wfn.org | Taipei's Bread of Life Church Issues Revised Prayer Manual

[Taiwan Church News <pctpress@ms1.hinet.net>]

Taiwan Church News 2660, February 23, 2003
Reported by Lin Yi-ying. Translated and rewritten by David
Alexander

Reference Taiwan Church News 2656 and 2657/8

   A prayer manual written for an upcoming nationwide festival of
repentance and revival
was withdrawn from circulation in mid-January by its publishers,
the United Clergy Servants Team.  The book was found to be
riddled with historical errors and ethnic characterizations that
caused deep offense to some Christians.  On February 14th a
corrected edition was put into circulation.
   The revised manual includes a significant change in its
chapter on Christian responses to homosexuality.  In this
section, written by the Rev. Mr. Chou Sin-cho, pastor of Taipei's
independent Bread of Life Church, a prayer asking God to forgive
"their" sins has been changed to ask forgiveness of "our" sins.
In another section, devoted to the families of those who suffered
during the politically driven "2-2-8" massacres of 1947, Mr. Chou
has revised the wording to call on God to "have mercy on those
who suffer."
   In a new forward he explains the background of the revision
and apologizes for the book's deficiencies.  Time constraints
prevented opening the revision process to representatives of all
Taiwan's ethnic groups and Christian denominations, so much of
the change came from his hand alone. He begs understanding from
the readers.
   He expresses a personal apology to the families who suffered
loss in the "2-2-8", noting that the main responsibility for the
massacres lies with the Nationalist Party that ran the government
at that time.  In recent years ethnic Taiwanese churches have
played a leading role in a movement to memorialize the fallen and
comfort their family members, but Mandarin language congregations
have not joined. According to Rev. Chou, "For this, the Mandarin
language churches not only must beg God's forgiveness, they must
also turn to the families of the suffering who participate in the
memorial movement and apologise."

For More Information:  Chou Sin-cho villa@mail.llc.org.tw

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