Many Chinese Christians have likely experienced receiving a free Bible, though this probably happened quite some time ago. Indeed, China’s economy was not nearly as developed back then. What now seems like a "commonplace" Bible was once an invaluable treasure, so getting a Bible for free could bring someone joy for a long time.
But times have changed. With China’s rapid economic development, most Christians no longer need to worry about obtaining a Bible. Nowadays, you can buy a well-printed Bible for just the price of a fast-food meal. In this context, the practice of giving away free Bibles has become largely meaningless for most Chinese Christians. As a result, the once-popular Bible giveaways have mostly disappeared.
However, "mostly disappeared" doesn’t mean they’re entirely gone. Recently, a Christian man surnamed Wang encountered such a "good deal." While others don't care for or need a free Bible, Wang is different, as he loves anything free. Although he already has a Bible, he believes that "the more, the better." So, when he heard about the free Bible giveaway, he quickly signed up.
But despite registering and paying the shipping fee, Wang never received the promised Bible. It was only then that he realized something was wrong. After investigating, he discovered that many people, including himself, had been scammed. Dozens, even hundreds, had signed up, but not a single person received a Bible.
Wang wasn’t the worst-off victim. Some claimed they had large families and requested multiple Bibles, paying corresponding shipping fees. Others were so moved by the idea of a free Bible giveaway that they donated thousands of yuan out of enthusiasm and love.
In the story above, why were so many Christians, including Wang, deceived?
Simply put, they were greedy for something free. We often find that many Christians want free things, regardless of whether they need them or not. As soon as they hear something "free," they become eager, wanting to get their hands on whatever is being offered, as if they would suffer a great loss if they didn’t.
They don’t see any problem with this behavior. But as the saying goes, "the onlooker sees clearly," and it is in this context that some criminals exploited the opportunity. They claimed to be giving away free Bibles, and those who wanted one only had to pay the shipping fee. But in the end, they never sent out the Bibles, pocketing the shipping fees instead. Some believers were even so moved by the gesture that they generously donated to the scammers.
Why were the scammers able to get money? Some Christians believe it highlights a need for education among believers—not everything should be expected to be free. Many people know there’s no such thing as a free lunch and that pies don’t fall from the sky. But the problem is, when they enter the church, they change and expect everything to be free. One Christian openly stated, "It’s a double standard. They don’t expect things to be free in society, but in the church, everything should be free." In his view, the expectation of free things is a bad habit for Christians.
There is a serious issue of "free mentality" within Chinese churches, where many Christians believe everything should be free and that this is the only form of grace. But the fact is, even Bibles aren’t free! The paper used for Bibles is often donated by relevant institutions, but even then, Bibles aren’t free. They still need to be purchased, albeit at a lower price. But they’re not free. Many Christians believe that grace equals free, that once they get used to free grace, they can’t do without it, and that grace must mean free.
Conclusion
One reason for the widespread "free mentality" in Chinese churches is that many believe even the precious grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is free, as God gave His only son to us freely. Since such a significant thing is free, other smaller things should be even more so.
However, this is a profound misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the Bible and Christian faith. The truth is, grace is never free, including the precious grace of Jesus Christ being born for us and being crucified for us. To us, it’s free, but what many people don’t understand is that it’s free for us because God and Jesus already paid the price for this precious grace.
In the past, due to diverse factors—mainly financial constraints—the church could only conduct many ministries for free to gather people. But this doesn’t mean that the free approach was correct; it was merely a necessity of the time. However, decades later, with material conditions vastly improved, continuing to practice "free mentality" is undoubtedly a great tragedy for today’s Chinese church.
(This translation is an excerpt of the article "Reflection on the Prevalence of Free Mentality in Chinese Churches: Is Free the Only Form of Grace?" published by the Christian Times and was edited by China Christian Daily under permission.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
