In the 19th century of the Chinese Christian history, there was a debate between the evangelization method adopted by Hudson Taylor and the missionary route led by Timothy Richard. The "Hudson Taylor" missionary route focused on evangelizing the poor and working people, socializing with economic bottom of the society, simply and directly spreading the gospel to the most underprivileged people. On the contrary, the " Timothy Richard" approach emphasized spreading the gospel to the upper class of society, socializing with the elites, and working a great deal on the cultural level.
After a long period of practice, the evangelism methodology led by Hudson Taylor gained more consensus by the Chinese church. Moreover, we also have seen that during stormy historical times, the churches and believers who followed the "Taylor" method persevered despite the hardships, such as the Cultural Revolution and many other tests. At the same time, in recent years, more and more people and scholars in Christian circles have been aware of the contributions to modern China made by the early missionaries who once adhered to the "Timothy" method. Therefore, some church history researchers have also proposed that for the Chinese church, the Hudson and Timothy methods complemented each other and were both important.
A few days ago, L (pseudonym), a pastor who has been pastoring and engaged in theological education for many years in East China, shared his insights about the above debate. He believed that in the current era, the evangelism ministry should target more the common people, which might be an important path for the localization and sinicization of Christianity today.
L believed that the reason for emphasizing targeting common people was that compared with Chinese society more than 200 years ago, the underclass and the elite were not the main social groups, but the common people. With the development of society, more and more common groups had the ability to think independently. How to attract them was a challenge to the current Chinese church.
Rethinking the original two mission approaches
He mentioned that in their times Timothy Richard, William Alexander Parsons Martin and others had tried to work with high-level people to change China, that is, trying to change China by transforming the upper-class people in Chinese society at that time. But in the end, judged by the results, it could be concluded as a failure. Timothy Richard and some others had a good relationship with high-ranking people such as the Empress Dowager Cixi, whom they rarely criticized. Another example was the Hundred Days Reform, also called Wuxu Reform, in which many missionaries were also involved. In addition, the missionaries who followed this method had also established many hospitals, orphanages, museums, etc. in China. It was especially remarkable that they recognized the importance of education, for which they established many church universities and even a larger number of ordinary schools, such as elementary schools and middle schools. Unfortunately, when the social situation changed, all these institutions virtually disappeared.
"Yet, we need to know that there will never be a perfect method." He reminded, "While we are affirming the excellent work administered by Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission, we also need to objectively evaluate and acknowledge the shortcomings of this method. Because the literacy level of the Chinese people at that time was generally very low, especially following this method, the target group was the lower class, resulting in believers having an extremely low level of knowledge. After the May Fourth Movement, the Anti-Christian Movement began to rise. Sadly, at that time few people from the Chinese Christian community had responded. It would be fair to say that they were completely powerless in front of the challenge of the Anti-Christian Movement."
"Besides, these believers were prone to join all kinds of heresies due to a serious lack of cultural and social common sense. In fact, even today in the 21st century, this is still the case." L has experienced this in person. In the past few decades, he has served in rural churches many times, and often witnessed that believers there often had "no knowledge but only passion" because they lacked basic education in Christian faith and theology.
L believed that China should not follow the top-down elite method advocated by Timothy Richard, or the impoverished grassroots peasants method led by Hudson Taylor, but the populace method or the common people method.
On the other hand, "Nowadays, knowing how to make the Christian faith take root in people's hearts is challenging." L found that with the development of economy and society, there were more and more insightful people. "Converting these people into Christians is very difficult. They are very thoughtful and have developed strong independent thinking, however, the church cannot attract them. Neither preaching, nor pastoring, nor the church life of traditional church are attractive to them.”
"Under such circumstances, more new churches need to be established, which can well attract and unite these people who are aspiring and able to think independently."
L finally said, "After years of observation and thinking, I have come to the conclusion that we still need to take the common people method, which, in my opinion, may be a way of sinicizing and localizing Christianity in this era. "
- Translated by Shuya Wang
中国基督教历史上早年曾经有“戴德生路线”和“李提摩太路线”之争。“戴德生路线”侧重于贫苦劳动人民的宣教，走的是底层路线，简单直接地向劳苦大众传福音；而“李提摩太路线”则强调向社会上层人士传播福音，走的是精英路线，在文化层面上做了很多工作。
经过长期实践以后，以”戴德生路线”较为中国教会更多认同，而且，我们也看到，当后来的历史风起云涌的时候，走”戴德生路线”的教会和信徒在苦难重重中坚持了下来，通过了文革和很多其他的考验。与此同时，近年来也有越来越多的教会界人士和学者知晓曾经秉持李提摩太路线类似的早期宣教士对近代中国的贡献，因此有教会史研究人士也提出来：对中国教会而言，戴德生路线和李提摩太路线相辅相成，都很重要。
日前，本站同工在与华东一位牧养多年、并从事神学教育多年的L牧师交流的时候，他分享了自己的认识和看见。他认为在当下的时代需要更加强调平民化路线，这或许这是当下基督教本土化、中国化一个重要的路径，
L牧师认为，之所以强调平民化路线，是因为和曾经200多年前的中国社会相比，底层和精英都并非社会的主体，社会的主体是平民，而伴随着社会的发展，有很强独立思考能力的平民群体越来越多，如何吸引他们对当下的中国教会是一个挑战。
回顾当初的李提摩太路线和戴德生路线
他提到，李提摩太和丁韪良等人在他们所处的时代都曾经尝试走高层路线，以此来让中国改变，通过改变当时中国社会的上层人士来改变中国，但最终看结果的话，可以说是失败的，李提摩太等人他们就与慈禧太后等位高权重的人关系很好，很少批评他们；再比如百日维新也就是戊戌变法运动中也有传教士的很多身影；另外，走这条路线的传教士们还在中国建立了很多的医院、孤儿院、博物馆等，还有一个特别重要的就是他们认识到了教育的重要性，在中国建立了很多所教会大学，教会创立的小学、中学等普通学校的数量就更多了，但是后来当时局发生改变的时候，这所有的一切基本上都消失殆尽了。
“只是，我们须知，永远都不会有一条完美的路线。”他提醒说：“我们在肯定戴德生和内地会所作的卓越工作的同时，也需要客观的看到和承认这条路线的缺点：由于当时的中国广大民众文化水平普遍非常低下，尤其是这条路线更是以底层民众为宣教对象，造成信徒在文化方面异常薄弱。五四运动之后，‘非基运动’开始兴起，可是当时中国的基督徒群体很少有人给予回应，在‘非基运动’的挑战面前可以说完全没有招架之力。”
“而且这些信徒由于严重缺乏文化和社会常识，因而很容易滋生各种异端邪说——事实上，即便是21世纪的今天，也依然如此。”L牧师对此有切身的感受，因为过去几十年的服事中他多次在农村教会服事和耕耘，常常亲眼看到农村教会的信徒因缺少对基督信仰和神学的基本教育，所以常常“空有热心”。
L牧师认为，中国现在既不应当走李提摩太等人所推崇的自上而下的精英路线，也不是再走戴德生当年那样的贫苦农民基层的路线，而是大众路线或者说平民路线。(==当summary）
反观当下，“在今天的时代，怎么让基督信仰在人们心里扎根，这是一个非常有挑战性的难题。”L牧师发现，其实随着经济和社会的发展，有识之士越来越多，“怎么把这些有识之士转化成为基督徒，这是一个很有难度的事情。他们是非常有想法的，有很强的独立思考能力，但是同时教会却无法吸引他们。传统教会无论是传道方法还是牧养方式，或者是教会生活，都无法吸引他们。”
“在这样的情况下，需要有更多的新兴教会建立起来，能够很好地吸引和抓住这些有追求又有独立思考能力的人群。”
L牧师最后说：”经过多年的观察和思考以后，我自己得出的结论，还是需要走平民路线。在我看来，平民化路线可能是这个时代基督教中国化、本土化的一种路径。”
观点-华东某牧者：平民化路线可能是基督教中国化、本土化的一种路径
In the 19th century of the Chinese Christian history, there was a debate between the evangelization method adopted by Hudson Taylor and the missionary route led by Timothy Richard. The "Hudson Taylor" missionary route focused on evangelizing the poor and working people, socializing with economic bottom of the society, simply and directly spreading the gospel to the most underprivileged people. On the contrary, the " Timothy Richard" approach emphasized spreading the gospel to the upper class of society, socializing with the elites, and working a great deal on the cultural level.
After a long period of practice, the evangelism methodology led by Hudson Taylor gained more consensus by the Chinese church. Moreover, we also have seen that during stormy historical times, the churches and believers who followed the "Taylor" method persevered despite the hardships, such as the Cultural Revolution and many other tests. At the same time, in recent years, more and more people and scholars in Christian circles have been aware of the contributions to modern China made by the early missionaries who once adhered to the "Timothy" method. Therefore, some church history researchers have also proposed that for the Chinese church, the Hudson and Timothy methods complemented each other and were both important.
A few days ago, L (pseudonym), a pastor who has been pastoring and engaged in theological education for many years in East China, shared his insights about the above debate. He believed that in the current era, the evangelism ministry should target more the common people, which might be an important path for the localization and sinicization of Christianity today.
L believed that the reason for emphasizing targeting common people was that compared with Chinese society more than 200 years ago, the underclass and the elite were not the main social groups, but the common people. With the development of society, more and more common groups had the ability to think independently. How to attract them was a challenge to the current Chinese church.
Rethinking the original two mission approaches
He mentioned that in their times Timothy Richard, William Alexander Parsons Martin and others had tried to work with high-level people to change China, that is, trying to change China by transforming the upper-class people in Chinese society at that time. But in the end, judged by the results, it could be concluded as a failure. Timothy Richard and some others had a good relationship with high-ranking people such as the Empress Dowager Cixi, whom they rarely criticized. Another example was the Hundred Days Reform, also called Wuxu Reform, in which many missionaries were also involved. In addition, the missionaries who followed this method had also established many hospitals, orphanages, museums, etc. in China. It was especially remarkable that they recognized the importance of education, for which they established many church universities and even a larger number of ordinary schools, such as elementary schools and middle schools. Unfortunately, when the social situation changed, all these institutions virtually disappeared.
"Yet, we need to know that there will never be a perfect method." He reminded, "While we are affirming the excellent work administered by Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission, we also need to objectively evaluate and acknowledge the shortcomings of this method. Because the literacy level of the Chinese people at that time was generally very low, especially following this method, the target group was the lower class, resulting in believers having an extremely low level of knowledge. After the May Fourth Movement, the Anti-Christian Movement began to rise. Sadly, at that time few people from the Chinese Christian community had responded. It would be fair to say that they were completely powerless in front of the challenge of the Anti-Christian Movement."
"Besides, these believers were prone to join all kinds of heresies due to a serious lack of cultural and social common sense. In fact, even today in the 21st century, this is still the case." L has experienced this in person. In the past few decades, he has served in rural churches many times, and often witnessed that believers there often had "no knowledge but only passion" because they lacked basic education in Christian faith and theology.
L believed that China should not follow the top-down elite method advocated by Timothy Richard, or the impoverished grassroots peasants method led by Hudson Taylor, but the populace method or the common people method.
On the other hand, "Nowadays, knowing how to make the Christian faith take root in people's hearts is challenging." L found that with the development of economy and society, there were more and more insightful people. "Converting these people into Christians is very difficult. They are very thoughtful and have developed strong independent thinking, however, the church cannot attract them. Neither preaching, nor pastoring, nor the church life of traditional church are attractive to them.”
"Under such circumstances, more new churches need to be established, which can well attract and unite these people who are aspiring and able to think independently."
L finally said, "After years of observation and thinking, I have come to the conclusion that we still need to take the common people method, which, in my opinion, may be a way of sinicizing and localizing Christianity in this era. "
- Translated by Shuya Wang
Pastor in East China Says Reaching Common People Is a Good Way to Sinicize Christianity
