The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has always viewed United States as its primary strategic opponent, therefore CCP spares no effort in slandering, infiltrating, and sabotaging US. CCP has long since been using Christianity to engage in infiltration and United-Front actions. Unfortunately, it not only has not caught enough attentions of the US government and American Christian societies, instead more and more American Christian leading figures are shaking hands and dancing along with the CCP-controlled “Two Councils”. In order to defend American religious freedom and universal values, in order to contain the infiltration and sabotage on America by CCP, it is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of CCP’s United-Front offensive on American Christian societies and take measures to counter it.
As all know, the official church controlled by CCP is called the “Two Councils”, and it is under the direct jurisdiction of one of the core departments of CCP — the United Front Working Department, which was established after the founding the PRC based on the summarization and institutionalization of CCP’s experience in infiltrating and covert war actions against KMT (the Nationalist Party), it is essentially an espionage organization. The Two Councils calls itself the “Three Self Patriotic Movement” (TSPM) inside China, but “China Christian Council” (CCC) outside China. It is one organization with two plates. Its domestic function is to control Christian believers, make them obey the rule of the Communist Party, and to cooperate with the government in persecuting house churches and other so-called illegal cults. Its international function is to take advantage of the universality of Christianity to co-opt foreign Christian societies, to convert enemies into friends, friends into comrades, to install CCP agents inside American Christian societies, and to engage in a series of activities aimed at forging an illusion of religious freedom in China, covering up the truth of persecution on house churches, and attacking those American activists who truly promote religious freedom for Chinese Christians.
2 Corinthian 11：14-15：And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
The CCP-controlled TSMP/CCC is a United-Front and espionage organization under the cover of Christianity to camouflage their true identity of Communist spies. Rev. Li Chuwen (李储文) who had been the senior pastor of Shanghai Community Fellowship since 1950, when he was beaten up by the Red Guards during Cultural Revolution, in order to prove that he was not a real Christian, he exposed his true identity of being a CCP member. During 1983-1988 he served as the Vice President of Xinhua News Agency Hong Kong Branch which was apparently an espionage institution. Another example was the Vice Chairman of Beijing TSPM, Mr. Zhao Fusan (赵复三), who in late 1980’s served as the CCP party boss of the Chinese Social Science Academy. In short, the Two Councils (TSMP/CCC) is an espionage organization under a religious cover. Any of its activities inside US should draw the attention of US national security agency. Unfortunately, US did not realize its true espionage nature, viewed it as merely a nongovernmental religious organization, therefore allowed its rampant activities in US.
The United-Front effort by CCP on American Christian societies consists of two parts, one on the mainstream churches, the other on American Chinese churches. We will describe them in two separate articles.
John10:10：The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy ……
As early as in the initial stage of CCP’s Reform and Opening movement, with the return to work of the United-Front Department, State Administration for Religious Affairs, and the Two Councils, befriending with the American mainstream churches was put on the agenda. CCP was quite good at befriending influential figures in the Christian societies: in Taiwan, it was Zhou Lianhua (周联华), who was once Chiang Kai-shek’s pastor, and Zhou Shenzhu (周神助), the leader of global Chinese Charismatic circles; in US, it was Billy Graham, whose name was constantly associated with CCP’s United-Front effort on mainstream American Christian societies. Below we will list some of the interactions between the Two Councils and mainstream American churches in chronological order:
1) In 1988, Billy Graham and wife Ruth McCue Bell visited China and preached at Beijing, Shanghai TSPM churches and Nanjing Seminary at the invitation of the Two Councils. Since then, Bill Graham has visited China frequently. He also founded the East Gates Ministries International, mainly engaging in supporting TSMP’s Bible printing work. Up till now, TSPM has monopoly in Bible publishing, printing, and sales in China. No other bookstores or institutions are allowed to sell Bible.
2) Since 2004, the Two Councils has held Bible exhibitions in Hong Kong, US, and Germany, attempting to create a false image of free development in Chinese Christian societies and freedom in Bible printing and sales in order to cover up the truth of state persecution of house churches and lack of religious freedom in China. These exhibitions received support from certain American Christian organizations, including Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and East Gates Ministries International.
3) In the evening of April 27, 2006, the Bible Ministry Exhibition of the Church of China kicked off its American tour with a grand ceremony at the Crystal Cathedral in Los Angeles. Representatives from China’s Two Councils, State Administration for Religious Affairs, exhibition’s local organizing committee, officials and religious leaders in Southern California attended the opening ceremony, which was broadcasted and reported by CCP-controlled media and news agencies such as China Central Televion, China Radio International, Xinhua News Agency Los Angeles Branch, People’s Daily, etc. This event showed that CCP stepped up its United-Front work on American Christian societies, it greatly concealed the lack of religious freedom situation in China, it let the wolf into the American house, so to speak, and it portrayed the satanic Two Councils as celestial angels. Since then TSPM/CCC has made a big headway in America.
4) In September 2009, delegation from the United Christians Church of America visited the Two Councils’ headquarter in Shanghai and its church in Shaan Xi province, then met with Mr. Wang Zuoan, the Vice Director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA). The delegation included DOM President Emeritus,Rev Dr. David A. Vargas, and Director General of the United Christians Church, Ann Calvin Rogers-Witte. Apparently, these American Christian leaders were fooled by CCP, they did not realize that China Two Councils was not a real Christian Church, whereas SARA was the very governmental agency that restricted religious freedom and persecuted adherents of various religions.
5) In May 2010, Vice President of Global Affairs of Graham Evangelistic Association, Tom Phillips, and President of Asian Affairs, Pastor Henry Holley, visited churches in Jiangsu Province. They were greeted by officials from the local Two Councils officials, and Pastor Henry Holley was invited to give his testimony at a local church. Inviting American priests to preach at official churches is one of the common methods of CCP to give the Americans psychological satisfaction and false impression of religious freedom.
6) On September 27, 2011, the first China-US Protestant Church Leaders Forum was held in Washington, D.C., it was jointly sponsored by the Two Councils (TSPM/CCC) and Graham Evangelistic Association. It is worth noting that no members from house churches were invited to or attended the forum, and no issues regarding religious freedom in China were raised. This so-called China-US Protestant Church Leaders Forum is a misnomer, it has no true representation, it is an attempt by CCP to infiltrate American Christian societies.
7) In October 2011, the Two Councils held another Bible Ministry Exhibition at the First United Methodist Church in Chicago, entitled “The word is the Truth”. This event was advertised as allowing American people to learn the history and present of the development of Christianity in China. But in fact, the true objective of the exhibition was to fool American people into believing that there was religious freedom for Christians in China and to further co-opt American Christian societies.
During the period of the exhibition, Radio Free Asia interviewed pastors “Bob’ Xiqiu Fu and Yujian Hong. Pastor Fu, founder and president of ChinaAid Association, pointed out, “the true nature of this Bible exhibition is quite obvious, it is organized and directed by Chinese government and government-controlled Two Councils, it is a tour of deceptive propaganda in order to fool America and the World. This so-called church group is just a United-Front tool for CCP. At the same time, we are deeply concerned and dissatisfied at certain American evangelist leaders, church leaders, seminaries such as Dallas Theological Seminary, who served as tools for Chinese government to deceive global public opinion and Christian societies. “
Pastor Fu also talked about cases of criminal convictions because of printing and distributing Bible in China in the recent years. He said, “I can remember at least four cases of being arrested, imprisoned and sentenced because of Bible.”
Pastor Hong believes, “this Bible exhibition is completely bogus, because we all know that public sales of Bible is forbidden in China … If Chinese government is truly enthusiastic and willing to sponsor Bible, very simple, just lift the ban in China. A genuine exhibition should be held first inside China.”
8) On October 20, 2011, executives of Graham Evangelistic Association Asian Affairs visited a subordinate of the Two Councils, Guangdong Concord Seminary.
9) From September to November of 2011, the Bible Ministry Exhibition, sponsored by Chinese government, conducted tour in Maryland, Chicago, Dallas, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
10) On September 22, 2013, at the invitation of China Christian Two Councils, Vice President of Billy Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse, Gary Lundstrom, visited China National Bureau of Religious Affairs.
The above are only samples of media reports of CCP’s United-Front offensive on American Christian societies, they are merely a tip of the iceberg. Many facts have not yet been exposed. Since its arrival in US, the Two Councils have been trying to co-opt American Christian leaders to be its agents, to beautify CCP’s religious policy, to cover up CCP’s suppression and persecution of religious freedom, especially the house churches. Apparently, CCP’s activities in American Christian societies have posed a threat to one of the founding values of this nation, that is religious freedom, as well as to American national security. For this reason, we are making the following appeals to American government and American Christian societies:
First, American Christian organizations should end participation in the China-US Protestant Church Leaders Forum, because it is not a non-government exchange, but rather a place for Chinese government to conduction infiltration activities. Furthermore, this forum has no participation from house church members, it is an insult to Chinese house churches and trample on the universal value of religious freedom. We also hope American government pay attention to this matter.
Second, US government should forbid officials from China State Administration of Religious Affairs and high level priests from the Two Councils from visiting America. Their visits are not exchanges between non-government religious organizations, but rather aimed to infiltrating and converting American Christian institutions. The Two Councils, domestically are part of the religious repression and persecution machines, internationally they are an espionage organization that threatens religious freedom in America. Most of those visiting CCP religious officials have committed crimes in persecuting various religious followers and harming religious freedom.
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Fourth, American Christian figures, pastors, evangelistic organizations, and seminaries should stop interaction with CCP’s Two Councils. Out of God’s justice and love, American Christian societies should only contact Chinese house churches and provide assistance.
Fifth, famous American Reverend Billy Graham and his East Gates Ministries International (EGMI) should stop the wrong approach of providing financial aid only to Bible printing by TSPM. Since Bible is only available at government controlled TSPM stores, many Christians in remote areas could not purchase Bible. In addition, it could cause house church goers to reveal their congregation locations when they buy Bible. It would be good for EGMI to providing financial aid to other publishing houses to print Bible. If EGMI is not able to help house churches, at least they should stop only helping TSPM. Furthermore, EGMI should urge Chinese government to allow free publishing of Bible and allow Bible be available at any bookstore.
