In recent years, Canaan Xiu has provided several testimonies. For example, he said that he could speak now while in the past he was dumb. He also shared his testimony during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. What's more, he claimed that he preached the gospel to Wen Jiabao, China's Prime Minister at that time.
Many Christians believed Xiu and spread his testimonies. At the same time, many Christians put their analysis of Xiu's testimonies on different online platforms, pointing out the suspicious part of Xiu's testimonies.
Dec 3, 2016, Sister Cai, who has been a 13-year-old acquaintance of Xiu, sent to the Christian Times the confession of Xiu. The title of the confession letter was "I Stand Before God."
Xiu acknowledged his sin at the beginning of the confession: "I repent to god under the supervision of many brothers and sisters. I haven't preached the gospel to Wen Jiabao. It was a lie."
Then he said:" I don't want to live in a lie and the sin has made me exhausted. I feel that I am not qualified to be a pastor. I feel ashamed of myself."
Sister said that Xiu admitted to her that the testimony of preaching to Wen Jiabao is not true. Cai emphasized that the confession is open to the public. She hopes that more Christians can see it.
Xiu also confirmed that the confession was dictated by him and written down by another guy on December 1. He feels great pressure because he was recommended as a pastor in November 2016.
Xiu attended a missionary meeting in Hong Kong and was recommended by a pastor from a missionary institution in Hong Kong. Xiu said that they didn't know about his false testimonies. Xiu promised that he would talk about the testimony with the pastor who recommended him. Sister Cai also said so.
The extracts of Faced with God are as follows:
I repent to God under the supervision of many brothers and sisters. I haven't preached the gospel to Wen Jiabao. It was a lie.
I don't want to live in a lie and the sin has made me exhausted. I feel that I am not qualified to be a pastor. I feel ashamed of myself.
God let me meet with Sister Cai from Dalian City. We have known each other for 13 years but we have never met face to face. She encouraged me to confess the lie and my sin. Other brothers and sisters accept me with the love of Christ. Now I admit that my testimony of preaching to Wen Jiabao was false and I also admit other lies told by me.
I am a sinner. I lost my parents since childhood. I was also dumb and deaf. I used to be a thief and discriminated by the society.
However, I received the sympathy and grace from God. He renewed my life by making me speak again.
Then I went to the church in my hometown. I didn't I anticipate that I was still discriminated in the home of God. When my preacher was appointed as a pastor, everyone in the church wanted to take a photo with her. However, she refused to take a photo with me and said I was dirty.
My heart was hurt and I angrily hit back to her: " You are dirtier than me because your words have hurt others."
Once upon a time she accused a brother to the religious affairs bureau. I didn't support her because the accusation was not based on truth. She hated me and drove me out of the church. Then I left my hometown. I hated her but I could do nothing.
Under the help of a brother from Dalian, I started to study in Beijing Bible Institute. We went to preach the gospel in Wenchuan in 2008. However, as soon as we got off the plane the earthquake happened. So we took part in the job of rescue.
Then Prime Minister Wen Jiabao went to Wenchuan to visit rescuers. I came up with the lie although I didn't see Wen Jiabao. I was aimed to prove that I was stronger than the pastor who hurt me. I was respected in many regions due to the lie and I felt satisfied.
When I was in Xiamen, a brother from the church in my hometown called me and cheated me into going home. They threatened me to tell the truth. They said that they would put me in prison for the whole lifetime. I was afraid and I told the truth. I didn't think that they would record my words. I told them to pray for me so that I could be absolved. They refused. I started to bear a grudge again.
The sin has tortured me for so many years and I want to get rid of it. The spirits and grace of God have left me. I felt awful.
Now I want to repent in the presence of God. I want to hide for a while. I would read the Bible, pray to God, repent my sin and cultivate my spiritual life. I will wait for God's summon and try my best to be a qualified pastor.
I also want to confess my sin to the church. I also forgive the pastor who hurt me and I won't hate her any longer.
Here is part of the dialogue between Xiu and the Christian Times:
Christian Times: Why did you public the truth that you haven't met Wen Jiabao?
Canaan Xiu: I felt exhausted. I told the lie to scare the pastor who hurt me but I didn't expect the lie was the root of crime. I will take action to mend my mistakes. Let's wait and see.
Christian Times: You mentioned that you were appointed as a pastor in Hong Kong. Does the pastor who recommended you know the false testimony?
Canaan Xiu: He didn't know that. The church has delivered the confession to him and I hope he can understand. Thank God. I hope that Christians could forgive and understand me. I am disabled. Many people discriminated, snubbed and teased me. When I was in the home of God, I was still discriminated.
Sister Li and Sister Cai have helped to refer to the Bible when Xiu repented. They said that when they know Xiu was overtaken by the sin they saved him with love. After confessing to the public, they will provide more help for Xiu. They also chose two scriptures to express their attitude:
Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if a man is overtaken by transgression, you should save him with your gentle love. You should also prevent yourselves from temptation.
James 5:19-20 My brothers, if any of you has lost the truth, please turn his mind. You should let him know that you are saving his dying soul and hiding his sins.
Translated by Emma
