In 2022, the Center for House Church Theology released an important anthology of essays on Church and State (“Faithful Disobedience”), with prominent contributions from Pastor Wang Yi. His work deserves, as this publication intended, a wider broadcast. Moreover, his thought agrees in key sectors with previous ground-breaking political theorists and provides a global witness to timeless notions.
This presentation begins with an introduction to his thought and place in the global chorus that spans centuries. A brief review of his essays and explorations confirms that they compare favorably to Letter from a Birmingham Jail (King) and Letters from Prison (Bonhoeffer). Moreover, this volume contains some of the most mature, modern reflection on church and state matters. Indeed, this topic is refined (historically) by the fires of persecution.
Repressive regimes often unintentionally bolster enduring political theologies. Whether occurring in the early church’s persecution or at the refining of the doctrine of unlimited submission by reformers Theodore Beza and others in light of the 1572 St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre or with the persecution of Jews in the Third Reich, oppressive governments, at times, have sought to eradicate true faith. This recent book—in the best tradition of Beza, Bonhoeffer, Barth, and Martin Luther King, Jr.—introduces readers to a voice that is both admirable and perceptive.
Accordingly, this paper will provide a review of a previous tradition—Protestant Resistance Theory (PRT)—that bears striking similarity to the work of Wang Yi. Leading tractates from 1540-1580 will be charted. Seminal texts by John Ponet, Christopher Goodman, Francis Hotman, Theodore Beza, and “Junius Brutus” combine to define a key and germane issue: at what points and under what conditions is resistance justified? Our discussion will highlight the similarities and differences between Yi’s recent work and the pioneering work of the above monarchomachs.
Among his essays reviewed are: “Rise of House Churches and Urban Churches”; “Christian Rightists of 1957”; “The City of God on Earth”; “History is Christ Written Large”; and “My Declaration of Faithful Disobedience.” This presentation will focus especially on “Ninety-Five Theses: The Reaffirmation of Our Stance on the House Church,” seeking to show its compatibility with PRT. This voice from outside the West sounds all the more prophetic because of the bold life and intellectual witness from this leader of an important region and faith.
The broader evangelical community will benefit from greater awareness of this work, which is among the most significant interactions of church and state since WW2. This courageous voice from the East may remind us again of the continuing significance PRT’s enshrining of the motto: “Rebellion Against Tyrants is Obedience to God.”