Taiwan Church News
3813 Edition
March 24 ~ 30, 2025
Weekly Topical
Fulfilling Citizen Duty, a 97-year-old Mother of Pastor Signs to Recall KMT Legislators
Reported by Chiu Kuo-rong and Lin Yi-ying
Mrs Zeng Chen Li-rong, a 97-year-old mother of pastor, showcased her keen interests in citizen movement. Recently she went to the recall station at Chi-Nan Church of Chi-Hsin presbytery and signed the second phase statement to recall those unfit KMT legislators. Recall volunteers took photos of her participation and uploaded to social outlets online, attracting thousands of attentions from the public.
Rev Zeng Hsian-ren, son of Mrs Zeng Chen Li-rong and also a veteran pastor, said in the interview on March 21 that his mother was not persuaded to attend the recall, but actively engaged to learn the contents of recall statement, and firmly expressed her will to expel these unfit KMT lawmakers. “Taiwanese people want to save their country, “ stressed Mrs Zeng, as signing a recall statement for her is a to speak out the voice of Taiwanese people.
Rev Zeng said that his mother was very concerned about media news for years and familiar about political issues domestic or abroad . She could tell why South Korea implemented martial law, explain details of corruption and complicit case of former Taipei mayor Ke Wen-che and other issues, and even could comment the news better than him, Rev Zeng said. “God bless me a life in the world, and there shall be a job to do,” Mrs Zeng said, signing the recall statement is one of her actions to fulfill citizen duty.
Some Christians believe that the church should stay away from politics, but Rev Zeng has a different thought. Citing the PCT’s ministry and service for Taiwan in 1970s, he believed that Christian faith and social care should go hand in hand. Particularly, he indicated that church pastors should uphold justice to care about social affairs at right time, so that church members can stand firm to make peace instead of chaos and darkness. “Politics is a matter for every citizen and should not become a taboo,” Rev Zeng stressed, “however, pastors should maintain neutral on the podium, and better not show hand to stand for an extreme viewpoint, so as not to make division within the church.”
Regarding recent statements issued by the PCT Church and Society Committee to political chaos occurred in Taiwan congress from last May, Rev Zeng remarked that the General Assembly (GA) statement is very instructive, and PCT pastors should share this statement on the podium, rather than overlook or avoid to talk about it, so that church members can hear and judge for themselves. “The petition of signature to recall lawmakers are citizen rights in democracy, so the will of individual citizen to participate or not should be respected. However, the church should not reel back and remain silent on events concerning social justice,” Rev Zeng said.
Rev Chen Ming-hui, secretary of the Justice and Peace Group under Church and Society Committee of Chi-Hsin presbytery, said in an interview on March 21 that the recall action is compliant to core values of the Christian faith, and Taiwan Christians should act bravely to protect our country and democracy. The spirit of recall can be found in Proverbs 14:34: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people,” he said.
“Christians have the responsibility to stand for social justice and stop the invasion of external enemy to destroy the nation and human rights,” Rev Chen remarked, “the point of recall is not a fight to oppose KMT, but whether KMT’s legislature comply with the teachings of the Bible and whether they love Taiwan, the only island we have!”
Speaking of Mrs Zeng Chen Li-rong’s personal signature to recall KMT legislator, Rev Chen praised her audacious engagement. “She is clear-headed and knows what she is doing. She knows that if the country continues to be controlled by such pro-China KMT lawmakers, Taiwan would fall into a mess and gone.” He believed her actions show courage and sense of responsibility that Christians should have. “Every Christian, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity and etc, should take an audacious stance to defend democratic values, and not let faith become empty words,” he said.
“The recall is not only a test of individual citizen, but also a practical test of the value of democracy in Taiwan society,” Rev Chen urged Christians in Taiwan, ”Our ballots are sacred and important, and they should be casted carefully. Our ballot is not only used for elections of officials or representatives, but also for recall those unfit in order to truly protect our country and the future!”
To comply with the “The PCT Statement on the Current Chaos of Congress” released on February 10, Rev Lin Wei-lian, secretary of the PCT Church and Society committee, called on local churches to open church space to support signature petitions of the second-phase recall.
At present, Rev Lin expressed, only the following churches or pastors agreed to open the church site for the second-phase recall signature:
Gi-Kong Church and Chi-Nan Church of Chi-Hsin presbytery; Shang San Church of Taichung presbytery; Zhu-Tang Church of Changhua presbytery; Rev Yeh Jing-an, pastor of West Lake Church of Chi-Hsin presbytery, campaigned the recall of KMT Legislator Li Yan-hsiu; Mr Zhu Yoh-hsin, elder of Gi-Kong Church, served as the leader of recall of New Taipei Yong-He and Chong-He; Rev Chen Hsiao-wei, pastor of Taoyuan Nan-Kam Duo-Chia Church, who devoted to the second-phase recall signature as a full-time job.
Since mid-March, to provide free shade-canopy to recall groups around Taiwan, the PCT Church and Society Committee has mobilized more than 60 canopies with marks of PCT CSC from southern Taiwan to north. Rev Lin said that from the Bluebird Movement in May 2024 to the present, the PCT had observed the evolution of congress chaos for a period of time. It had been seen that people from all walks of lives swiftly worked together to launch the first phase of recall, and citizen groups are closely connected with each other. He said, “ the PCT believes that the wave of recall is conscientiously consistent with the PCT Confession of Faith.” So, the PCT will carry on to support citizen groups with shade-canopies free, he expressed.
“As long as recall group need the canopy in their events, the PCT will respond immediately. When the canopies are intentionally spoiled or destroyed, the PCT pledges there is no need to make up for them. So, the recall citizens group can be assured to set up their signature stands everywhere. Even if the recall groups do not have the funds to print the recall paper-forms, the PCT will also manage to find resources for them,” Rev Lin said in the interview.
The PCT local churches were urged to open church space to accommodate the second-phase recall signature, though, such request had always been regrettably rejected. Rev Lin Wei-lian expressed his frustration to point out that Rev Lin Ren-chian, moderator of taichung presbytery, tried very hard to find signature sites available. But, up to date, only Shang-San Church agreed to lend its venue. As to other churches in Taichung presbytery, particularly after a session was held by standing elders, the churches inclined to reel back and keep neutral from any recall-issues.
“When a small session of the church held to decide whether its site should be open to recall citizen groups, as long as some elders advocate that the church should remain neutral, or worry that the church could be reported by TFP or KMT members to find faults with, local churches hardly dare to lend the site for recall signature,” Rev Lin explained.
Rev Lin Wei-lian encouraged local churches to be strong and fearless to follow the PCT GA’s prophetical statement to solve the chaos of congress. “As the golden period of recall during the second-phase recall signature is only half a month left, I sincerely hopes more local churches could work harder to protect Taiwan’s national security and democracy. And let’s stand up to sign and recall those unfit KMT lawmakers!”, he said.
Translated by Peter Wolfe
