The Chinese government has welcomed the role of the church in providing social care in the country.
China’s leaders held meetings in mid-November in Beijing to discuss the economic and political agenda for the next decade, in which it seems the church will play a vital role. Though it is the world’s second biggest economy, China is facing a social care crisis, particularly in caring for an increasingly elderly population.
According to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, by 2040 nearly 20% of China’s rural population will be aged over 65. The government called on the church to provide care for the elderly, as well as offering drug prevention and rehabilitation, and work with those living with HIV.
‘The government welcomes the support of the church’, said government official Wang Xinhua at a recent Shanghai conference on the role of Christianity in China, sponsored by the Bible Society. ‘We lack the resources to meet all the needs that we face, so we need religious organisations in order to do so.’ Mr. Wang said that the ‘beliefs’ and ‘love’ of the church were an ‘advantage’ to society.
He added that China’s charitable sector was facing ‘a crisis of confidence’ due to corruption scandals, saying that the church was a less corrupt partner to the government.
Leading academic Prof. Choong Chee Pang told the conference: ‘Many social problems have their root causes in social injustice, the abuse of power, inequality, the widening gap between the rich and the poor due to mismanagement of the resources, corruption and bribery’.
In an outspoken move, the Professor said that, as the Church took up the challenge of providing social care across China, particularly among the elderly and poor, it must not lose its prophetic role.
‘The church needs to be a prophet and a servant’, he said. ‘This is not a problem in a free or democratic society, but in other societies it can be a sensitive issue. It is hard for the Chinese church to play the role of a prophet, especially with a critical voice.’
