Taiwan Church News
3318 Edition
September 29 – October 4, 2015
Editorial
Here PCT Stand! Go Beyond Party Politics, But Care For Public Issues
On 27 August 2015, via the introduction of Rev. Liu Seh-chun, leaders of the newly established Christian party – Faith and Hope League(FHL) – Rev. Yang Ning-ya, Rev. Chen Che-hong, Rev. Rev. Chang Hsin-yee and some other pastors visited PCT General Assembly Office. They were well received by Rev. Cheng Yin-er, PCT Associate General Secretary, Rev. Ng Tiat-gan, Director of PCT Research and Development Center and Evangelist Lee Hsin-jen.
Based on two recorded documents: PCT’s Confession of Faith since 1985 and the statement of the third Central Committee Meeting of the 60th PCT Assembly in this September for the recommendation criteria of President/Legislator candidates in 2016, Rev. Cheng Yin-er clearly expressed to the representatives of FHL the stance of PCT – ” As a religious group, PCT is not a political party but a religious citizen cares for social and political issues.” Therefore, said Rev. Cheng, PCT will not get involved with or support any political party in the name of PCT.
In Taiwan, the relationships between the church and the state is a very sensetive and delicate issue. In the past 150 years, PCT always tries to find a better way to care about the politics but not to meddle in too much. After the Doubling Movement(Poe Ka Un-Tong, PKU), the churches of PCT expanded to scatter around the whole island. Consequentially an attitude to care more about social and political issues emerges, after 21th New Century Doubling Movement initiated, as PCT increasingly participated and experienced the sufferings of Taiwan society. The three PCT statements for Taiwan society in 1970s were the witness how our forebears in faith risked their lives in jail or trial speaking out loud for truth in the age of totalitarian dictatorship. Yet, just remember how PCT was humiliated in slander by other contemporary Christian denominations.
When FHL claimed that they had repented and wanted to care about the politics issues, they should honestly face toward the past and critically reflect their mistakes. Only when FHL, a party led by pastors and composed of the Christian laity, could thoroughly repent and change from their past, it will absolutely become a positive case of transformation justice in Taiwan. And we expect it to happen in good faith!
If the core values of a political party are: “fight for justice, care about the society and build the platform for the youth interested in public affairs”, and the covenant of it are: “peace – no support for independence or unification; future – no stance for any other political party or presidential candidate; values – rationally debate on public issues without party stance”, then these words are empty slogans without beef. Since FHL has been established as a political party and many lawmakers candidates were recommended, it’s a pity that there wasn’t any policy substantially proposed. What we saw about the activities of FHL up to now were a series of semi-evangelical sermons proclaiming the messages against the separation of the church and the state. We have to say these proclaims in Taiwan society are very irresponsible, making the Christianity religion to be further disdained by Taiwan society.
The ideal of concern about the politics can never be stopped at only setting up a Christian political party, which could blur the separation between the church and the state even further! PCT, as a religious group, cares about the social and political issues of Taiwan society from the position as a faith society! This is here PCT stand!
