, of course God brought some good, including the independence of the Chinese church from mission institutions, but greater wisdom and foresight might have limited the losses.

I am convinced that the most fundamental choice China now faces at this major turning point in its history is not political or economic, but spiritual: whether to seek God’s plans for the Chinese people and begin to follow His rules for living and governing, or to seek yet one more “Chinese-style” variation on human solutions.

Whereas China still defines its goals in terms of reaching international heights of wealth and power by means of modernization (now globalization), God judges nations based on His standards of justice and righteousness. So, to put the choice another way, will the Chinese seek nationalistic revival through authoritarian state capitalism and regional hegemonism out of pride in and identity with “China’s rise”? Or will they seek moral renewal through full repentance of the past, cultural renaissance and development of a civil society, shared prosperity and international cooperation? Will they work for their own glory or for God’s glory to fill the earth?

The rise and fall of nations is not merely the result of competition among themselves, but rather their destinies are tied to obedience to God’s will, to serve His ultimate goal for history. All nations and cultures have the potential to experience rebirth through obedience, and the kingdom of God at the end of time will be richer for the contributions from each civilization. Rebellion, however, brings judgment (curses rather than blessings); God uses sticks as well as carrots as means of discipline. Suffering some of the consequences of sin reveals the dead ends people face, but saves them from the full consequences. Judgment is also Grace, another chance to make a fresh start.

Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good Way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
Jeremiah 6:16

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