Not just a tourist without a compass, Newt Gingrich did more than ask the U.S. embassy whether it was safe to go to church while in China on Easter Sunday. He went to the experts. The House Speaker--obviously understanding the importance of the decision--consulted his colleague Chris Smith, chairman of the House subcommittee on human rights, along with top human-rights activist Nina Shea, on the eve of his trip. But he didn't listen to good advice.
For the Easter services, Mr. Gingrich and members of his bipartisan congressional delegation attended Shanghai Community Church, which some journalists cited as "a model of respectability" among Chinese government-sponsored churches. Mr. Gingrich's attendance was a snub to China's persecuted Christians who meet in house churches in order to worship freely. "What he did," Ms. Shea told WORLD, "conferred legitimacy on the state-sponsored church, misled the American public, missed an important opportunity to stand for the persecuted, and was demoralizing for the underground church at a crucial time."
Mr. Gingrich was already scheduled to be in Shanghai Easter Sunday, where there is an ongoing crackdown directed at Christians in underground churches. Christina Martin, spokesman for Mr. Gingrich, told WORLD: "The Speaker's initial request to attend a non-government sponsored church was not fulfilled because of fear that a public act could pose a threat of harm for the clergy and parishioners involved. The same threat held true for the requested meetings with religious leaders."
That statement makes it seem as if Mr. Gingrich had no options. Not so. Ms. Shea said one option was to follow the example of former Philippines President Corazon Aquino, who flew out of China for one day in order to attend a freely held service. Another possibility: Hold a service in his hotel room and invite underground church members. "'Prop the door open and read Hebrews 13:3. Alert the press corps,'" Ms. Shea said she suggested. "It would have been a powerful symbol," she continued, "but in the end, he didn't believe his own rhetoric."
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Issue: "Spring Draining"
April 12, 1997
Evolved