Page 29 - Presbyterian Connection, Spring 2024

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Reflecting on “I Love Taiwan” Experience
The Presbyterian Church in Cana- da has a longstanding relationship with the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT). Each year, the PCT hosts a dynamic program called “I Love Taiwan,” which attracts youth from all over the world who share in the PCT’s youth and chil- dren’s ministry and learn about the unique culture of Taiwan. In 2023, 25 youths from Germany, Hun- gary, South Korea, Japan, Canada, India, Thailand, and New Zealand participated in the program. The following reflections are from Justin and Neo Wu, sons of the Rev. Paul Wu at St. Giles Pres- byterian Church in Ottawa, Ont., who took par t in the experience with support from the PCC.
The Ethics and History of Modern Missionary Work
Justin Wu enjoying a night stroll in Taiwan.
By Justin Wu
While par ticipating in the 2023 “I Love Taiwan” (ILT) program that the PCC is invited to attend by the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, I found myself grappling with the history of Christian mission work. I struggled to reconcile the positive work of current-day Taiwanese missionaries and the harms com- mitted by historical European mis- sions. I concluded that, in Taiwan, today’s missions do not serve the colonialist interests. This is be- cause the goals, methods and at- titudes of organizations like ILT are fundamentally different.
In the 1970s, theologians and anti-colonial activists began for- mulating critical views of Christian missionary work in the European colonial context. Historian Brian Stanley (1990) cites the newspa- per of the Fifth Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Nai- robi: “Missionaries came to Africa with ‘the Bible in one hand and the gun in the other’” (p. 11). Indeed, missionary work is often justifiably associated with European coloni- alism and imperialism. In an ar ti- cle titled The History of Christian Missions in Africa, Norman Ether- ington (2019) gives an overview of missionaries’ involvement with colonial projects from the 15th century to the 19th century. The dominance of European colonial powers resulted in the par titioning and exploitation of Africa, which still has repercussions today.
In Latin America, the influence of the Catholic Church began with Spanish and Por tuguese coloniza- tion in the late 15th century. Mis- sionaries accompanied conquis- tadors, giving religious sanction to the conquest and subjugation of Indigenous populations. Some missionaries opposed the brutality of the conquistadors. For example, Father Antonio Montesinos ar- dently protested the brutal tactics of the Spanish. Never theless, the institutional power of the Catholic Church encouraged the conversion of Indigenous peoples by whatever means necessary, including war (Buckholder, 2014). It is, however, crucial to acknowledge that mod- ern Latin American Christians rep- resent nearly a quarter of the glob- al Christian population. According to The Oxford Handbook of Latin American Christianity, “By 2025, Latin America will surpass Europe and the United States to become the global region with the highest number of observant Christians” (Orique et al., 2020, p.1). Despite the history of colonization and the violence associated with it, many modern Latin Americans do not view Christianity negatively. How- ever, they are very different from the Indigenous peoples of South America who were almost com- pletely wiped out following Span- ish and Portuguese conquests. Therefore, in Latin America, the consequences of missionary work and the evangelism associated with it are not so straightforward.
In Asia, Christian missions have had a presence ever since the be- ginning of European commercial activities. Missionaries in Taiwan were only active to a limited ex- tent during Dutch colonial settle- ment. It was not until the late 19th century that English and Canadian missionaries began to establish a more significant presence (Ion, 1990). The Imperial Chinese ad- ministration was openly hostile toward them and, as outcasts, Christians were often violently persecuted. Therefore, after the First Sino-Japanese War “both the English and Canadian mis- sionaries welcomed the Japanese occupation” (Ion, 1990, p. 174). Thomas Barclay believed the Japanese administration would be more beneficial to their goals of proselytism. Thus, many mis- sionaries became supporters of yet another colonial regime. Still, we must acknowledge that mis- sionaries built schools, hospitals and churches in Taiwan. They created communities that served the poor and the outcast. But, this charity depended on whether one embraced Christianity.
Today, the Presbyterian Church is very influential in Taiwan. Their mission work is widely admired and welcomed. “I Love Taiwan” exemplifies this attitude of ser- vice. During my time in Taiwan, I never ceased to be amazed by the humble and diligent work the ILT missionaries performed for their respective communities. They contribute positively to Taiwanese society. Still, the potential harms of mission work must not be for- gotten and ILT should continue to distance itself from the most neg- ative aspects of this history. As demonstrated by the English and Canadian missionaries in Taiwan, when the priority of mission work is proselytism, it is easy to side with the oppressor. Missionaries saw that the easiest way to con- vert large populations was to align themselves with colonial powers. This created coercive structures, where the colonized were forced to convert or face poverty and violence. To avoid these historic tendencies, ILT should expand its service to non-Christians. The primary objective of their mission should be to serve communities and individuals without the expec- tation of conversion. The value of
Justin and Neo Wu, presenting Canadian culture to participants of “I Love Taiwan.”
the Christian religion should not be demonstrated by its political influence and economic power but rather by the selflessness of its followers.
REFERENCES
Burkholder, M. A. (2014).
Colonial Latin America. New York: Oxford University Press.
Etherington, N. (2019).
The History of Christian Missions
to Africa. In N. Etherington, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. Oxford University Press. Ion, A. H. (1990). The Cross and the Rising Sun. The Canadian Protestant Missionary Movement in the Japa- nese Empire, 1872-1931. Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
Orique, D. T., Fitzpatrick-Behrens,
S., & Garrard, V. (Eds.). (2020). Introduction: Oxford Handbook of Latin American Christianity. In The Oxford Handbook of Latin American Christianity. Oxford University Press. Stanley, B. (1990). The Bible and the flag: Protestant missions and British imperialism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Apollos.
Journey of a Lifetime
Neo Wu engaging in conversation with another participant of the “I Love Taiwan” event.
By Neo Wu
Through the ebb and flow of my daily life, bustling crowds and career aspirations, I often forget how precious and beautiful the world really is. I find myself so of- ten entranced by the convenience of technology, which extends to me the ability to view, explore and engage with other worlds. And yet it is this convenience that presents a false understanding and is complicit in my ignorance and presuppositions of the nature of other countries. I thought the world smaller than it really is, cul-
tures simpler and societies less nuanced. It is not often that the bricks of understanding that have been laid since childhood come tumbling down. Flying toward Taipei and witnessing the waves of the Pacific crashing against the green shores of the island foretold a journey of beauty that no cam- era could capture and no writing could express.
I visited Taiwan last year within the framework of the “I Love Tai- wan” mission gathering that the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan invites the PCC to par ticipate in. Even before arriving, I was appre- hensive as to the nature of people I would meet. Who were they? Did they think like I did? Did they have the same ideals and morals I had?
I was thousands of miles away from home, with a flawed under- standing of Taiwan and an unease toward what was to come. And despite my apprehension and hes- itation, I was greeted with love, un- derstanding, respect and mutual- ity. Throughout my time in Taiwan, I was blessed with new experi- ences, delicious food, breathtak- ing views and indelible friendships.
At times, I was confronted with cultural and linguistic barriers, yet the people I met showed me over- flowing patience and understand- ing, the types of which I often find lacking in my home country. Even if we spoke different languages, even if we lived different lives, we understood each other as human beings.
Not often do I find a genuine- ness in people that incites change and nurtures connection; the peo- ple I met through ILT, despite be- ing from different countries each with their own cultures and sto- ries, were able to form connec- tions and community. It is thanks to ILT’s great efforts that such an environment was created, one that cultivated life-changing con- nections and encouraged engage- ment with local communities.
I’m at a loss for words to de- scribe the beauty I experienced in Taiwan through the kindness of its people, awe-inspiring natural beau- ty and rich culture. “I Love Taiwan” gave me the oppor tunity to experi- ence the journey of a lifetime, and one that I will not soon forget.