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In the late 1990s, a number of large house-church networks published a united appeal to the government calling for dialogue and understanding, and they issued a comprehensive joint confession of faith.

At the time, I was puzzled. But the events of 2003 suggest that house-church leaders demonstrated great foresight. They are cultivating a new self-understanding and desire to do more than just react to events inside China. They see themselves as more than just a persecuted church. With new confidence, they serve God openly and boldly. Their movement is now emerging as an integral part of the vibrant new churches that are swelling in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

In issuing a publicly signed, credible statement of faith, these Chinese Christians are showing everyone that they are committed to biblical Christianity and orthodox theology. They see themselves as a religious movement with a worldwide outreach. The united appeal and statement of faith help create a durable consensus on which house-church leaders are taking important steps forward.

I have also heard sharp criticism of Jesus in Beijing and The Cross for putting Christians at risk of arrest. Indeed, three prominent leaders were arrested in mid-February 2004, just a few months after the release of the book and videos. But it's still not fully clear whether these materials played a role. Careful analysis may yet show that the current wave of persecution started before the release of the works by Aikman and Yuan. Others allege some house-church leaders did not give permission to publish their names and the details of their lives. I certainly hope none of the subjects was deceived. But I believe their willingness to talk to a prominent journalist, record their stories on video, and travel to Chicago, indicates that house-church Christians, numbering between 20 million and 60 million, are eager to preserve and to make public the marvelous narrative of their movement. (See "House-Church Leader Arrested")

Regardless of their courage and foresight, the Chinese house church still faces immense challenges. And the growing expatriate Chinese community is beginning to take steps to help.

One such group, Christian Life Press (www.cclife.org), organized the extraordinary 2003 Christmas Conference. Pine and Esther Wang from suburban Chicago established this organization in 1997 to address the needs of foreign-born Chinese in America as well as support house-church leaders still in China.

According to the 2000 census, there are 2.7 million ethnic Chinese in the United States. Nearly 1.7 million of those were born in China and are part of the explosive growth of the U.S. foreign-born population. According to the Wangs, these Chinese immigrants "came to this country after the bankruptcy of the Communist systems, looking for a new way of life which represents the love, the hope, and the future."

"Many came to Christ but struggled in their spiritual growth."

It doesn't surprise me that an organization that dared invite prominent house-church leaders from China (and hold all their meetings in Mandarin, not English) was both young and founded by mainland Chinese Christians.

Yuan Zhiming formed China Soul for Christ Foundation (www.chinasoul.com) in 1999 as an umbrella for his media ministry. It is difficult to imagine an older and well-established organization risking such a cutting-edge project as The Cross.

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February 2005, Vol. 49, No. 2