The heir to a hero of Chinese mission says the Christian press' obsession with persecution in China is "misdirecting the mission world" away from effective gospel ministry in that nation.
Finn Torjesen, who has been executive director of Shanxi-based Christian organisation Evergreen for 15 years, says there is too much focus on human rights concerns.
"I am not saying that persecution does not happen. Nor am I saying that human rights is not important," he explained to Sydneyanglicans.net while at CMS Summer School at Katoomba this week.
Mr Torjesen says that the biggest misconception Christians in the West have about China is that persecution is rife and that real Christians worship in "underground' churches.
He thinks reports of persecution from China should be treated with more scepticism.
He points out that a number of the high profile agencies that advocate for persecuted Christians do not check sources nor publish retractions if reports turn out to be inaccurate.
"If those reports encourage prayer then that's great" but they are not journalism."
Mr Torjesen " who is also missions pastor at an evangelical church in Colorado " fellowships at a congregation run by the official Three-Self Patriotic Movement church when in Shanxi. He says many of the denomination's ministers in his region are evangelicals.
Finn's grandfather Peter Torjesen, a Norwegian missionary, sheltered wartime refugees until the Japanese dive-bombed his mission in 1939, killing him.
For that sacrifice, local communists proclaimed Peter a “people’s martyr”.
In 1990 a monument was unveiled in his honour, attended by Finn " then a missionary in Indonesia " and 15 other relatives. At the unveiling service, Shanxi’s vice governor was so impressed that Finn was invited to come to China and continue Peter's legacy of serving the people of Shanxi.
The fact that Evergreen operates as an openly Christian organisation in Shanxi is certainly remarkable.
Shanxi has a reputation as a "conservative' province attached to the old Communist doctrines. It is one of the most restrictive areas for Christians, and has one of the smallest Christian populations of any province in China.
And yet Evergreen's model, openly making Christ "credible' through the professionalism of its community service and development projects, has seen it develop uniquely strong connections with Government.
When the National Government demanded the Provincial Shanxi officials act on its policy of establishing health care clinics, it was Evergreen that was approached to do it.
The health care model Evergreen developed was so effective, it is now being replicated in other parts of China.
"We got Shanxi out of trouble," says Mr Torjesen. "And what we have been doing in Shanxi is now going national. That gave the provincial Government huge face."
A more detailed account of Evergreen's work will appear in the February edition of Southern Cross.
