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Religious Studies. №. 1&2 – 2017 35 WONG AI KHIM* (Vương Tâm) AN OVERVIEW OF SOCIO-HISTORY THROUGH CHURCH MOVEMENT OF THREE PROTESTANT CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS OFFICIALLY RECOGNISED BY THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS IN THE EARLY OF THE 21ST CENTURY Abstract: In the history of Vietnam, religion served both to integrate the Vietnamese people into a cohesive society and to reinforce its’ importance of embracing one’s religion, including Protestant Christianity in Vietnam. This study concentrated on the socio-history through church movement of a few significant Protestant Christian denominations that have been officially recognised by the Vietnamese Government Committee of Religious Affairs (GCRA) in the early millennium period. The Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Vietnam, Vietnam Mennonite Church and Vietnam Baptist Convention (Grace-Southern) were among the eleven Protestant Christian denominations which have been selected specifically for this study. Interviews, collecting information through designed questionnaires, conference papers and reliable published works were rationale methods in assisting this study. Instability and uncertainties due to foreign colonisations, internal revolutions and war torn in the late 19th century had lost the “period of time” in documenting the chronicle history of Protestant Christianity in Vietnam. It is essential to conserve the different period embarks on sociohistory through church movement individually as they are the intangible heritage in the history of Vietnam today. Keywords: Protestantism, recognition, Vietnam. * Institute of Vietnamese Studies and Development Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Religious Studies. №. 1&2 - 2017 36 Introduction Protestant Christianity has spread across the seven continents around the globe through missionary activity and now has members or disciples from almost every country, language, culture and ethnicity including Vietnam, which belongs to the Asia continent. In this paper, three significant Protestant Christian denominations that gained recognition officially by the Vietnamese Government Committee of Religious Affairs (GCRA) in the early 21st century have been specifically studied in the approach of socio-history through church movement. Socio-history in the aspect of unfolded the past in connection with the present, brought them closer together through church movement to study the progression of these chosen three denominations: Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Vietnam, Vietnam Mennonite Church and Vietnam Baptist Convention (Grace-Southern) until their denominations made history which have received official status from the state government before the year 2010 respectively. Protestant Christianity is a religious minority in Vietnam, where it is the country’s fastest growing religion, growing at a rate of 600% since the beginning of 21st century1. The study was essential for gaining more insights on Protestant Christianity, which it is currently among one of the six religions that has been officially recognised in Vietnam2. A realisation in the present day, religion still affects and influences the lives of ordinary Vietnamese people in different layers, where it provides people with religious ethical values; gives meaning to their worth of existence and to the world they inhabiting; and gives them solace and hope for the future. Through centuries, religion was capable to inspire the Vietnamese people to built new communities that embodied their vision of the perfect world in the most desolate places, including Protestant Christianity. Hence, after more than a century of missionary work, the Protestant Christian denominations today in Vietnam has become a religious community with rapid development, diversity in organisations and denominations, which has made significant contributions to preservation and development of social moral values, and active Wong Ai Khim (Vương Tâm). An Overview of Socio-History… 37 participation in humanitarian and socio-cultural activities (Nguyễn Xuân Hùng 2011, p.104). It was also essential when more than a hundred years old since the official birthed of Protestant Christianity took place in Vietnam, there were few or none documented resources in the account on the socio-history through church movements particularly on the Protestant Christian denominations that have obtained legal status from the state government. The conservation of the writings is crucial for archive purposes, preserving a collective religion history of all time in Vietnam as there are insufficient of local Christian scholars and academic scholars in the area of research on Protestant Christianity, especially topics on history and church growth through socio-history of Protestant Christian denominations. Before the existence of this paper, it is officially known that the Vietnamese Government Committee of Religious Affairs (GCRA) has given legal registration license or legal recognition to eleven Protestant Christianity organizations in Vietnam today, yet there is no specific focus study on the socio-history through church movement in relation to the main root and development of each denomination till present day. And so, this led to further study on the topic. This study will benefit and enable us to comprehend with the selected three significant Protestant Christian denominations accordingly: firstly, each significant denomination had a more complete timeline of its socio-history through the church movement from the time of early roots of its’ establishment until today, where it does not only preserve its’ historical background but it provides and create availability resources to widen the mind knowledge for those who are interested in Protestant Christianity - a reference material for future research work. As in the present day, Protestant Christianity resources are limited in both public and private libraries as well as in the retail bookstores. Secondly, Protestant churches of different denominations are able to learn the strengths and weaknesses of each selected denomination through socio-history of its’ church movement to emulate and contextualise those strengths, apply them into their church growth and development in the 21st century. The church is not perfect. Church still learns its’ way to be good stewardship and 37 38 Religious Studies. №. 1&2 - 2017 submission to their God, while assimilating into the context of Vietnamese traditional culture and religious belief. The study began with face-to-face interview with designed questionnaires, where a systematic approach to gathering and measuring information sources from three significant Protestant Christian denominations’ key leaders in getting a complete and accurate picture related to the topic. Conference papers and reliable published works of both local academic scholars and Protestant Christian writers also contributed much in the writing of this paper. In addition, some internet articles and e-news were the reference sources provided the way of analysing into the discoveries of the topic respectively. Socio-History Through Church Movement 1. Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Vietnam (SDAVN) Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Vietnam (SDAVN) began in the early years between 1915 and 1927, where the General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventist in Malaysia have sent missionaries to preach the Gospel and distributed Seventh-Day Adventist materials in South East Asia region. An evangelist named Tan Kia Ou hailed from Guangdong, China, arrived Vietnam for evangelism work and established a Sabbath school in Saigon-Chợ Lớn for the Vietnamese Chinese ethnic people. He was the first Evangelist who succeeded in spreading the Gospel in Vietnam for the denomination. In 1927, the General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventist in Malaysia invited and sent missionaries R. H. Wentland and his family, and Fred Lloyd Pickett to Saigon for missions’ work. They learnt the Vietnamese language from Jean Fabre, a Vietnamese French language teacher. Two years later in December 1929, R. H. Wentland and Fred Lloyd Pickett have officially established the first Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Saigon. From 1928, the missions’ base of Vietnam was transferred to the General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventist in Malaysia with the headquarter office located in Singapore. Meanwhile, the first General Council office was established in Saigon too. The years between 1929 and 1941 were the years of development of church through missions’ and evangelism work, where the Gospel Wong Ai Khim (Vương Tâm). An Overview of Socio-History… 39 had been spread profusely by both the Seventh-Day Adventist foreign missionaries and Vietnamese people who were the first believers of the Seventh-Day Adventist in Saigon. From Saigon, the Gospel was preached to the West South region such as Cần Thơ, Long Xuyên and Ô Môn; and also to the Central region: Đà Nẵng and Đại Lộc. During this period of time, the French government also has divided Vietnam into three three regions: Northern, Central and Southern regions in April 1932. With the support of the General Conference of SeventhDay Adventist in Malaysia, the Seventh-Day Adventist Church founded the first General Council on March 1937 in Đà Nẵng, with Fred Lloyd Pickett as the President together with a few missionaries and Vietnamese people as local staff in the General Council. One year later, missionary R. H. Howlett replaced Fred Lloyd Pickett as the President of the General Council. During this period of time, the Seventh-Day Adventist churches grew extensively throughout the Northern, Central and Southern Regions. Church buildings have been built in Vàm Nhon, Đà Nẵng, Đức Mỹ, Đại Lộc, Hà Nội and Di Linh. At the same time, primary schools have been built in Vàm Nhon, Long Xuyên, Chợ Lớn and Đà Nẵng and a medical care in Cần Thơ. The first Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary was opened in Gia Định, Saigon; and Thời Triệu Printing House was founded at the same time in September 1939. The years of the World War II between 1942 and 1946 were difficult period for the General Council and the Seventh-Day Adventist Churches throughout the regions in Vietnam. With the Japanese occupations in both countries of Malaysia and Singapore where the headquarter offices were located, communication and networking systems have been severely cut off between Vietnam and both countries, as well as among the local district churches and the General Council within the country. During this period, the SeventhDay Adventist Church went through a transitioning in the church leadership. Although a French missionary, Robert Bentz was elected as the President, but Trần Ngọc Tế was the one who headed the church conduct work in the council. During this time, activities were restricted only within Saigon-Chợ Lớn vicinity. Despite the lost of 39 40 Religious Studies. №. 1&2 - 2017 churches, missionaries and some church leaders, the medical department of the General Council in Vietnam was able to established a maternity hospital called as Kiện Khương Maternity Hospital at Chợ Lớn in 1942. Through these years between 1947 and 1954 were the periods of independence from the World War II. After it ended, the churches were restored; all missionaries were redeployment and lead normal life again. This was a period that the General Council of Seventh-Day Adventist in Vietnam did a lot of restoration and rebuilding churches that have been damaged and burnt in the war, gathering the believers again, and also they bought some lands to build new buildings and bought premises for missions’ work. Lands have been purchased to build new churches between the years of 1948 and 1953 in these places: Đà Lạt, Bàn Cờ in Đà Lạt, Đa Kao and Sài Gòn, and renovated the Đà Nẵng Church too. During this period, Christian Primary Schools were opened in Gia Định, Phú Nhuận and Chợ Lớn. A Christian Traning Centre was established in Phú Nhuận. A radio missionary programme called as “The Voice of Hope,” was established in 1947. By early 1950s, the programme was broadcasted by ten radio stations in big cities such as Sài Gòn, Nha Trang, Đà Lạt, Đà Nẵng and Huế. “The Voice of Hope” has two divisions: Bible Correspondence and Radio Talk-show programmes. In the early 1960s, The Voice of Hope was a success and received great responses on radio every week. The years between 1954 and 1975 was known as the Resistance War Against America (Kháng chiến chống Mỹ)3. After the Geneva Agreement in 1954, Vietnam was divided by a demarcation line known as “Vietnam Demilitarised Zone (DMZ)”4. For that reason, Seventh-Day Adventist denomination was divided, where the church in the Northern region was isolated from the church in the Southern region. After 1954, the Seventh-Day Adventist denomination in Vietnam was officially known as Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Vietnam, and became a part of the South East Asia Alliance in an international global structure of the Adventists, where the SeventhDay Adventist Church of Vietnam was only able to carried out their Wong Ai Khim (Vương Tâm). An Overview of Socio-History… 41 missionary work in the Southern region only. A first three-storey Seventh-Day Adventist Hospital was opened at the corner of the intersection street of Phú Nhuận in May 1955. One year later in 1956, a Nursing Training School was opened to train more nurses for the hospital, which in 1983, the organisation was renamed as the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)5 to better reflect its missions and activities. The Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Vietnam continued focusing on restoring the ruined churches, primary schools, hospital, charitable agencies, printing house, and especially the theological schools in the South and Central regions during these period of time. After the Resistance War Against America, between the years of 1975 and 1999 were the phases of reunification of the nation of Vietnam. Vietnam suffered another time internal repression and isolation from the international community. Therefore, almost all pastors and church leaders left the country, leaving much difficulties for the General Council and the Church to survive. After the reunification day, the Committee of the Phú Nhuận Church and all the churches of Seventh-Day Adventist in Vietnam were called and agreed in organising a General Assembly to elect committee members for an Executive Board in continuing missions’ work in Vietnam, where the church in Southern region was not able to reunite as one denomination with the church in Northern region. Therefore, during this period, each church had its’ own programme and activities, and have their council meeting in their own areas. Meanwhile, there were churches that have planned to construct church buildings but yet to be done; damaged and ruined churches yet to be either restored or repaired. The new millennium of the 21st century was a new beginning to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Vietnam. From the year 2000 onwards till present, the denomination has grown and developed rapidly nationwide. Five churches across the nation have been restored and repaired such as Vàm Nhon Church, Phú Nhuận Church (2007), Cần Thơ Church (2005), Sa Đéc Church and Phước Bình Church. During this period, the denominations has ten new locations for home 41 42 Religious Studies. №. 1&2 - 2017 groups. During this period of time, the partnership between SeventhDay Adventist Church of Vietnam and ADRA seek to build the vulnerable communities and people with special needs nationwide. In order to help improve their quality of life, these are the five sectors of humanitarian work, which currently the denomination is doing: Health, Education, Sustainable Livelihood, Water and Sanitation, and Climate Change and Emergency Management. On 4th December 2008, in behalf of the Vietnamese Prime Minister, the Vietnam Government Committee for Religious Affairs implemented the Resolution 235/QĐ-TGCP to acknowledged the organisation of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Vietnam that was headed by the late Pastor Trần Công Tấn, located at the headquarter office at No. 224, Phan Đăng Lưu Street, Ho Chi Minh City. The motto statement of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Vietnam in this new era is: “Worship the eternity Trinity, Love fellow human beings, Respect for God, Love Him and Serve the Homeland”. According to the annual report of Vietnam Adventist Missions for South East Asia Union Missions Year End Meeting in 2014 by Trần Thanh Truyện (the acting President of Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Vietnam effective end of 2015), reported that currently the denomination has a total size of 15,000 members (Census in 2014) which comprises of 15 churches officially recognised by the Vietnamese Government Committee of Religious Affairs, 15 ordained pastors, and 150 companies (small group = nhóm nhỏ), 155 missionaries, 7 office workers and 49 volunteer missionaries throughout Vietnam. In between, on October 2014, a company (nhóm nhỏ) in Phú Quốc Island has been approved and certified by the local authority for church activities. The denomination is also applying to the local government authority to have permit licenses for places of worship in Điện Biên, Quảng Ngãi, Kon Tum, Đắk Lắk and Đồng Tháp provinces. 2. Vietnam Mennonite Church (VMC) Vietnam Mennonite Church (VMC) began its’ denominational birth when Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)6 first arrived Vietnam just immediately after the signing of Geneva Accords on July Wong Ai Khim (Vương Tâm). An Overview of Socio-History… 43 1954 which ended which ended the French-Indochina War, with the provisional division of Northern and Southern regions at the 17th Parrallel. MCC offered and provided a programme of relief services for all Vietnamese people regardless of their religious affiliation, ethnic background or ideology. During this time, MCC partnership and worked closely with the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN), together with its’ missions parent, the Christian Missions Alliance (CMA), which established its’ missions work locally in 1911. In the early 1954, MCC Executive Secretary, Orie. O. Miller implemented a programme of relief services, where a Mennonite Brethren graduate, Delbert Wiens and J. Lawrence Buckholder, a Mennonite who was a MCC missionary in China also came to Saigon for a short assignment with Church World Services (CWS)7. Besides working with CWS in relief services work in this period of time, MCC also worked closely with the relief services committee of ECVN. The first relief service assignment of MCC was to help refugees coming from the Northern region to down Southern region providing food, clothing, bedding and mosquito nets. In 1957, through an invitation from MCC and ECVN, the Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM)8 responded by sending the first two Mennonites missionary couples in the same year, James and Arlene Stauffer first arrived in Saigon on May 1957, later in November 1957, missionaries, Everett and Margaret Metzler came and joined the Stauffers in Saigon, to established Vietnam Mennonite Missions (VNMM). The Mennonite missionaries began missionary work among the local Vietnamese people and soon, a Vietnamese young adult was the first local Mennonite Christian believer and had water baptism in 1961. In 1960, the Vietnam Mennonite Missions (VNMM) headquarters office and a Saigon Student Centre were first established on the main street opposite of Bình Dân Hospital in Saigon. In September 1964, the Gia Định Community Centre (now known as Bình Thạnh District, Ho Chi Minh City) was established with Day Care Nursery which evolved from kindergarten into a primary school known as Rạng Đông (Dawn) Primary School 9. By 1970 Rạng Đông Primary School had a total of 600 students registered in half-day 43 44 Religious Studies. №. 1&2 - 2017 classes with the educational sponsorship programme from MCC, the school had been able to provide tuitions for 150 children. The property of Gia Định Community Centre was located on the edge of Đồng Ông Cộ, a public cemetery area that became a slum place for the Vietnamese countryside people, who were fleeing from the war. Many marginalised and one-parent families, where some women have lost their soldier husbands in the war while some others have been left abandoned. The slum place began to fill with sickness and tuberculosis disease. Therefore, a Family and Educational Programme was developed by three Vietnamese women, where MCC also supported this programme financially, which enables dozens of young people from poor families to learn trades, such as motorbike repair, airconditioning repair and sewing clothes. A small business loan programme was a part of rebuilding family programme, have helped hundreds of Vietnamese families to do business and earn a living. It was not until 1974, a significant Christian community formed at the Saigon Student Centre, a dynamic Christian youth group that grew spiritually who continued witnessing and evangelising throughout the revolutionary era of 1975. As for the Gia Định Community Centre, within a few months, the birth of a Mennonite congregation was established, where several adults and youths became Christians and were baptised, and soon those from the Saigon Student Centre became part of the Gia Định Community Centre. VNMM missionaries and the congregation of the Gia Định Community Centre ordained Trần Xuân Quang as a pastor in March 1969, with two assistants to assist him in ministry work: Nguyễn Hữu Lâm, a Bible School graduate and a member of Bình Thạnh Church, and the other assistant was Nguyễn Quang Trung, a staff member of the student reading room since 1965. In May 1969, a Bible School was opened to teach church members on Bible and theological subjects. Although the Vietnamese Tet 196810 (Tết Mậu Thân 1968) launched in January 1968 have brought destruction to the cities and destroyed hundreds of residential houses around the Gia Định Community Centre yet, the Vietnam Mennonite Church was birthed, grew and expanded. Therefore, Vietnam Christian Service (VNCS)11