November 2003

Dear Friends and Family,

Last spring, at the precise moment that I was questioning why I was teaching English in China, the phone rang and my Chinese colleague asked if I would be willing to teach a course entitled “The Bible as Literature.” Of course, I said yes at once.

In May I told my two classes of college juniors that we would be studying the Bible in the fall. I explained that the text would be the bilingual Chinese-English Bible (NRSV) printed in China and available at local churches. On the first day of class in September, I was amazed to find that all 57 students had Bibles on their desks! I can see the church ladies behind the counter in the tiny, tiny church bookstore wondering where all these bilingual believers have suddenly come from.

We began our biblical journey in Genesis. In addition to weekly readings from the Bible and questions on the readings, students have dramatized some of the Bible stories. I had expected the students to recast the biblical language into something more informal, but they have chosen to memorize whole speeches from the Bible. My hope was that they would become familiar with some of the stories, but they are actually leaving the class with the words of Scripture in their heads if not in their hearts.

Over the weeks, we have seen vivid renditions of the stories of Joseph, Moses, Ruth, and Esther, but the highpoint was the presentation of David and Goliath. Goliath was the biggest boy in the class, and David the smallest and shyest. David challenged Goliath to battle, proclaiming loudly and clearly, “I come in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” His intensity and fervor astounded me. There was conviction in his voice. Then in an abrupt change of pace, David and Goliath entered into battle, not with sword and slingshot, but with an elaborate display of kung fu that had the class in hysterics. Finally Goliath fell, loudly and dramatically. With this presentation I began to realize how important it is for my students to be able to connect what they are reading to their own Chinese experience.

The next week I saw even more clearly the value of presenting the Bible in a Chinese context. As we were looking at a picture titled “Mary visiting Elizabeth” that was painted by a Chinese Christian artist, I admitted that I was not absolutely sure which was Mary and which was Elizabeth. The students were surprised and said it was obvious who was who because Elizabeth’s hairstyle was that of a married woman while Mary’s was that of an unmarried woman. They also took great pleasure in explaining to me that the lion-faced hat on the baby Jesus symbolized good luck. Later in the same lesson we were talking about the Beatitudes. When I unrolled a six-foot scroll with the Beatitudes done in Chinese calligraphy, they came alive. The bell rang and they were still studying the calligraphy and reading out the words.

I had the feeling from these experiences that the students had never quite realized that the Bible and Christianity had a place in China. They were still caught up in the old idea that Christianity was a “Western” religion, not a religion that belonged in China.

This attitude has its origins in the nineteenth century when Protestantism was first introduced to China. For years the common saying was “One more Christian, one less Chinese.” It is only in the last 40 years that the idea that one can be both Christian and Chinese has started to take root. Christianity is coming to be seen as a religion that can be a part of Chinese culture, but as my students illustrate, the old ideas linger on.

On another day, two of my students stayed after class. We talked for an hour as evening came and the classroom grew colder and colder. They had many questions. One girl said that she often prayed but that God never answered and did not seem to be listening. She asked in all seriousness if God could understand Chinese. She went on to tell me that her grandmother was a Christian and had told her that Christians should not gamble or play cards. She wanted to know if the Bible said that playing cards was wrong.

I have heard from several students that their familiarity with Christianity comes from their grandmothers rather than from their mothers. This phenomenon is a reflection of modern Chinese history. The grandmothers, probably in their seventies, came of age when there were still missionaries in China. The mothers, born after the missionaries left, endured the Cultural Revolution during their teens and twenties and had less opportunity to be exposed to Christianity. So it is the grandmothers that often carry on the Christian tradition.

It is now late November and we are beginning the New Testament and the story of Jesus’ birth just as Advent approaches. I would ask that you pray for all my students but particularly for the students in the Bible class that the words they are reading might fall on fertile soil, take root, and grow. I ask also that you would pray for me that I might be open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit as I present the Bible to my students.

In his name and in his service,

Barbara Maynard Penney

The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 86