True Jesus Church

[aron]

Pentacostal Christianity and Church-State Relations in China: the case of the True Jesus Church Movement, by Jiexa Zhai Autry. 2013 Review of Faith and International Affairs Vol 11, No 3

In the beginning of the 20th century, amid rising anti-foreign sentiment and nationalism in the aftermath of the Opium Wars, three notable indigenous Christian groups emerged in China: the True Jesus Church (TJC), Watchman Nee’s Assembly Hall movement, and the China Inland Mission. Of these three, the TJC—established in 1917 in Beijing by Paul Wei—was the only Pentecostal body. The TJC has experienced the full spectrum of church-state relations in China during the past century—from persecution to legitimization. It has survived periods of repression and hostility, resistance and negotiation, and is today a flourishing and fast-growing movement not only within mainland China but also globally...

[Comments: interesting to see another parallel and/or equivalent movement to that of WN. In this case stressing Pentacostal experience, but with many similarities in rejection of Western institutionalized Christianity]

Different from many other Christian movements, the True Jesus Church (TJC) has been marked from its beginning by accounts of miraculous healing and deliverance stories. It has been called the “quit-opium religion,” and deliverance from opium addictions has been a commonly reported reason for Chinese to convert to the TJC in the movement’s early history. Speaking in tongues—a sign that one has received the Holy Spirit—is considered by the TJC to be one of the most important evidences for one’s salvation. The TJC also adopted several other distinguishing beliefs, including seventh-day sabbatarianism, a unique form of water baptism, and a non-Trinitarian theology...
[This puts them in the "pseudo-Christian cult" in my book. Insisting on tongues for salvation, insisting on baptism in their proprietary 'living water', requiring sabbatarianism, promoting proprietary non-Trinitarian theology - all serious deviation from historical Christian faith.]

As one of the first Chinese groups to advocate the “Three-Self” ideology—self-governance, self support, and self-propagation—the TJC opposed foreign missionaries from the church’s beginning. It existed independently without foreign mission overseers or mission church financial support. Instead, the movement itself took on the role of “missionary” in an effort to correct all other churches’ “errors.” In February 1919, the TJC published its first newspaper, “All Nation Correction News” (萬國更正報), with free delivery to all provinces in China. It has utilized existing lists of non-TJCs to send TJC materials to all other Christian denominations. Through its publications, the TJC laid the foundation for its global influence...

[Again, exporting influence, and insisting on uniformity, through dissemination of publications. I wonder if they have their own "One Publication" doctrine?]

Since the religious sanctions began to slowly ease from the late 1970s, the growth rate for the TJC has been dramatic; it has exceeded population growth in both mainland China and Taiwan. To date, the TJC estimates its current worldwide membership to be two million, about 1.5 million of which are in mainland China. Through groups like the TJC, China has become a religion-exporting nation...
[Comparable to LSM's global influence? Or greater?]

There is also a North-South conflict within the TJC can be traced back to the movement’s embryonic days. The southern TJCs are the heritage of Zhang Barnabas (a zealous charismatic early church planter). Soon after his conversion to the TJC, Zhang took the TJC gospel from Shandong to many Southern provinces, to Taiwan, to Hong Kong, and to Southeast Asia. Zhang’s evangelistic trips to the South were often marked with reports of healing and other miracles. However, Zhang was illiterate. As the TJC became more institutionalized, where a new governing leadership board was formed, Zhang resisted what he considered a surrender of his own charisma to the intellectual elite of the new church government. He then left leadership and started a new TJC headquarters in Hong Kong. The split has lingering influence to this day. The “Southern” TJC is composed of congregations connected to Elder Wang. This branch is also connected to the TJC outside of mainland China and is recognized by TJC worldwide headquarters. The “Northern TJC” refers to congregations connected to the Wei family. They heavily influence TJC communities in Northern provinces such as Beijing, Hebei, and Henan. The northern branch emphasizes some unique standards. For instance, believers must pray toward the West, women must cover their hair in church, and communion can only be taken once a year...
[Shades of GLA/Brazil vv Anaheim. The Center must hold... or not?]