The fourth public seminar on Christianity and Social Concerns was held online from November 9 to 11.
In the lecture held on the 9th, a professor surnamed Liu pointed out that Chinese Christianity was currently facing severe social challenges that the church had no influence in society, believers lost their vitality and Christians lacked a sense of responsibility and mission.
Professor Liu believed that these problems in the church were first due to wrong ideology among believers, second, they were a result of an incorrect understanding of the nature of the church, and due to the lack of knowledge of the concept of the kingdom. In response to how to confront and solve these problems, he mentioned that Christians could not be separated from non-Christians at this time, nor should they isolate themselves from society.
In the lecture he gave on the next day, a pastor whose last name is Huang mentioned that every time a disaster occurred or that people had immediate needs, God was glorified through his people. If people didn’t know it, they would suffer in vain. But if they took advantage of the opportunity, they could practice the teaching, "love your neighbor as yourself "and believe that God loves the world.
Afterward, Pastor Huang shared his experience of going deep into the disaster area with his team during the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 and serving in the local area for three years. Pastor Huang emphasized that Chinese churches and Christians must devote themselves to social care, which was the church’s responsibility and Christianity’s historical tradition. Believers should be the salt and light of the world and love each other as Jesus has loved.
The first of the two lectures addressed to the participants on the last day focused on how the church helped persons with mental disabilities to recover. Basing his comments on rehab cases in the community, the speaker analyzed the development of and future prospects of persons working with mental health needs. He provided direction and advice to the churches and the audience. The second lecture was a detailed explanation of charity ministries and policies.
-Translated by Abigail Wu
