1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

conditions as would raise prices.Under all these conditions it seems remarkable to usthat Christian missionary effort has accomplished so muchas we perceive. It seems the more amazing when wereflect on the Gospel message which Christendom has hadto offer, namely, that only the saintly few have theslightest prospect of heaven, and that all the vast remainderof China's hundreds of millions and their forefathersare doomed to an eternity of torture.But with all this handicap we found some ChineseChristians who gave every evidence of deep sincerity.Some foreigners, however, told us that they were merely"rice Christians." This may be true of some, but we feelsure it is not true of all--nor even of a majority. Comparingthe native congregations with Christian gatheringsin Europe and America, we have every reason to believethat the comparison favored the Chinese. They listenmore respectfully, reverentially and earnestly than do themajority of congregations in Christian lands.THE OUTLOOKThe outlook is both favorable and unfavorable. It isunfavorable in that China is now coming under the influenceof Higher Criticism, Evolution, etc.--not from themissionaries, however, who seem to be more loyal to theBible than are the ministers of Christendom. This floodof infidelity is coming from Japan.The slowness of the Christian progress in China oflate may be judged from the report of one Y.M.C.A.R5010 : page 129secretary from America. He said that in ten years theAssociation had succeeded in bringing only 25 personsinto membership with the different Christian churches ofall denominations. And the Y.M.C.A., be it remembered,is chiefly a moral club dominated by Christian influence--much the same as in Europe and America--andapparently the chief recruiting ground for the churches.So far as we were able to sense the situation from themissionary viewpoint it is this: The influence of Christianityhas brought a measure of enlightenment to theChinese which led up to the recent revolution. The revolutionitself is dominated by the ChristianChinese, partly because they are the moreintelligent. The solid front which Chinesereligions have heretofore maintained isbreaking. Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianismstill dominate the masses, butmany are saying, We are non-sectarian;we take the best of all these religionsand admit that there are good things alsoto be said respecting Christianity. Theprogressive Chinese of the revolutionistparty proclaim that henceforth China