Although Taiwan is widely recognized as a free nation, with a report by the Washington-based Freedom House in 2006 giving the nation a perfect score in terms of freedom of religious belief, the state of evangelism on the island is by no means a rosy picture. Just ask Conkling and Linton, both from the United States, who began their Taiwan mission work in 1992 and 2002 respectively.
According to the latest statistics compiled by the United Missions of Taiwan in Taipei, the country boasts around 4,000 churches. However, the number of Protestant Christians on the island--about 920,000--accounted for only 4.1 percent of its entire population of 23 million people. Among Taiwan's cities and counties, Taipei has the highest percentage of Christians, which is 8.9, cited UMOT.
Most church leaders agree that while prosperity is one of the major obstacles to people's conversion to Christianity in Taiwan, many other difficulties stand in the way of their belief in the gospel. "Taiwan has religious freedom, which should allow people to evangelize," Conkling said. "However, the difficulty is that when people become Christians in Taiwan, they usually experience family persecution, because they stop performing ancestor worship rites and rituals."
The missionary explained that the church always grows quickly under conditions of government persecution but very slowly under family persecution. "In most cases, when teenagers become Christians, it looks as if they are disrupting the family and possibly not fulfilling their roles and obligations as expected in traditional Chinese culture," Conkling said. "So basically, becoming a Christian in Taiwan for many people means losing one's cultural identity and possibly alienating one's family."
Translation constituted another obstacle to evangelism in the Mandarin-speaking country, Conkling said. "Linguistically, when you translate the Christian concept into Mandarin, they use the word zui for 'sin.' When a Mandarin speaker semantically chooses the word zui, it is usually used for an earthly criminal. Often that term is connected to the more serious crimes such as murder for that person to be called a zuiren or sinner," he explained.
"If one tells a Mandarin speaker he is a zuiren, people would think this was crazy," Conkling continued. "So, conceptually communicating the content of the gospel is difficult because of linguistic barriers that are reflected when you have to transpose concepts across linguistic lines."
Language is also one of the main reasons why Taiwan is called the "missionary graveyard." The island has the highest attrition rate for missionaries out of any other mission field and most do not come back for a second term, Conkling said. "Linguistically, mission work in Taiwan is very challenging. To get to the point where you are actually communicating from the heart with a local in their language takes at least a decade."
In this age, where people want quick answers, many do not have the patience or fortitude necessary to persevere linguistically, observed Conkling. Another reason why many gave up mission work in Taiwan is because while the country is "full of idols and demonic activities," the missionaries are not "spiritually seasoned enough to be able to stand firm and endure," he added.
Besides, the "prosperity gospel" that controversial televangelists such as Benny Hinn and Joe Osteen emphasize makes Christian churches grow, but "neither of them preach the cross of Jesus Christ," noted Conkling. The "candy-coated" gospel preached around the world, including Taiwan, "builds big churches but truncates Christian growth," he said.
Pastor Andrew Chang, general secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, the largest Christian denomination on the island, suggested that churches should make greater efforts to reach out to the surrounding communities. Churches should not simply ask people to change their religion, but should "help people understand that this faith has everything to do with their lives," he noted, advising that "clergymen need more than theological training; what's more important is that they do what they preach."
Chang said although many people think as long as they have money, they do not need religion, the fact is "wherever people are, their souls' needs are the same." In Taiwan, faith is mostly interest-oriented. "Many people say they are Buddhists, but in my opinion, they aren't. For example, the god of fortune is worshipped by people when they buy lottery tickets," Chang added.
Felipe Bacalso, an associate professor at the Fu Jen Catholic University's Department of Sociology, explained that Taiwan's traditional religions are popular because they answer people's materialistic needs. "People go to temples to worship and pray for peace, successful careers and fortune. Their religions are closely related to daily experiences. That is why the traditional religions on the island prosper."
Write to Melody Chen at melodychen@mail.gio.gov.tw