The Manchurian revival of 1908 was a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

revival that occurred in churches and mission stations in

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

(now

Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...

Province, China). It was the first such revival to gain nationwide publicity in China, as well as international repute. The revival occurred during a series of half-day-long meetings led by Jonathan Goforth, a Canadian

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

with the

Canadian Presbyterian Mission Canadian Presbyterian Mission was a Presbyterian Church in Canada missionary society that was involved in sending workers to countries such as Trinidad and Tobago during British rule and China during the late Qing Dynasty, the most famous of which ...

, who, along with his wife, Rosalind (Bell-Smith) Goforth, went on to become the foremost missionary revivalist in early 20th-century China and helped to establish revivalism as a major element of missionary work. The effect of the revivals in China reached overseas and contributed to some tension among Christian denominations in the United States, fueling the Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy in the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.

Beginnings

In 1907, the Great Pyongyang revival took place in

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

that involved more than 1000 people during a series of meetings where there was an emphasis of teaching on the work of the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

. This influenced revivals in China, including the Manchurian revival of 1908. p.73-76 Goforth notes a fellow missionary's initial observations of the Manchurian Revival in his book, ''By My Spirit'': Goforth arrived in Manchuria in February, 1908, but according to Goforth's account, he "…had no method. I did not know how to conduct a Revival. I could deliver an address and let the people pray, but that was all." ch. 3

Shenyang

Goforth held a series of special meetings at

Shenyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...

(Mukden), with some initial opposition from church leaders, there. After Goforth's address the first morning an elder stood up before all the people and confessed to having embezzled church funds. The effect on the hearers was “instantaneous". One person gave a “piercing cry" then many, now in tears, began spontaneous prayer and confession. For three days these incidents continued. Goforth recorded, That year hundreds of members returned to the church fellowship, many of them confessing that they did not think that they had ever really been converted before.

Liaoyang

Goforth then traveled to hold a series of meetings at the Liaoyang congregation. He wrote:

Guangning

Goforth proceeded to Guangning (Kwangning) (near Beizhen,

) where it was told him by another missionary that, "Reports have come to us of the meetings at Mukden and Liaoyang. I thought I had better tell you, right at the beginning, that you need not expect similar results here." After Goforth had given his sermon, he said to the people: Spontaneous prayers come forth from several individuals at every meeting, followed by more confessions of sin and wrongdoing among church leaders. Goforth wrote: ch. 4

Jinzhou

From the very first meeting that Goforth led at Jinzhou (Chinchow) a renewal movement began to develop. Intense prayer and anxiety to get rid of sin characterized the effect on these believer as it had done at the other mission stations. Dr. Walter Phillips, who was present at two of the meetings in Jinzhou, wrote:

Xinmin

The Christians in Xinmin (Shinminfu) had suffered persecution during the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, was an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist, and anti-Christian uprising in North China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious F ...

of 1900. 54 of the church had been killed and were considered " martyrs" for dying for their faith at the hands of the Boxers. The survivors had prepared a list, containing 250 names of those who had taken part in the massacre. It was hoped by some that revenge would one day be possible. However, after the revival meetings, the list of names was brought up to the front of the church and torn into pieces and the fragments were trampled under foot.

Yingkou

Goforth ministered at

Yingkou Yingkou ( zh, s=, t=, p=Yíngkǒu) is a coastal prefecture-level city of central southern Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, on the northeastern shore of Liaodong Bay. It is the third-smallest city in Liaoning with a total area of , a ...

(Niuzhuang or Newchwang), the final resting-place of Scottish missionary William Chalmers Burns. Burns' impact was still being felt 40 years later among the Christian community of Yingkou. However, the same kind of repentance and prayer broke out, here as Goforth wrote:

References

Bibliography

* Rosalind Goforth,''Goforth of China''; McClelland and Stewart, (1937), Bethany House, 1986. * Rosalind Goforth, ''How I Know God Answers Prayer'' (1921), Zondervan. * Ruth A. Tucker, ''From Jerusalem to Iriyan Jaya; A Biographical History of Christian Missions''; 1983, Zondervan. * ''By My Spirit'' (1929, 1942, 1964, 1983) * Rosalind Goforth, ''Chinese Diamonds for the King of Kings'' (1920, 1945) * Alvyn Austin, ''Saving China: Canadian Missionaries in the Middle Kingdom, 1888–1959'' (1986), chaps. 2, 6 * Daniel H. Bays, ''Christian Revival in China, 1900–1937'' * Edith L. Blumhofer and Randall Balmer, eds., ''Modern Christian Revivals'' (1993) * James Webster, ''Times of Blessing in Manchuria'' (1908) * "Revival in Manchuria," p. 4; published by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. {{Protestant missions to China Protestantism in China Christian revivals History of Christianity in China