Taiwanese churches and theologians cynical of ROC’s centenary celebrations

From "Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>
Date Tue, 28 Dec 2010 16:51:01 +0800

3069 Edition

December 20-26, 2010

Headline News



Taiwanese churches and theologians cynical of ROC’s centenary 
celebrations



Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong

Written by Lydia Ma



The year 2011 is the centenary of the Republic of China (ROC) and the 
Ma administration has been drumming up various events and ideas in 
the past few months to ensure that October 10, 2011 will be 
celebrated as never before. 



However, this seemingly important date and milestone has so far been 
greeted with debate and cynicism in mainstream society. 



A few social organizations and churches have been tapped by the Ma 
administration to promote Double Ten 2011, prompting the theological 
magazine “Logos” to call for a forum and get some theological 
perspective on all the hoopla.



On December 16, 2010, theologians and professors from Yu-Shan 
Seminary and Taiwan Theological College and Seminary (TTCS) convened 
at Taipei East Gate Presbyterian Church to examine Double Ten 2011 
from a theological perspective and offer a few guidelines to 
participating churches and organizations.



“This centenary, Double Ten 2011, is a paradox of sorts for Taiwan,” 
said renowned TTCS professor and academic dean, Dr. Cheng Yang-en, 
who specializes in church history. 



He added that the Ma administration has been trying to associate the 
founding of the ROC with Taiwan as a country, but so far, these 
attempts are like hammering square pegs into round holes. People 
simply don’t care and they haven’t forgotten this administration’s 
record of injustice and oppression toward its people, which gives 
people even less reasons to want to join in the celebration.



Cheng underscored that, it was barely 20 years ago that the term 
“ROC” began to take root and bear significance in mainstream 
Taiwanese society and it began because former President Lee Teng-hui, 
during his term as Chairman of the KMT, initiated the “Taiwanization” 
of the KMT.



In contrast, the Ma administration is dragging the whole country 
backward instead of forward and forcing a non-existent sense of 
national identity on Taiwanese people. This phenomenon prompted one 
Taipei City Councilor, Hsu Chia-Ching, at the forum to exclaim, “The 
overthrow of the Manchurian dynasty and the Hsinhai Revolution – what 
do they have to do with Taiwan?”