November 1925
481
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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Our Bible Institute in Hunan Province, China Dr. Frank A. Keller Superintendent
T h e H u n a n B i b l e I n s t i t u t e ( th e C h in a D e p a r tm e n t o f th e B ib le I n s titu te , o f L o s A n g e le s ) is o rg a n iz e d a lo n g s im ila r lin e s to th e h o m e I n s titu te ,— tr a in in g n a tiv e C h in e se y o u n g m e n a n d w o m e n fo r C h r is tia n w o rk , a n d a t th e s a m e tim e c a r r y in g o n a n a c tiv e e v a n g e lis tic w o rk a m o n g th e u n s a v e d . T h e w o rk (w h ic h is re c o g n iz e d b y th e d iff e r e n t e v a n g e lic a l m is s io n s a s o n e o f th e b e s t in C h in a ) h a s th r e e d e p a r tm e n ts : ( 1 ) A B i b l e I n s t i t u t e a t C h a n g s h a ( th e c p ita l c ity o f H u n a n P r o v in c e ). ( 2 ) T w e l v e E v a n g e l i s t i c B a n d s w ith th ir te e n m e n in e a c h b a n d , d e v o tin g th e m o rn in g s to B ib le S tu d y , a n d th e a f t e r n o o n s to g iv in g th e G o sp e l in th e n a tiv e h o m e s. ( 3 ) T h e A u t u m n B i b l e S c h o o l a n d C o n f e r e n c e a t N a n y o h (o n e o f C h in ’s fiv e s a c re d m o u n ta in s ) . H u n d re d s o f c o n v e rs io n s h a v e r e s u lte d fro m th e w o rk d o n e a m o n g th e th o u s a n d s o f p ilg rim s .
tions of this custom are many, one being that one father may have children of two or three different names, as the children commonly retain the mother’s name or that of her real husband. Foot-binding is prevalent, and even little girls who must endure this torture seem willing to do
SEVEN CHURCHES FOUNDED JHE above title is remarkable when we realize that the seven churches have been founded through the efforts of a group of thirteen Chinese Chris tians in the short space of ten months. It is
even more remark able if we remem ber t h a t t h e s e churches have not been assisted by a cent of f o r e i g n money and that the membership of each of t h e s e v e n churches is entire-: ly composed of poor people. Y e t such are the results of the work of Biola Evangelistic Band No. 1 b e t w e e n October 1924 and July 1925 as told by the leader, Mr. C h e n g Yuin-Tao last Sunday morn ing (August 9) in the C h i n a Inland
so as it makes them more desirable from t h e matrimonial point of view. But in the midst of all these horrors t h e r e is a very flourishing, a n d a l m o s t apostolic church. The Chris tians in this district know something of what it means to sacrifice and to suf fer for their relig ion. It is not an uncommon t h i n g for old women to walk five, ten or in some cases even fif teen miles in order An Apostolic Church
Biola E vangelistic B and No. 1, Cheng Y uin-Tao, Leader, in cen ter
Mission Church at Changsha. Mr. Cheng is our senior band leader and a most devout man of God, whose patient efforts and earnest prayer life never fail to bring the results . which we would expect, an annual harvest of earnest, sim ple-hearted, Bible-loving, praying Christians. Strange Chinese Customs Perhaps many in the homeland imagine that China and Chinese customs are quite invariable, but such is not the case. Mr. Cheng got the interest of his audience imme diately by telling some of the strange customs of the folk in the neighboring province of Kiangsi. They went to a wild part of the country where each family is a law unto itself and where clan warfare is common. About the time of their arrival a war had been raging between two families over some disputed water rights, and many had been killed and others wounded. Neither the police nor the military had felt it necessary to interfere. The people themselves seemed to hold life lightly and the fatalities were soon for gotten. Besides many other common forms of vice a pecu liar custom of wife-renting exists in that part of the coun try, by means of which a poor man will rent his wife to a rich neighbor for a stated term of years. The complica
to attend the services on Sunday. When they reach the church they do not expect to be entertained with a flowery sermon nor to hear a professional choir, but they come to study their Bibles. For most of them the study is of a simple but intensely profitable nature, consisting of mem orizing a golden verse each Lord’s day. In this way many who have formerly not known a single character have learned to read their New Testaments with a fair degree of readiness, and it is the regular thing for the Christians to be able to repeat all tbe verses they have learned, which, of course, after several years of study, number several hundred. Unique Time-telling There is no set time for the opening of service, and yet they have a certain punctuality of a rather original kind. They open the service when certain very faithful members, who live a long way from the church, arrive. Rain, cold or summer heat seem to make very little difference to the church attendance, and it is not because the pastor is able to spend a great deal of time visiting and working amongst the people, but because they really have the love of the (Continued on page 513)
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