On May 19, Elder Zheng Datong, who coined the phrase "Wenzhou, China's Jerusalem" and was imprisoned for his faith three times, passed away in Wenzhou at the age of 84.
The obituary issued by his family in the evening of that day stated, "Zheng was born in Ruian, Wenzhou, Zhejiang on March 3, 1941. Later, he settled in the urban area of Wenzhou as a child. In his youth, he followed Christ and served the Lord throughout his life. The elder was once an art teacher in Wenzhou and was imprisoned three times during the persecution of the church of China. However, 'he remained firm in his faith, courageously walked the path of the cross, and never regretted it.'"
The obituary also announced that a farewell ceremony and cremation will be held on May 22, followed by burial in the mountains.
For many years, Elder Zheng Datong served as an elder at the Puxieshi Christian Church in Lucheng District, Wenzhou, and had a deep enthusiasm for church history and literature ministry. Holding a doctor of ministry degree, he was a poet and a painter. Since the 1980s, he published books including Revelation Illustrated and The Path of Blessing: A Poetic Life in Christ in Singapore and Hong Kong.
The Path of Blessing: A Poetic Life in Christ is Elder Zheng’s memoir, telling the story of a young man who loves painting and poetry, finds his faith in the turmoil of current events, and perseveres in his faith despite all kinds of persecutions. From youth to old age, Elder Zheng experienced two imprisonments for the Lord. He also hoped that through his autobiography, readers could see the faith experiences and stories of an intellectual youth.
In the book, he shared that he was imprisoned simply because he wrote down “Believe in Jesus and Obtain Eternal Life” on the banner of a brother’s funeral during the Cultural Revolution. He also wrote about his testimony of leading people to the gospel while on a labor farm, where he went through reform. In one chapter of the book, the author refers to himself as "Little Joseph," testifying to himself as Joseph in the Bible—he was imprisoned for his faith but relied on God in prison and experienced God’s presence, becoming a blessing to others.
Lo Kam Wah, MH, the former general secretary of the Methodist Center in Hong Kong, commented on the book, saying, “Although The Path of Blessing is Elder Zheng’s personal testimony, it points more to God’s work in Wenzhou churches during historical turning points.”
For many years, Elder Zheng conducted extensive research on the development and history of Wenzhou churches. The widely known saying that “Wenzhou is the Jerusalem of China” is also related to Elder Zheng. Scholar Cao Nanlai wrote in the footnote of the first chapter of his book Constructing China’s Jerusalem: Christians, Power, and Place in Contemporary Wenzhou, “An elderly leader of Wenzhou churches claimed that in the 1990s, he first used this term in an article titled ‘Wenzhou: The Jerusalem of China,’ and it later spread to the overseas Christian world.”
When contacted by a pastor, Elder Zheng confirmed this matter, saying that he was not the original source of the saying “Wenzhou is the Jerusalem of China,” but he helped spread the phrase widely. In his book The History, Current Situation, and Future Prospects of Wenzhou Churches (Part 1), he explained, "On March 1-4, 1990, Dr. Philip Wickeri, a friend of K. H. Ting, led an international delegation of the Amity Foundation to visit Wenzhou and mentioned that some overseas people referred to Wenzhou as ‘the Jerusalem of China’ due to the revival of Wenzhou. In the early 1990s, the saying started to spread widely. In response to a sister in Hong Kong whose pastor wanted to learn about the revival of Wenzhou churches, I wrote an article titled ‘Wenzhou: The Jerusalem of China,’ which has been widely circulated overseas. Later, I did not like this title.”
In his later years, Elder Zheng continued to research and record the history of Wenzhou churches. He also shared his unpublished book, God’s Churches in Wenzhou through lectures and other occasions. The manuscript tells about the development and persecution of the local church and various testimonies.
Every time mentioning the history of Wenzhou churches, he always emphasized, “The revival of Wenzhou cannot be separated from missionaries, and many of them had a significant impact on Chinese churches.” Among them, he felt a deep sense of responsibility for studying the history and influence of the British missionary William Edward Soothill’s deeds and ministry in Wenzhou. Regarding this history, he not only created a script based on this theme but also hoped to find an opportunity to make a film about it.
Elder Zheng also often recalled and testified about many fellow workers who endured hardships during the Cultural Revolution, especially witnessing that although Wenzhou churches faced persecution during that period, it was “a church of brotherly love regardless of denominations and united during the Cultural Revolution.” He added, “During the Cultural Revolution, churches across Wenzhou, including Yongjia, Ruian, Yueqing, Pingyang, Mencheng, and Taishun, experienced a revival, and their numbers grew rapidly. Pingyang’s church did particularly well in this aspect, unifying apart from the Little Flock movement and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and is still referred to as the United Church.”
In 1982, Zheng Datong and other fellow workers, aiming to promote greater unity and soundness in the church, drafted a “church stipulation” to regulate the behavior of brothers and sisters, especially fellow workers, adhering to the separation of church and state.
In May 2023, he shared with the Christian Times his thoughts on the exclusion of the Charismatic Movement in China in his later years. Among them, he shared a book manuscript of over 70,000 words titled Facing the Non-Charismatic Movement: A Review of John MacArthur’s Book Charismatic Chaos. He criticized the views of some Western scholars, theologians, and New Testament commentators who believe that the Charismatic Movement has been extinguished. He commented, “John MacArthur’s non-Charismatic viewpoint is quite representative, not only affecting churches in Europe and the United States but also Wenzhou churches in China.” He recounted stories of himself and many pastors and fellow workers who experienced a spiritual revival around the Cultural Revolution, mentioning that they personally experienced the Charismatic revival recorded in the Bible during the early church days. He pointed out that the non-Charismatic trend had interpretive errors and severe hazards, which could make the church lifeless.
At the end of the book, he wrote, “We who are chosen by God to work for Him in this era are truly blessed. Although we have already received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we still pray that God will continue to fill us abundantly, and we will proclaim the message of the universal outpouring of the Holy Spirit, asking the Lord to grant grace so that all who desire to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit may be blessed.”
- Translated by Charlie Li
5月19日，温州教会郑大同长老辞世，享年84岁。
当天晚上，家人发出讣告，回忆了郑大同长老的一生和服事。讣告说道：1941年3月3日生于瑞安，幼年定居温州城区，青年始信基督，终生事主。他曾是温州市美术教师，在中华真道受迫之时，两度被囚，却“仍坚守信仰，勇走十架道路，从未言悔。”
讣告中也告知，5月22日，将举行告别仪式并火化遗体，随后安葬于山中。
郑大同曾担任温州市鹿城区蒲鞋市基督教堂的长老多年，并对于教会历史和文字服事深有负担，教牧学博士、诗人、画家。从1980年代以来在新加坡、香港发表和出版《启示录图解》、《蒙福之路——基督里诗意的人生》（The Path of Blessing Poetic Life in Christ）等书。
其中，《蒙福之路》是郑长老的一本回忆录，讲述了一个热爱画画和诗歌的青年即作者在时事纷乱中找到了自己信仰，在各方逼迫中他保守了自己的信仰的故事。由青年走向老年，郑长老经历了三次为主坐监的生活，他也希望透过自传希望读者看到一位知识分子青年的信仰经历和故事。
在书中，他分享了自己因为文革中在弟兄的丧礼队列的旗幡上写了“信耶稣得永生”几个大字而坐牢以及在劳改农场期间为主作美好见证带领人归向福音的故事。在书中有一章的标题中，作者称自己为小约瑟，见证自己如约瑟当年一样，因为信仰而入狱但在狱中依靠上帝经历上帝的同在，也成为他人的祝福。
香港循道卫理中心虚锦华总干事对此书评价说：“虽然《蒙福之路》是郑长老的个人见证，但更多是指向上帝在温州教会在历史转折中的作为。”
多年来，郑大同对于温州教会的发展和历史研究颇多，并且笔耕不辍。闻名于世的“温州：中国的耶路撒冷”的一说的广传，有学者和牧者查考也和郑长老有关。学者曹南来在他的《建设中国的耶路撒冷》一书第一章的脚注中写到：“一位上了年纪的温州教会领袖声称九十年代，他在一篇题为《温州：中国的耶路撒冷》的文章中，第一次使用了这个术语，随后传到海外基督教世界。”
有牧者联系郑长老，他的回复肯定了这事，说到“温州：中国的耶路撒冷”一说最早的起源并不是他，但他是让这一称呼在“广为流传”的助力。郑在他写的《温州教会的历史、现状与未来展望（一）》中也介绍说：“1990年3月1-4日，丁光训的友人美国菲利普•魏克利（Philip Wickeri）博士率爱德国际访问团来访温州时说到，海外有人因温州教会的复兴，称温州为‘中国的耶路撒冷’。九十年代初，温州是中国的耶路撒冷的说法就传开了。因一位在香港的姐妹，她所在教会的牧师要了解温州教会复兴的情况，我已写过一篇‘温州：中国的耶路撒冷’的文章，在海外广为流传……后来我不喜欢这个称呼。”
郑长老晚年不仅继续研究、记录温州教会史，也在不同的场合透过讲座等分享自己所写的《神的教会在温州》的书稿。该书稿讲述教会的发展与逼迫的产生，以及见证。
每每提及温州教会史，他总是强调说：“温州教会的复兴离不开宣教士，对中国教会有影响的很多。”其中，他对英籍苏慧廉传教士在温州传教的历史和影响的研究深有负担。对于这段历史，他不仅自己创作了以此为主题的剧本，并且一直希望寻找把它拍成电影的机会。
他也常常回忆和见证文革期间很多有受苦心志的同工的见证，尤其见证这个期间温州教会虽然受逼迫很多，但是，是“一个弟兄相爱的教会，在文革当中有一个很有意思的，大家不分教派，教会都合一”。他补充说：“在文革期间，温州各地的教会都很复兴，包括永嘉、瑞安、乐清、平阳、门城、太顺，他们的人数增加都很快，平阳教会这方面做得更好，除了聚会处和安息日会以外都合一，至今还称为合一教会。”
1982年，郑大同理等同工为了教会更加合一健全，必须有一些法规来规范弟兄姐妹尤其是同工们的行为，起草了一个“教会规矩”，坚持政教分离。
2023年5月，他与《基督时报》分享了晚年对排斥灵恩的现象的思考。其中分享了自己所写的7万多字的书稿《正视非灵恩思潮——兼评约翰•麦克阿瑟〈正视灵恩〉一书》，对西方一些学者、神学家、新约注释大师等认为灵恩已经熄灭的言论进行了抨击。他提到“约翰•麦克阿瑟的非灵恩派的观点很带有代表性，不但影响欧美的一些教会，也影响中国教会温州教会”，而他讲出自己和很多曾经在文革前后经历过属灵大复兴的教牧同工的故事，谈到他们都亲身经历过圣经中所记录的初代教会经历过的灵恩复兴。他指出，非灵恩思潮是有解经错误的，而且有严重的危害，会使教会变得死气沉沉。
书的末尾，他写到：“我们在这时代，被神拣选为他工作的人真是有福，我们虽然已得着圣灵浇灌，还要求神继续大大地充满我们，并且我们还要传扬这圣灵普遍大浇灌的信息，求主施恩，使一切渴慕得着圣灵浇灌的都得浇灌。”
温州教会郑大同长老辞世 享年84岁
On May 19, Elder Zheng Datong, who coined the phrase "Wenzhou, China's Jerusalem" and was imprisoned for his faith three times, passed away in Wenzhou at the age of 84.
The obituary issued by his family in the evening of that day stated, "Zheng was born in Ruian, Wenzhou, Zhejiang on March 3, 1941. Later, he settled in the urban area of Wenzhou as a child. In his youth, he followed Christ and served the Lord throughout his life. The elder was once an art teacher in Wenzhou and was imprisoned three times during the persecution of the church of China. However, 'he remained firm in his faith, courageously walked the path of the cross, and never regretted it.'"
The obituary also announced that a farewell ceremony and cremation will be held on May 22, followed by burial in the mountains.
For many years, Elder Zheng Datong served as an elder at the Puxieshi Christian Church in Lucheng District, Wenzhou, and had a deep enthusiasm for church history and literature ministry. Holding a doctor of ministry degree, he was a poet and a painter. Since the 1980s, he published books including Revelation Illustrated and The Path of Blessing: A Poetic Life in Christ in Singapore and Hong Kong.
The Path of Blessing: A Poetic Life in Christ is Elder Zheng’s memoir, telling the story of a young man who loves painting and poetry, finds his faith in the turmoil of current events, and perseveres in his faith despite all kinds of persecutions. From youth to old age, Elder Zheng experienced two imprisonments for the Lord. He also hoped that through his autobiography, readers could see the faith experiences and stories of an intellectual youth.
In the book, he shared that he was imprisoned simply because he wrote down “Believe in Jesus and Obtain Eternal Life” on the banner of a brother’s funeral during the Cultural Revolution. He also wrote about his testimony of leading people to the gospel while on a labor farm, where he went through reform. In one chapter of the book, the author refers to himself as "Little Joseph," testifying to himself as Joseph in the Bible—he was imprisoned for his faith but relied on God in prison and experienced God’s presence, becoming a blessing to others.
Lo Kam Wah, MH, the former general secretary of the Methodist Center in Hong Kong, commented on the book, saying, “Although The Path of Blessing is Elder Zheng’s personal testimony, it points more to God’s work in Wenzhou churches during historical turning points.”
For many years, Elder Zheng conducted extensive research on the development and history of Wenzhou churches. The widely known saying that “Wenzhou is the Jerusalem of China” is also related to Elder Zheng. Scholar Cao Nanlai wrote in the footnote of the first chapter of his book Constructing China’s Jerusalem: Christians, Power, and Place in Contemporary Wenzhou, “An elderly leader of Wenzhou churches claimed that in the 1990s, he first used this term in an article titled ‘Wenzhou: The Jerusalem of China,’ and it later spread to the overseas Christian world.”
When contacted by a pastor, Elder Zheng confirmed this matter, saying that he was not the original source of the saying “Wenzhou is the Jerusalem of China,” but he helped spread the phrase widely. In his book The History, Current Situation, and Future Prospects of Wenzhou Churches (Part 1), he explained, "On March 1-4, 1990, Dr. Philip Wickeri, a friend of K. H. Ting, led an international delegation of the Amity Foundation to visit Wenzhou and mentioned that some overseas people referred to Wenzhou as ‘the Jerusalem of China’ due to the revival of Wenzhou. In the early 1990s, the saying started to spread widely. In response to a sister in Hong Kong whose pastor wanted to learn about the revival of Wenzhou churches, I wrote an article titled ‘Wenzhou: The Jerusalem of China,’ which has been widely circulated overseas. Later, I did not like this title.”
In his later years, Elder Zheng continued to research and record the history of Wenzhou churches. He also shared his unpublished book, God’s Churches in Wenzhou through lectures and other occasions. The manuscript tells about the development and persecution of the local church and various testimonies.
Every time mentioning the history of Wenzhou churches, he always emphasized, “The revival of Wenzhou cannot be separated from missionaries, and many of them had a significant impact on Chinese churches.” Among them, he felt a deep sense of responsibility for studying the history and influence of the British missionary William Edward Soothill’s deeds and ministry in Wenzhou. Regarding this history, he not only created a script based on this theme but also hoped to find an opportunity to make a film about it.
Elder Zheng also often recalled and testified about many fellow workers who endured hardships during the Cultural Revolution, especially witnessing that although Wenzhou churches faced persecution during that period, it was “a church of brotherly love regardless of denominations and united during the Cultural Revolution.” He added, “During the Cultural Revolution, churches across Wenzhou, including Yongjia, Ruian, Yueqing, Pingyang, Mencheng, and Taishun, experienced a revival, and their numbers grew rapidly. Pingyang’s church did particularly well in this aspect, unifying apart from the Little Flock movement and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and is still referred to as the United Church.”
In 1982, Zheng Datong and other fellow workers, aiming to promote greater unity and soundness in the church, drafted a “church stipulation” to regulate the behavior of brothers and sisters, especially fellow workers, adhering to the separation of church and state.
In May 2023, he shared with the Christian Times his thoughts on the exclusion of the Charismatic Movement in China in his later years. Among them, he shared a book manuscript of over 70,000 words titled Facing the Non-Charismatic Movement: A Review of John MacArthur’s Book Charismatic Chaos. He criticized the views of some Western scholars, theologians, and New Testament commentators who believe that the Charismatic Movement has been extinguished. He commented, “John MacArthur’s non-Charismatic viewpoint is quite representative, not only affecting churches in Europe and the United States but also Wenzhou churches in China.” He recounted stories of himself and many pastors and fellow workers who experienced a spiritual revival around the Cultural Revolution, mentioning that they personally experienced the Charismatic revival recorded in the Bible during the early church days. He pointed out that the non-Charismatic trend had interpretive errors and severe hazards, which could make the church lifeless.
At the end of the book, he wrote, “We who are chosen by God to work for Him in this era are truly blessed. Although we have already received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we still pray that God will continue to fill us abundantly, and we will proclaim the message of the universal outpouring of the Holy Spirit, asking the Lord to grant grace so that all who desire to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit may be blessed.”
- Translated by Charlie Li
Elder Zheng Datong, Who Introduced the Phrase 'Wenzhou, China's Jerusalem' to the World, Dies at 84
