China Threat

All countries face threats, both internal and external, and China is no exception. But China faces two threats whose size and gravity make them existential and of interest to anyone, including missionaries to China.

The first threat is apocalyptic air, water, soil and food pollution (see pollution in China).

The second existential threat to China is the lack of ethics that is unraveling its social fabric. This threat is rooted in China's social culture, which groups people into two concentric circles. The inner circle has family and close friends who receive care and protection. The outer circle has everyone else, who are considered expendable. Benefitting the former by actions that harm or could harm the latter is condoned. In China, the "golden rule" of the Gospel only applies to the inner circle.

While this has been the case throughout China's long history, it has been exacerbated since China opened up to capitalism under Deng Xiao Ping (see rise of China) and now permeates all facets of the Chinese society.

In education, ranked the most corrupt sector of the Chinese society, students are taught early on that cheating (above) is ok and plagiarism honors the author whose work is plagiarized. They cheat throughout their school years and then enter the workplace, where cheating, corruption and bribery are the norm.

When cheating is caught in a business deal in the West, the shame is on the cheater. In China, the shame is on the one who was cheated. Despite face-saving lip service to the contrary, notions such as right/wrong, fair/unfair, honest/dishonest have little room in today's China, which only distinguishes between strong/weak, rich/poor, and respects only the strong and the rich. This misplaced respect is literally killing people in China.

Continue...