—An Open Letter to Mr. Joseph Kahn, New York Times Beijing Bureau Chief

   Dear Mr. Kahn:

   My name is Qun Zhang, presently residing in New York City, and I was a House Church Christian while in China.

   On Nov. 25th, 2004, Thanksgiving Day, a prominent holiday second only to Christmas, I read your report entitled “Violence Taints Religion's Solace for China's Poor” in the New York Times. In this report, you had completely distorted the truth about Chinese Christians of the house churches.

   My heart was wrenched as I read this article with the help of a dictionary. I was especially troubled when I read about Mrs. Kuang Yuexia, a sister in Jesus, who was released from prison. When she saw 2 policemen coming into her backyard to arrest her, the mere thought of having to go through more torture compelled her to swallow rat poison, committing suicide before the very eyes of the policemen. I would say this is but a typical scene among the myriad of Christians being persecuted in China.

   Based on a survey among 20,000 Christians in 560,000 Christians of different house churches in 207 cities and 22 provinces of China, for the past 20 years, at least 2.7 millions house Christians were arrested illegally, 400,000 were sentenced to labor camp, 700 or so were sought after by the authority, 190,000 were forced to leave their homes and disappeared, 13,000 were persecuted to death, 22,000 were crippled by torture, 130,000 were under surveillance, and more than 1 million were fined under compulsion!

   Yet you have described these people as criminals suffering the consequences of their deeds, the very ones who had paid the ultimate price for Christ’s sake!

   I don’t know what your personal faith is, but perhaps like many other observation teams sent into China, you were led to observe only the opulent churches maintained by the government, and the rest of the world then believes that there is now “religious freedom” in China. Yet, this is but the devil’s technique to smoother the conscience of the kind-hearted. In these official churches including all the clergy are the puppetry controlled by Chinese government. All their activities including worship, preaching, get-together, appointment of the clergy, teaching of divinity school and so on must be permitted by the atheistic government. This just fits the description of the great prostitute committed adultery with the kings of the earth in Revelation 17. All the faithful Christians who do their best to keep the sanctity of the bride and obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29) would be persecuted severely. Xu Shuangfu is just a special example. He has been in prison more than twenty years for the sake of God. In April 2004, he was kidnapped by the Chinese policemen. With an excuse that his case is involved with state secret, he has been denied any access to his attorney and family members. However, as a well-known world media, you stigmatized a victim of a brutal dictatorship as a leader of evil cult. Where was your justice? Why did you fail to ask the China authority to allow you to interview him in person and report the true situation to the world? I am convinced that even if facing more severe persecution, Xu Shuangfu and his fearless fellow workers would be brave enough to tell you the truth for the outside world when given the opportunity.

   “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” (Luk 9:56 ). At this last period, little time left to save souls, how could he kill other people? The China government searched for every excuse to put Xu Shuangfu to death for many times. Several years ago the National Public Security Ministry set up a special team with a purpose of accusing Xu Shuangfu of criminal offenses severe enough for a death sentence. They aimed at destroying the church. But ironically the case ended up with no evidence against Xu Shuangfu. For the sake of saving face, they sent him to a three-year labor camp without going through any judiciary procedure.

   Mr. Joseph Kahn, I want to let you know I am a member of the church led by Xu Shuangfu, listening to him in person for many times. He has been explaining rightly the word of truth, proclaiming the word of God and anointing teaching. I am the witness of what he taught. When a brother in Jesus told me that we were slandered and asked me how I felt, I answered: “ I am the one in John 9:25 ‘whether he be a sinner or no, I know not; One thing I know that, whereas I was blind, now I see.’” If you really want to stand with justice, I am willing to share my experience with you, if you have any problem, we could make witnesses for belief. One miracle example is, when I typed the three Chinese words “Xu Shengguang ”(another name of Xu Shuangfu), they would immediately become into two another Chinese words “Servant”, how do you explain this?

   In the book ‘Tortured for Christ’, the Christian author from Rumania made witness in America after fleeing from Rumania prison, “ the 1/3 world population should take your 1/3 prayer, your 1/3 care, your 1/3 offering…In jail , I saw person with fifty pound anklet praying for America. However in America, I seldom heard the church praying for those who are in chain and jail.” Xu Shuangfu, the servant of God, and his fellow workers always prayed for all people who enjoy freedom including you of course, Mr. Joseph Kahn, We are all created by God according to his own image, so God do not want anyone to be lost. God is just and fair, he will come into the world with judgement, so we must be aware of this, and have fear in mind for it is related our future and interest —entering heaven or hell!

   This is not scaring you, on the contrast, the Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

   The day when the Lord will come is near! If you fail to catch the chance to repent, when the day of judgement comes, how would you hide yourself from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!

   China House Church Christian

   12/31/04