And
it involved that great institution of the People’s Republic of China –
the People’s Liberation Army!
by Larry Jerden
NANJING, China — As Amity Printing Company and the United Bible Societies were celebrating the printing of 25 million Bibles on the Amity presses, a Chinese Christian leader known as ‘The Elder’ recalled the unusual printing arrangements that allowed the first Bibles to be published after the Cultural Revolution.
And
it involved that great institution of the People’s Republic of China –
the People’s Liberation Army!
“After the Cultural Revolution, the major needs of Chinese Christians were to repair the churches and other property seized by the Red Guards and to replace the Scriptures that had been destroyed,” recalled Elder Ji Jian-Hong. “We had not one Bible for our churches in Shanghai.”
Mr Ji, one of the country’s respected Christian leaders, is Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Church in China, and a Director of the Board of Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, among half a dozen active roles. At the time, his priority was to get Bibles printed for the believers who had suffered so much during that time of turmoil.
“Nanjing had about 20 printing companies,” he remembers, “so I visited each one. But none of them could print Bibles. Later I was told there was one press that might be able to help – one run by the People’s Liberation Army [PLA].”
But would the PLA actually help print Bibles?
“I felt hesitant,” Mr Ji admitted, “but there was a tremendous need among Christians for the Bible. I prayed a long time about this, because I felt it was impossible to ask the PLA to print a Bible for us. But after praying, I felt a peace in my heart and was strengthened. So by faith I went to the printing company and talked with its director.”
Mr Ji explained to the director the purpose of his visit, of the need for the Bible, and how the Bible was the source of spiritual life for the Christians. Then he proceeded to present his logic for the PLA doing the printing.
“How can we say we have religious freedom if we don’t have Bibles?” Mr Ji asked the director. “I also told him that I knew the PLA would follow the government’s policies – so would print Bibles for us!”
The director replied that he knew all the Bibles had been destroyed by the ultra-leftists in the Party, and that the PLA had a responsibility to follow the Party’s policy of restoration. To Mr Ji’s delight, the director agreed to print the Bibles.
“I felt joy for a few moments,” he remembered, “but then I realised there was another problem.” Reading the Christian leader’s expression, the printing company director asked, “Do you have a problem?” “Yes,” Mr Ji replied, “but I feel funny telling you about it. You see, I don’t have any money.”
The director admitted that was a problem, but then asked how many copies were needed. “When I told him 400,000, he said he could not give me an answer immediately,” Mr Ji said. “So I had to wait two days for the decision. When I returned, he gave me the news.”
“The PLA will print your Bibles,” the director announced, “but you must pay me in a short time.” Mr Ji told him he could pay immediately after the Bibles were printed!
So with this agreement, the press owned by the PLA – using paper provided by the United Bible Societies – printed 440,000 Bibles over the next three years. And the Church paid for them all in the first year.
“Then, a few years later, when Amity Printing Company was set up by UBS and the Amity Foundation, we stopped printing Bibles at the PLA Press because the Amity Press was better able to produce the Bibles,” Mr Ji explained.
“But the printing of Bibles at the PLA Press shows there is great room for co-operation between the government and the Church. The mission of the UBS is a great encouragement to us,” he added, “and I want to thank all who make it possible.” [PHOTOS] (WR 358/26 - 03.01)