Paul Wei
Encyclopedia
Paul Wei previously known as Wèi Ēnbō (魏恩波), was born in Hebei
province, China. He was a farmer
from a poor family background and had very little education. In 1902 he migrated to Beijing
where he later became a prosperous silk
and merchandise dealer.
By his own accounts, he was previously a "quarrelsome man" with a bad temper. Once, he ended up in a street fight and was rescued by a member of the London Missionary Society
(LMS) congregation in China. He then joined the LMS church in Ciqikou, Beijing (磁器口).
In 1912, he was plagued with a lingering illness and left the congregation. Later on, after researching the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
, he became one of their members.
In 1916, he fell seriously ill with tuberculosis
, none of the doctors' prescribed medicines were able to cure him. During that autumn, Paul encountered an Elder from the Apostolic Faith Mission
named Xin Shengmin (新聖民) laid hands
on him, his dreadful illness was miraculously cured and so he became a member of their church. All thus must have taken place between about 1912 and 1916. A good guess is in the fall of 1916.
Under the guidance of Berntsen
(an American missionary
), Paul's feet were washed and he was deeply moved. These events made a deep impression on him later in life.
One day while he was praying at a church in Beijing
, Paul received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and started experiencing glossolalia
.
By his own detailed account, in March 1917, he claimed that he heard the voice of God speaking clearly to him, directing him to receive the same kind of baptism Jesus had received, which was a "face-down" baptism by immersion. Then he claimed to received further direct revelations, along with the direct sightings of Moses, Elijah, and others, calling him to be a warrior for the True God, to defeat satan and his forces, and to "correct" (更正) the mistaken path of all the world's churches.
Militant terms of warfare run through Wei's description of his commission.
He received the power to undertake these tasks after a thirty-nine day fast
, which he was also told to carry out. He took the name Paul, as well. There is no claim in his own later account, written in early 1919, of his receiving at this point (1917) a revelation on Sabbath worship By May 1917 Paul Wei was preaching his new doctrines in and around Beijing, with stress on the power of the Holy Spirit
, miracles, the imminent return of Christ
, and the need for the correct (i.e. face-down) water baptism. His target was the Christian churches.
He went directly to the churches at worship times, challenged the pastors by calling them false teachers of false churches, and called on the parish
ioners to join him. Some did, but at the same time Wei was variously vilified, chased away, beaten, cursed, and twice even jailed. When undergoing abuse, he would publicly pray for his critics - although when in jail he had the wits to claim his rights under the freedom of worship clause of the new constitution
. He did not use the name True Jesus Church, but the "Universal Correction Church" (更正萬國教). Thus we see here a dramatic call by a prophet-like Wei, himself directly commissioned by God, to purify and restore to pristine truth all of China's Christian churches. The rough estimate of the number of Paul Wei's followers before 1918 is probably fewer than two hundred.
During 1918 the movement took more precise doctrinal shape. The key place was Tianjin
, where Paul Wei first met Zhang Lingsheng of Weixian, Shandong
, who was already a Pentecostal of many years' standing. They seemed to have hit it off well together and thwe two of them apparently put together the doctrinal foundations of a new church. The name of the church became the two former church names combined, the "Universal Correction Church of the True Jesus Church" (萬國更正教真耶穌教會), soon shortened to the latter, or True Jesus Church
(Traditional Chinese:真 耶 穌 教 會 ).
Paul wei's strategy of evangelism was challenging the mission churches. Several articles in the first few issues of the "Universal Correction Church newspaper" directly attacked foreign-run churches, and foreign pastors, as "big sinners" or "big deceivers," headed for Hell if they did not repent and recognize the 'truth'. One article, entitled "The Cry of the Angel of the East" specifically said that the bloodletting of World War I in Europe showed that European Christianity
was on the wrong track
On May 18 (1918), Paul went to the Apostolic Faith Mission and visited pastor Berntsen
. He described to him the revelations he claimed to have received from the Holy Spirit and tried unsuccessfully to persuade Berntsen to accept the 'proper' baptism with head facing downwards. On May 30 Paul successfully convinced Wang Deshun (王德顺) - the former London Missionary Society member whom had led Paul Wei to join the LMS - and he became a member of the TJC after receiving baptism. The two of them later became very good co-workers. By June 23, three churches had been established in Northern China.
On November 20, Paul wrote a letter to the Director of the Police Office Bureau for the registration of the name "True Jesus Church".
arrived by bicycle
to pay him one last visit. He spoke to Paul in Chinese, saying:
Paul pleaded with him, "Elder Berntsen, please come one step closer, if you are willing to believe in Jesus and receive baptism with head facing-downwards and obey all the commands that had been revealed to me, then you may enter the Holy of Holies."
Berntsen, still standing on his feet, replied, "Let us wait till the Holy Spirit enables me to understand it." After shaking hands with Paul, Berntsen then departed.
At four in the afternoon, while Paul was laughing out loudly, he shouted, "Behold, the Angel has come" and died whilst he was still laughing.
He was buried in his hometown. His son Isaac Wei continued the missionary work in Northern China.
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
province, China. He was a farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
from a poor family background and had very little education. In 1902 he migrated to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
where he later became a prosperous silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
and merchandise dealer.
By his own accounts, he was previously a "quarrelsome man" with a bad temper. Once, he ended up in a street fight and was rescued by a member of the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
(LMS) congregation in China. He then joined the LMS church in Ciqikou, Beijing (磁器口).
In 1912, he was plagued with a lingering illness and left the congregation. Later on, after researching the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
, he became one of their members.
In 1916, he fell seriously ill with tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, none of the doctors' prescribed medicines were able to cure him. During that autumn, Paul encountered an Elder from the Apostolic Faith Mission
Apostolic Faith Mission
The Apostolic Faith Church , formerly the Apostolic Faith Mission, is a Pentecostal Christian denomination with headquarters in Portland, Oregon, United States. The Apostolic Faith Mission of Portland was founded in 1906 by Florence L. Crawford, who was affiliated at that time with William J....
named Xin Shengmin (新聖民) laid hands
Laying on of hands
The laying on of hands is a religious ritual that accompanies certain religious practices, which are found throughout the world in varying forms....
on him, his dreadful illness was miraculously cured and so he became a member of their church. All thus must have taken place between about 1912 and 1916. A good guess is in the fall of 1916.
Under the guidance of Berntsen
Bernt Berntsen
Bernt Berntsen , also known as Brother B. Berntsen, was a Norwegian-American Protestant Christian missionary to China. In 1904, Berntsen and his wife Magna was able to preach along with several other independent Norwegian missionaries in a mission station in Damingfu of Zhili Province...
(an American missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
), Paul's feet were washed and he was deeply moved. These events made a deep impression on him later in life.
One day while he was praying at a church in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Paul received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and started experiencing glossolalia
Glossolalia
Glossolalia or speaking in tongues is the fluid vocalizing of speech-like syllables, often as part of religious practice. The significance of glossolalia has varied with time and place, with some considering it a part of a sacred language...
.
By his own detailed account, in March 1917, he claimed that he heard the voice of God speaking clearly to him, directing him to receive the same kind of baptism Jesus had received, which was a "face-down" baptism by immersion. Then he claimed to received further direct revelations, along with the direct sightings of Moses, Elijah, and others, calling him to be a warrior for the True God, to defeat satan and his forces, and to "correct" (更正) the mistaken path of all the world's churches.
Militant terms of warfare run through Wei's description of his commission.
He received the power to undertake these tasks after a thirty-nine day fast
Fasting
Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...
, which he was also told to carry out. He took the name Paul, as well. There is no claim in his own later account, written in early 1919, of his receiving at this point (1917) a revelation on Sabbath worship By May 1917 Paul Wei was preaching his new doctrines in and around Beijing, with stress on the power of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
, miracles, the imminent return of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, and the need for the correct (i.e. face-down) water baptism. His target was the Christian churches.
He went directly to the churches at worship times, challenged the pastors by calling them false teachers of false churches, and called on the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
ioners to join him. Some did, but at the same time Wei was variously vilified, chased away, beaten, cursed, and twice even jailed. When undergoing abuse, he would publicly pray for his critics - although when in jail he had the wits to claim his rights under the freedom of worship clause of the new constitution
Constitution of the Republic of China
The Constitution of the Republic of China is the fundamental law of the Republic of China . Drafted by the Kuomintang as part of its third stage of national development , it established a centralized Republic with five branches of government...
. He did not use the name True Jesus Church, but the "Universal Correction Church" (更正萬國教). Thus we see here a dramatic call by a prophet-like Wei, himself directly commissioned by God, to purify and restore to pristine truth all of China's Christian churches. The rough estimate of the number of Paul Wei's followers before 1918 is probably fewer than two hundred.
During 1918 the movement took more precise doctrinal shape. The key place was Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
, where Paul Wei first met Zhang Lingsheng of Weixian, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
, who was already a Pentecostal of many years' standing. They seemed to have hit it off well together and thwe two of them apparently put together the doctrinal foundations of a new church. The name of the church became the two former church names combined, the "Universal Correction Church of the True Jesus Church" (萬國更正教真耶穌教會), soon shortened to the latter, or True Jesus Church
True Jesus Church
The True Jesus Church is a non-denominational Christian church that originated in Beijing, China, in 1917. The current elected chairman of the TJC International Assembly is Preacher Yong-Ji Lin. Today, there are approximately 2.5 million members in fifty three countries and six continents...
(Traditional Chinese:
Paul wei's strategy of evangelism was challenging the mission churches. Several articles in the first few issues of the "Universal Correction Church newspaper" directly attacked foreign-run churches, and foreign pastors, as "big sinners" or "big deceivers," headed for Hell if they did not repent and recognize the 'truth'. One article, entitled "The Cry of the Angel of the East" specifically said that the bloodletting of World War I in Europe showed that European Christianity
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
was on the wrong track
On May 18 (1918), Paul went to the Apostolic Faith Mission and visited pastor Berntsen
Bernt Berntsen
Bernt Berntsen , also known as Brother B. Berntsen, was a Norwegian-American Protestant Christian missionary to China. In 1904, Berntsen and his wife Magna was able to preach along with several other independent Norwegian missionaries in a mission station in Damingfu of Zhili Province...
. He described to him the revelations he claimed to have received from the Holy Spirit and tried unsuccessfully to persuade Berntsen to accept the 'proper' baptism with head facing downwards. On May 30 Paul successfully convinced Wang Deshun (王德顺) - the former London Missionary Society member whom had led Paul Wei to join the LMS - and he became a member of the TJC after receiving baptism. The two of them later became very good co-workers. By June 23, three churches had been established in Northern China.
On November 20, Paul wrote a letter to the Director of the Police Office Bureau for the registration of the name "True Jesus Church".
Death
On September 6 (1919) when Paul was on his deathbed, Zhang Lingsheng and Liang Qinming were at this side; Paul laid hands on both of them, blessing them and telling them to continue the good work. As Paul laid down to take a rest, BerntsenBernt Berntsen
Bernt Berntsen , also known as Brother B. Berntsen, was a Norwegian-American Protestant Christian missionary to China. In 1904, Berntsen and his wife Magna was able to preach along with several other independent Norwegian missionaries in a mission station in Damingfu of Zhili Province...
arrived by bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
to pay him one last visit. He spoke to Paul in Chinese, saying:
Paul pleaded with him, "Elder Berntsen, please come one step closer, if you are willing to believe in Jesus and receive baptism with head facing-downwards and obey all the commands that had been revealed to me, then you may enter the Holy of Holies."
Berntsen, still standing on his feet, replied, "Let us wait till the Holy Spirit enables me to understand it." After shaking hands with Paul, Berntsen then departed.
At four in the afternoon, while Paul was laughing out loudly, he shouted, "Behold, the Angel has come" and died whilst he was still laughing.
He was buried in his hometown. His son Isaac Wei continued the missionary work in Northern China.
See also
- Protestant missions in China 1807-1953Protestant missions in China 1807-1953In the early 19th century, Western colonial expansion occurred at the same time as an evangelical revival throughout the English-speaking world, leading to more overseas missionary activity...
- China's TJC History
- Zhang Lingsheng
- Barnabas ZhangBarnabas ZhangBarnabas Zhang , was an early preacher for the True Jesus Church in China, an indigenous Chinese church. Born in Wei County, Shandong Province, Zhang's former name was Diàn-Jǚ . His mother died when he was four years old and when his father remarried, Diàn-Jǚ often fled to distant locations...
Further reading
- Lian Xi: A Messianic Deliverance for Post-Dynastic China - The Launch of the True Jesus Church in the Early Twentieth Century, 20 May 2008.