A threatening symbol

Details

Published on Sunday, March 13, 2016

By Rev. Glenna Beauchamp

Rivers and Oak River United Churches

The Feb. 19, 2016 edition of The Church of England paper reports another Chinese Christian pastor was arrested and put in jail. His crime? He protested the government’s policy of forcibly removing crosses from church buildings.

Since 2014 Chinese authorities have removed thousands of crosses and demolished many church buildings for what they call building permit infractions. Most of these churches are government-approved, meaning they comply with all the rules for operating as a Christian church. When the order came to remove their cross, many Christians said, “No.” And the police acted quickly.

Isn’t it ironic?

In a country that officially denies the existence of God, there seems to be a recognition that the symbol of the cross somehow undermines the authority of the state. Which, of course, it does. The symbol of the cross  makes one of the most powerful countries in the world so nervous they have to tear it down. Yet most Canadians treat the symbol of a cross as a nice piece of jewelry, or something for which Christians should apologize because it offends some people.

At least the Chinese get it. The cross represents a power greater than any human ruler or system. The cross draws from people a commitment, a loyalty and a transforming lovethat  nothing can shake.