Sixty years ago this spring, Mao Zedong, chairman of the People’s Republic of China, issued the “May 16th Circular” starting what is known as “the cultural revolution” in China. Upon taking power in 1949, Mao began his “Great Leap Forward” in 1949, an aggressive economic and social program of communism. Historians estimate that 20–50 million Chinese died from starvation and overwork, with many more tortured, imprisoned, or killed.
The cultural revolution was Mao’s angry response to waning support and the resistance he felt among the “bourgeoisie,” the “secret capitalists” whom he felt were thwarting his aggressive communist regime. Mao mobilized an army of young men who hunted down and attacked doctors, teachers, lawyers, politicians. Millions were killed.
The revolution sought to destroy “the four olds”—old things, old ideas, old customs, and old habits. Ancient shrines and cultural artifacts were destroyed. Education was suspended around the country. Religious sites were destroyed. Many Christian pastors, already beleaguered after Christian missionaries were expelled when Mao took power, were forced at gunpoint to destroy their churches. Theologian Carl Henry, writing at the time for Christianity Today, lamented that “In city after city, Mao’s China has therefore eliminated ‘parasitic’ churches.”
Red Guards captured, tortured, and killed many religious leaders. The cultural revolution was so severe that in 1981, even an official CCP report acknowledged “mistakes.”
Sixty years later, the Chinese Communist Party still operates with the same totalitarian worldview, ruling it’s citizens by fear, force, and often brutal repression of speech and religion. This anniversary year should serve as a sober reminder that communism, far from the utopian vision its adherents promise, is a godless form of government that only ever leads to human suffering.
Remarkably, even as Mao’s forces rampaged through China and even as his economic programs plunged the nation into suffering and death, many on the left, including academics and activists, downplayed communism’s evils and spoke as though the United States and its communist foes were morally equivalent. But those who suffered under its thumb were not as confused. Richard Wurmbrand, a Lutheran minister and founder of Voice of the Martyrs, was tortured and imprisoned for 14 years for declaring “Christianity and communism are incompatible.”
Click Here to Read More (Originally Published at World Magazine )
Daniel is the director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books, including The Dignity Revolution, Agents of Grace, and his forthcoming book, In Defense of Christian Patriotism. Dan is a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Angela, have four children.
