Is China Slowly Inching Towards Allowing Unrestricted LDS Activity? Two Mormons Featured On Chinese Television

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints walks a political tightrope in the People's Republic of China. Although the Chinese government permits LDS activity, it is highly restricted. The Chinese government does not permit direct proselytization of its citizens by foreigners. Furthermore, worship services for foreign-passport holding Latter-day Saints are separate from worship services for Chinese citizens, whose branches are directed by their own local priesthood leaders. In addition, Church members are counseled not to mail religious materials to China or carry scriptures or other Church materials into China beyond a copy for personal use, and Latter-day Saints are advised not to discuss or promote the Church while traveling in China. The LDS Church has even gone so far as to establish the Mormonsandchina website to provide a common clearinghouse of information on dealing with China and to prevent misunderstandings. Church leaders last met with Chinese government officials in August 2010 to better regularize Church activity in China.

The scrupulous respect shown towards the Chinese government by the LDS Church, in keeping with the Twelfth Article of Faith which proclaims that "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law", may be paying off. On Mormanity, Jeff Lindsay, a resident of China, discloses that two members of his branch, one of three branches in Shanghai, were recently featured on significant television broadcasts. First, there was a recorded TV broadcast about Jeff Olsen, who actually just returned to the US: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNTE0MjczMDY0.html. This was a lengthy story giving positive attention to a foreigner who has made a difference in China. And second, Debra Roundy, who teaches English with her husband at Jiao Tong University through BYU's Kennedy Center program, was on TV for a five-minute segment that highlighted her involvement with local Chinese people as she shares her passion for dance. She works with many local Chinese as they practice and perform group dances.

Since the Chinese government seeks to actively control information being transmitted to their citizens, the appearances of two Mormons on Chinese television would be most unlikely if the Chinese government was actively opposed to Mormonism. Consequently, this is a strong indication that the Chinese government may be slowly and incrementally relaxing their attitude towards Mormonism. If this trend continues, we could see the larger urban areas of China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Canton, opened to unrestricted LDS activity within five years, leading to the possible announcement of a temple in China within 10 years. At this point, this is strictly conjecture, but don't forget that the government of what was then the German Democratic Republic allowed a temple to be built on their soil while they were still officially "Communist"; the current LDS President, Thomas S. Monson, was instrumental in making that happen. Five years later, the Berlin Wall fell. I suspect the Chinese government would prefer a more orderly transition.

This is why I was enthused when Barack Obama selected Jon Huntsman Jr. to serve as our ambassador to China. Huntsman is not one of those Mormons who locks into missionary mode and is obsessed with pounding on doors and spamming every living creature with the "Golden Questions". Instead, Huntsman preferred to soften Chinese hearts and provoke Chinese interest by exemplifying Mormonism through his behavior FIRST. All too often, we look upon other people as prospective converts first and human beings second; Huntsman is more mature and understands that taking the Amway approach to "sharing the Gospel" can drive people away from Mormonism. Too bad Huntsman chose to cut his mission short and run for President; who knows what he could have accomplished had he remained. Perhaps the Lord inspired Barack Obama to select Huntsman as ambassador in the first place.

Why is China important to us? Because as Latter-day Saints, we believe that one of the prerequisites for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is for the Gospel to be carried to the ends of the earth. Not just transmitted through the airwaves, but PHYSICALLY carried by authorized messengers of the Lord. This requires missionary activity in China as well as in other remaining places not penetrated by the Church, such as the Middle East. Perhaps the removal of the Islamofascist President Morsi by the Egyptian military may be a precursor to the return to the Church to Egypt, and its subsequent spread throughout the Middle East. At the same time, we must continue to defend the Gospel where it is already established. This may be a tall order, but the Lord does not give us a task save He prepares a way for us to accomplish it.

LDS Lubbock Stake Has Grown By 31 Percent Since 2002; Two New Wards Created, A Third Chapel Under Construction

The LDS Temple in Lubbock, Texas

On May 5th, 2010, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal published a story about the activities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The story's primary focus was on the growth of the Church in the Lubbock area. Understandable, since the Lubbock Stake, which had 2,381 members in 2002, now records 3,125 members, an increase of 31 percent in just eight years. This exceeds the overall growth rate of the Church. The city's overall population is 220,483 as of July 2008.

As a result of the membership surge, the original five wards, parceled out amongst two separate chapels, have now been expanded to seven, with two new wards being created just this month. One of the chapels is designated as the stake center, and is immediately adjacent to the temple. To help accommodate the new wards, a third chapel is being constructed at 114 Street and Milwaukee Avenue, and is expected to be completed within the next 18 months. Junius Merrill, Lubbock Stake public affairs director, said that the ideal ward size is 200 to 250 members, but because of the sudden increase in members, some of the wards had grown to 400 members, which becomes unwieldy and inhibits personal ministry.

Personal ministry is one of the main reasons the church is expanding. Kimberly Simon, a 28-year-old who recently joined the church, said she immediately felt welcome at Sunday services. “I really enjoyed the big family atmosphere. I didn’t feel like a stranger,” Simon said. “That feeling made me want to know more about the spiritual doctrine of the church.” She began meeting with missionaries to learn more about the church in October 2009. About six weeks later she became a baptized member, thanks to the efforts of two of the 122 full-time missionaries serving in West Texas. Find out HERE what to expect when LDS missionaries knock on your door.

Another possible reason for the Church's strong growth in Lubbock is the presence of a temple, which was dedicated in 2002. The Lubbock Temple is the fourth temple in Texas, in addition to those in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. View this map to see the distribution of temples in the South Central U.S. Find out more about the purposes of temples HERE.

Another well-written, factual article about Latter-day Saints by a local media outlet.

YouTube Video: The Growth Of The LDS Church From 1847-2007 Represented Graphically

The following YouTube video created in 2007 shows the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints graphically from the time the Mormons arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 until 2007. You'll see with the passage of time graphic representations of new stakes popping up in different parts of the world:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIqG_LM7Ls8



Note that up until World War I, most of the Church's growth took place in the Intermountain West of the U.S., with some nominal growth in Mexico, the Eastern U.S., and coastal Western Europe, primarily the British Isles and Scandinavia.

After World War I, growth began to increase along the West Coast of the U.S., in the Eastern U.S., and continued in Western Europe, but did not stray far beyond those regions. This indicates that although World War I disrupted the old order of nations, it did not bring about a general spread of democracy. The doors to Gospel penetration were ajar, but not fully opened. It took the far more devastating World War II to knock out many more of the vestiges of totalitarianism, although Russia and China remained totalitarian thereafter.

After World War II, growth in the Eastern U.S. became significant, and spread further into Western Europe up to the borders of the Iron Curtain. Japan and Australia/New Zealand began to take off, and steady growth began in South America. The Church then took off in the Phillipines. After the fall of Russian Communism in 1992, growth began in the former Warsaw Pact nations and in European Russia.

There remains three major areas with little to no Gospel penetration; India, China, and the Middle East. The Middle East remains the greatest source of instability in the world, while China is enigmatic. The appointment of Jon Huntsman Jr., an active Latter-day Saint, as ambassador to China could prove to be a pivotal event in world history. Whether China loosens up and eventually allows Gospel penetration, or closes up and becomes revanchist may significantly depend upon how Huntsman handles his job, in addition to the policies ordered by whoever the President is. The inexperience of Barack Obama remains a major concern.

Latter-day Saints believe the Lord uses war to open up nations to Gospel penetration. We lucked out when war wasn't needed to open up Russia. Will we luck out again and open up China without needing war? Many, both LDS and non-LDS alike, have had visions of a World War III in which Russia and China combine to attack the United States. While there's no immediate danger of such a conflict, it is not impossible in the future. Bringing the Gospel to the nations can civilize them and reduce the likelihood of conflict. Many believe the demise of the Soviet bloc actually began with the dedication of the LDS temple in Freiberg, Germany in 1985. Freiberg was in East Germany at that time. Five years later, the two Germanies united. Accident? Coincidence? Not!!!