Polytheism


Bob
  • Taiwan is the only Asian country that has not yet experienced spiritual breakthrough. Despite over 100 years of missionary involvement, Protestant Christians make up only about 2-3% of the population.

  • Ancestor worship is the most common and difficult hurdle to be crossed by any Taiwanese person who is considering becoming a Christian.

  • All too often, people who have indicated some commitment to Jesus fall back into the old ways when family pressure or some financial or personal shock shakes confidence in the Word of God.

  • Christianity is still trying just to survive in a sea of traditional Chinese religion. Conversions come slowly and Christian values compete with the old ways of paganism. The “back door” is often wider than the “front door,” as people find the pull of family religious allegiances and the pervasive presence of idols and temples almost impossible to resist.

  • It’s (i.e. the average Taiwanese concept of the Gospel) a form of ‘Christianized’ Confucianism. Rarely do you hear the gospel in the churches, other than at evangelistic meetings. For the average believer, being a Christian mostly means trying to be a good person. All they hear is ‘Read the Bible more! Pray more! Serve more in the church! Evangelize more!'

  • China’s age-old immersion in Confucianism has produced a climate in which God’s grace is hard to grasp, even for Christians. Weary people need to be taught to come to Christ for rest and refreshment on a daily basis, not further loaded down with burdens to serve in church, evangelism, or give more money.

  • A mission trip makes you sort out what you really believe about Jesus vs. what is merely your tradition.