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?]

[Truthseeker]

Three self movement has something to do with China's communist party?

[aron]

Originally Posted by Truthseeker

Three self movement has something to do with China's communist party?

From Wikipedia

The TJC emerged independently alongside other indigenous Christian groups of that period such as the Little Flock, the Jesus Family and The Christian Tabernacle.

Established in 1917, the church’s early adherents in Hebei and Shandong were influenced by certain charismatic practices of the Apostolic Faith Mission in China, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, especially faith healing, baptism of the Holy Spirit, footwashing, and Sabbath keeping.

The TJC was founded by Paul Wei (Wei Enbo, 1877-1919) in 1917. A former member of the Beijing branch of the London Missionary Society led by British missionary Samuel Evans Meech (1845–1937), Wei became a Pentecostal under the influence of Norwegian missionary to China, Bernt Berntsen. In 1917, he left Berntsen’s group and claimed that a vision had directed him to found his own church. Wei predicted that the world will end in 1921 or 1922. He died of tuberculosis on September 10, 1919, and the failure of his prophecy did not prevent the further growth of the TJC.

The TJC’s early leaders included Zhang Lingsheng (1863—?), who convinced Wei that the church should maintain a seventh-day Sabbath, and Barnabas Zhang (1882–1961), who eventually left the group in 1929 and established a rival movement in Hong Kong.

In Mainland China, Wei’s son, Wei Wenxiang (魏文祥, Isaac Wei, 魏以撒, ca. 1900-?), emerged as the main leader of the TJC. He also presided over TJC’s international expansion to various countries and the establishment of an effective bureaucracy.

By 1949, the membership grew to around 120,000 in seven hundred churches.[11] In 1951, Isaac Wei was arrested and “disappeared.” How and when he died is unknown. Li Zhengcheng (李正誠, ca.1920-1990) replaced Isaac Wei as the main leader of the TJC and lead it into joining the Three-Self Patriotic Movement as the government had requested. Scholar Melissa Inouye reports that, fearing persecution, the leaders mourned the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953 claiming that he was now in Heaven. One even stated that “Comrade Stalin has saved many tens of thousands of people, more than Jesus.” Persecution, however, came, both before and during the Cultural Revolution Li Zhengcheng spent more than twenty years in jail. Because of the developments in China, the TJC abroad proclaimed its autonomy, with headquarters first in Taiwan and from 1985 in the U.S. The Chinese branch was however reconstituted, as part of the Three-Self Church, after the Cultural Revolution and the reforms of Deng Xiaoping and still has a substantial following in China.

Today there are officially 1.5 million members in fifty eight countries. In mainland China most of the True Jesus Church congregations are members of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, and usually meet on Saturdays in TSPM church buildings as separate sabbatarian sub-congregations. However, since TJC practices such as healing and tongues are "frowned upon" in the TSPM other congregations are independent Chinese house churches.

Outside China member churches of the TJC look to the central synod of the TJC in California.[16] In 1967 TJC church leaders from outside mainland China met for the first World Delegates Conference in Taiwan, and an international headquarters was established in Taichung, Taiwan, where a seminary was opened. The headquarters was subsequently moved to California in 1985.

In the United Kingdom, True Jesus Church congregations were established as a result of immigration patterns in the 1960s and 1970s, coming largely from Malaysia and Hong Kong, the latter especially from Ap Chau. This would result in a number of congregations being established throughout the country, particularly in Northern England and Scotland, such as Leicester, Newcastle, Sunderland, Elgin, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

[Interesting that the founder made a failed prediction of the End of the World and his followers now number 1.5 million. And yes Three Self Patriotic Movement appears to be the PRC house organ]

[aron]

Here's a blurb explaining their name. This could have been written by DCP. Now the bureaucrats have taken over, putting a veneer of respectability over the madness of the original prophet. All the "facts" and "therefores" to make it seem necessary, inevitable.

Notice the intro: using 'uneasiness' and 'misgivings' - in other words, yes we look like a cult but we can explain.

Notice the homespun analogies - Mrs Brown must take Mr. Brown's name. Straight out of the Witness Lee playbook. And does anyone remember the "moon over London" analogy? Or a tea-ification of a glass of water? Folk logic creating a church doctrine. It must be as good in 2020 as it was in 1920, right? True wisdom is always true.

Notice that everyone who sees different is "twisting" the word of God. Subjectivism amok, fear-mongering on ignorance, manipulation.

Originally Posted by TJC

The name True Jesus Church nearly always causes uneasiness in people who come across it. They reason, “Are there such things as true and false churches? If they are true, we must be false”. This is something which they cannot tolerate as they deem it to be sheer arrogance.

Not long after the Lord Jesus was born, His parents brought Him to Jerusalem where He was presented to the Lord as prescribed in the Law, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD” (Lk 2:23). A man called Simeon, inspired by the Holy Spirit said, “Behold, this child is set up for the fall and rising of many in Israel” (Lk 2:34).

Similarly, the appearing of the True Jesus Church in the world has caused many in Christendom to fall. They have despised her and looked upon her with contempt. But she has caused many to rise too. For some were humble enough to make an in-depth study and came to know her as the true church, despite the fact that the name of the True Jesus Church is still rejected by the majority.

Since misgivings revolve around the name of the church, it is necessary to explain the scriptural impetus for calling ourselves the True Jesus Church.

WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

The word “church” is the English form of the Greek word “ekklesia” which means an assembly of people. In the biblical context it refers to the people whom God gathers out of the world to be consecrated to Him (Acts 20:28; Rev 5:9–10). The church is thus different from an ordinary secular organization since it is a people holy to God chosen out of all the peoples on earth. Although the term “church” was not specifically used in the Old Testament, God separated the Israelites from other races. God’s election of Israel in the Old Testament is a pre-figuration of the church in the period of the New Testament. By his own precious blood, the Lord Jesus has redeemed a multitude of believers, a holy nation, separated from the people of the world to become children of God (1 Pet 2:9–10). It follows then, that the church is a congregation and not a building. We examine next why God builds the church on earth. Since Adam and Eve disobeyed the commandment of God, they were driven out of paradise. While they did not have total communion with God, they existed under the clutches of Satan, living a sinful life and heading toward destruction.

God in His mercy would not allow such an end to be the lot of the very creatures that He had carefully molded in His image. He intervened. He chose Abraham as the father of an elect out of many races and promised him that every family on the earth would be blessed on account of him (Gen 12:3). From Abraham’s seed, God chose the descendants of Jacob to be His chosen nation, the Israelites. But the Israelites sinned against God, were punished by Him, and a remnant returned to Judea. In His time, God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to be the Savior of the world. Those whose sins are cleansed by the precious blood of Christ would receive the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of their heavenly possession. Such are blessed people who form the body of Christ and the household of God, and are citizens of the heavenly kingdom. They are to glorify God and to preach salvation to the people while on earth. The church henceforth would be from all who would be children of Abraham through baptism in Jesus’ name (Gal 3:27–29).

WHY MUST THE CHURCH BEAR THE NAME OF JESUS?

We have already established that the church is a congregation of chosen people redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. This fact provides the focal point as we examine the reason why the church must bear the name of Jesus.

The Church is the Body of Jesus and should bear His name. One of the expressions which best describes the peculiar nature and distinctness of the elect assembly is found in the Bible: “The church ... is His (Jesus’) body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph 1:22–23). A body is a mass of integrated members joined to the head. The Bible testifies, “He (Christ) is the head of the body, the church” (Col 1:18). Therefore the chosen people, being His body, must be identified with His name. Moreover it is written, After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the LORD who does all these things. Known to God from eternity are all His works. (Acts 15:16–18)

Obviously it is the will of God for His chosen people to come under His name. The name of Jesus is God’s own name (Jn 17:11,26). Thus, the church is called Jesus(’) Church (the church of God).

“Jesus” is the precious name by which men are saved from their sins. When the angel of God announced to Joseph that his fiancée Mary had conceived through the Holy Spirit, he added, “she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Mt 1:21). As we can see from the book of Acts, the apostles clearly understood that the name “Jesus” saves people from sins. Hence they conducted baptism in this name (Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5). Peter, their usual spokesman, exerted, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

In this connection, the word “Christ” needs further explanation. Christ is not a person’s name but a Greek word translated from the Hebrew “Messiah” meaning “the anointed”. It is a title and not a personal name. Since Jesus is the name of the only Savior, and the church is a congregation saved from sin, she should bear the name of Jesus as indication that she is saved by the same.

God will only bless the church which bears His name. The Lord said to Moses, An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you. (Ex 20:24)

The Lord God also told Moses that whenever he wanted to ask God of anything or make sacrifices, he must go to the place where the name of the Lord dwells (Deut 12:5,11). The church that is blessed, and whose offerings God accepts is the church that bears the name of God (Jesus). Paul says, “To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph 3:21).

The church is the bride of Jesus and must bear the name of Jesus. Paul compared the intimate relationship between Jesus and the church to that between husband and wife. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her. (Eph 5:23–25) ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Eph 5:31)

Usually, when a woman marries a man, she adopts her husband’s surname. For instance, if June gets married to Mr. Brown, she would be known as Mrs. Brown. This coincides with the biblical teaching that the wife belongs to her husband. The church is the bride of Jesus Christ and belongs to Him. The Lord refers to her during His earthly ministry as “My church”. Shouldn’t she bear the name of Jesus?

WHY DO WE USE THE WORD “TRUE”?

It may be acceptable if a church calls herself by the name of Jesus, but why True Jesus Church? Would it not suffice to simply call it Jesus’ Church or Church of Jesus?

The word “true” signifies the nature of God. The Bible repeatedly stresses that God is true (Jn 3:33; 7:28; 8:26; 17:3; Jer 10:10). If the name of the church is prefixed by the word “true” we uphold God and at the same time proclaim that we “know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true ... the true God and eternal life” (1 Jn 5:20). We express our identity as the church of God, a name widely used in the apostolic period (Acts 20:28; 1 Cor 1:2; 10:32). Incidentally, it also conforms to the teaching that God is the head of Christ (1 Cor 11:3).

The significance of the word “true” in relation to Jesus. Jesus Himself said, “I am … the truth” (Jn 14:6); “I am the true vine” (Jn 15:1). The Bible also calls Him the “true light” (Jn 1:9). The need to differentiate the true from the false existed even then because our Lord Himself warned of “false christs” (Mt 24:24), and Paul discovered the preaching of “another Jesus” (2 Cor 11:4). So, is it an unwarranted and altogether foreign practice to place the word “true” before Jesus; i.e. “True Jesus”?

The significance of the word “true” in relation to the church. By placing the word “true” before the church it carries the meaning of true church. Such a denotation is necessary because false prophets have existed since the apostolic days and are even more active in this end-time. They would show great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect (Mt 24:23–26). A careful comparison between the apostolic church and churches in our time would reveal that thousands have deviated from the gospel preached by the apostles. What qualifies a church to be true? The true church must meet the following criteria:

She must have the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. The church as Christ’s body should be in-dwelt by God’s Spirit. Any church devoid of the Spirit does not belong to Christ. The Scriptures also teach that the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance of the heavenly kingdom (Eph 1:14). Can a church without the Holy Spirit, uncertain of salvation, be called the true church of God?

She must be accompanied by signs and miracles. The presence of signs and miracles in the church testifies that she is commissioned by God. The church set up by God must be accompanied by signs and wonders to confirm the message preached (Mk 16:20; Acts 14:3; Heb 2:4). A church without miracles does not have the confirming witness of God. She might be only a human organization preaching precepts of men instead of a true church.

She must conform to the teachings of the Bible. The church must be built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus as the corner stone (Eph 2:19–20). Man’s preaching must never supersede the teachings of Christ (2 Jn 9–11; 1 Cor 4:6). Nevertheless, the word of God has suffered atrocious adulteration according to man’s own fancies. Baptism by immersion (Mt 3:16; Jn 3:23; Acts 8:38– 39) has been substituted with sprinkling and pouring. To many, tongue speaking is forced into the past by a deliberate misinterpretation of the Scriptures. Actual occurrences of tongues are deemed to be gibberish and products of heightened ecstasy. Some are so blindly convicted of their censure that they are emboldened to call it barbaric or even demoniac. The distinct audible (tongue speaking) and visual (bodily vibration) manifestation (Acts 2:33; 10:44–46; 19:6–7) has unfortunately been either ignored or twisted.

It has been a popular belief that one is in-dwelt by the Spirit silently and immediately at conversion. However, in this end time, the deception is strong as tongue speaking is a common phenomenon in many churches—even in the traditional Roman Catholic and Anglican churches! Here, we need to stress that as the Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth (Jn 14:17; 16:13), we must discern whether a church that has the Spirit also teaches according to the truth from the Bible. Some place tradition and church authority over the word of God by maintaining that they have every right to transfer the solemnity of the Sabbath rest from Saturday to Sunday, which they call “Lord’s Day” (Rev 1:10). They even introduced a pagan festival by christening it “Christmas”. They fail to wonder why the Bible should be silent about the birthdate of Christ if it were God’s will for us to celebrate Christmas. In this present age of confusion and falsehood, when false christs and false prophets are prevalent, God has established His true church as a beacon of truth to guide the hitherto misled ones into the true grace of God and to stand fast in it (1 Pet 5:12).

CONCLUSION

The Lord mentioned “My church” in Mt 16:18. The apostles used the terms “the church of God” (Acts 20:28) and “the churches of Christ” (Rom 16:16; 1 Thess 2:14). Such a prized possession of God has to be stamped with His divine name, i.e. True Jesus Church. This name not only manifests Jesus’ truthfulness, it also portrays the relationship between God, Christ and the church. The church is the body of Christ and Christ is her head (Eph 1:23; Col 1:18). God is in turn the head of Christ (1 Cor 11:3). Hence, the sequence True Jesus Church. Moreover, since Jesus is the true vine and we are the branches (Jn 15:1,5), it is not inappropriate for the church that is attached to Christ to be known as the True Jesus Church. Did not John also say, “Yet I am writing you a new commandment, which is true in Him (Jesus) and in you, ...”? The name of Jesus placed in between “True” (God) and “Church” also signifies the mediatory function of Jesus between God and men (1 Tim 2:5). In addition, it indicates that the church belongs to Christ and Christ to God (1 Cor 3:23). The truth of this name has been hidden from the wise and understanding and revealed to the innocent (Mt 11:25–26). As such, it has caused many to fall and to rise. It is thus hoped that the faithful would be enlightened and united with us as one flock under one shepherd (Acts 16:15; Eph 4:13; Jn 10:16). Then we will be able to bear much fruit as from the one true vine to glorify God.

“To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph 3:21).

[aron]

Here is a blurb from AffCrit:

"Certainly there is joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17), but to link particular physical sensations and movements with the receiving of the Spirit is to incline the new believer toward the sensual and away from the preciousness of Christ's person."

https://www.affcrit.com/pdfs/2002/01/02_01_sd.pdf

A fairly large portion of AffCrit objections to TJC would fall also on themselves, but we all know the drill: "When we do it, it's okay, but if someone else does it, not okay."

The entire modus operandi of the LC is to "incline the new believer toward the sensual". All the repetition, shouting, hand waving, amen-amenning, fist pumping, heel rocking, neck rolling, sing-songy cadences, exhortations to "exercise your spirit!" etc etc etc... it's all about manufacturing sensation.