A Clean Stream in Turbulent Times —— Reading The Doctor

Growing up, I have always had an indissoluble bond with the hospital.

From childhood, I was weak and suffered from various illnesses; I suffered from depression in adolescence, and finally in the Christian faith, my body and mind gradually became bright; Nearly 30 years old, my father died of cancer and witnessed many problems in current medical care.

In the 2020 epidemic, medical staff carried out their respective missions, as if to make this land more gentle and caring. But at the same time, frequent medical accidents and tense doctor-patient relationship still hinder us from moving towards happiness. I seem to understand why Lu Xun gave up medicine and devoted himself to literature. When he has been disappointed with the external medical technology, he can only return to the inner part of his thoughts and move towards the road of transforming the national character.

In this process, there is actually another group that has the same participation as Lu Xun. They are loyal to the sacred call, take saving souls as the core, and combined with professional medical technology, which brought great benefits to the society and people of China more than 100 years ago.

They are medical missionaries. Such as my father-in-law, peter parker, the first medical missionary to China, Lin, who is known as the "mother of thousands of babies", and of course, the deeds of Shi Meiyu and Kang Cheng (Kang's assistant) described in The Doctor. The following is the author's interpretation of the nonfiction work Doctor recently published by writer Shan Yan. Throw a brick to attract jade and discuss with readers.

Love beyond national boundaries

After reading this book, my thoughts seem to follow the author's narrative and return to the society more than 100 years ago.

Shi Meiyu and Kang Cheng lived in an era when the Chinese nation was facing great changes, which not only reflected in the external macro situation, but also profoundly affected everyone's lifestyle, thoughts, words and deeds at that time. They all belong to the earliest group of overseas students in modern China. Although their fates are different, in the turbulent tide of the times, they live a completely different way of life. But what changed their life trajectory. I found the most suitable word in this book, and that is "love".

From a social point of view, Kang Cheng is unfortunate. Born in 1873, she is the sixth daughter in her family. In that feudal society, where boys are generally preferred to girls, parents originally wanted to send her to a neighbor's house as a child bride. Who knows, the neighbor asked a fortune teller to tell her fortune, and was told that the girl Tiangou was guilty and her marriage was unfavorable.

When young life is not accepted and loved in this world, the love of the Father will never change. His love came to that seemingly helpless life through some people.

At that time, Kang Cheng, who was only two months old, was adopted by American missionary Gertrude Howe. Kang Cheng said, "I, a China woman with a flat nose, thin eyebrows, black hair and yellow skin, became a mother and daughter with a western woman. If it weren't for the arrangement of the heavenly father, how could there be such a fate on earth? "

Encouraged by this great love that transcends race and national boundaries, Kang Cheng grew up day by day. She was not troubled by family of origin's shadow and social habits, because God's love led her beyond darkness and towards light. Under the careful training of Ms. Hao Geju, she learned English and entered the University of Michigan to study medicine at the age of 20.

Unlike Kang Cheng, Shi Meiyu was born in a Christian family. Her father was one of the earliest Chinese pastors of Jiangxi Methodist Church, and her mother was the principal of a missionary girls' school. In contrast, Shi Meiyu's life is smoother. At that time, under the bad habit that women had to bind their feet, she was not asked by her parents to bind her feet. More importantly, her parents' beliefs have a subtle influence on her growth.

However, like Kang Cheng, Shi Meiyu also benefited from the help of Ms. Hao Geju. This encounter in love changed the life track of Shi Meiyu. I was deeply touched when I read the feelings of Hao Geju, Kang Cheng and Shi Meiyu beyond national boundaries. Hao Geju came to China because of love; It was also because of love that two China girls were brought up, making them the light and salt of their own at that time. Looking back, I realize that everything has cracks, but only love can make all the divisions and breakups.

Belief in the gospel

Liang Qichao once praised Kang Cheng's legendary life, and wrote a special article "Remembering Jiangxi Kang Aide" in The Times. The article wrote: "Contact with several languages, astronomical geography algorithm, acousto-optic electronic painting, weaving music, and learn everything. He entered the University of Michigan. In order to save the suffering of all beings, so special prescription, named after their home ... "

As a generation of celebrities, Liang Qichao's appreciation of Kang Cheng is easy to produce social effects and may also bring practical benefits to the parties. But what moved me was that Kang Cheng did not lose himself in this praise.

Kang Cheng faced Liang Qichao face to face, and was not complacent with the other's kind words. Instead, he bluntly said, "Mei Yu and I are both Christian missionaries, saving lives by curing diseases, in order to practice the love of the Lord ... not only to save sick women in China, but also to save the soul of China. Mr. Wen didn't mention our Christian identity at all, which would be beneath him ... "

Liang Qichao's understanding of the gospel, to some extent, represents the views of many China intellectuals on Christianity, which is considered as a foreign religion, and even compares the gospel of Jesus with the teachings of Confucius from a moral point of view. Kang Cheng said that what is more important than education is the change and renewal of people's hearts: "Education is very important for national rejuvenation, but it is still people's hearts. Only when people turn to the Lord can they know how to love themselves. The prosperity of the country is a matter of course. "

The details of On Tao by Kang Cheng and Liang Qichao show her determination and wisdom to have an open dialogue with non-Christian intellectuals.

When many people were dissatisfied with Kang Cheng's close relationship with western missionaries and asked her to sever ties with them, Kang Cheng's response revealed her tenacity and independence: "I love my people and believe that Jesus is the future of our country. Gentlemen, it is not feasible for me to get rid of missionary work. What bad things did missionaries do? Missionaries are different from the powers, although they are all white, a world of difference! " From these details, I was deeply moved by Kang Cheng's insistence on the gospel. She dares to admit the name of the Lord in front of others (see Matthew 10:32-33) and has the courage and wisdom to teach people. I also admire her independent spirit and critical thinking!

Social Care and Yin Fu?

Kang Cheng and Shi Meiyu were engaged in medical education and social care to some extent. As we all know, when Christians or evangelical organizations are engaged in social care, they often go to an extreme, that is, deliberately downplaying or not talking about the gospel at all, trying to transform society with their own efforts.

For Kang Cheng and Shi Meiyu, they can well balance the tension between social care and the gospel of Christ. Their initial motivation and final orientation in social care is to lead the people they come into contact with, "one day return to you (God), be loyal and friendly, work together and live a dignified life." It is such a driving force with the gospel as the core that Kang Cheng said with emotion: "It is for this reason that I embarked on the road of medical education. I have never regretted it, and I have never stopped. "

They tasted the grace of the Lord for the first time and are willing to share this belief with more people through medical practice. This is not only reflected in their confirmation and commission of the gospel, but also in their constant prayer and reliance on God's details in their specific work.

1922, Nanchang suffered from war and heavy casualties. Kang Cheng leads the nurses in Nanchang Maternal and Child Hospital to pray for the wounded soldiers every morning, and also prays for the heavenly father to take care of the safety of the nurses. It can be said that the practice, prayer and action supplemented by love run through Kang Cheng and Shi Meiyu's life. This book restores many details of how Kang Cheng and Shi Meiyu, as medical missionaries, combined medical treatment with missionary work, and also has valuable reference value for today's churches and institutions to engage in evangelical social care.

Real life image

It is true that when we think of "medical education", we always idealize it more or less and think that medical missionaries are heroic models. In this book, the author is completely loyal to the original characters in history and restores their truest images, which is unique in non-fiction writing and cannot be false.

At work, they will experience emotional pressure of weakness, depression, even abandonment and loneliness. However, at this time, they choose to come to God with prayers to ease their emotions.

For example, Kang Cheng said that "the pain at that moment is indescribable ... the feeling of betrayal and abandonment ..." However, she listened to her inner voice and "prayed at the most painful moment".

For example, when Shi Meiyu's sister Anna 1906 died of illness, she was "stunned with sadness." It was a deep loneliness ... no one understood my predicament, and my heart was full of self-pity. "Even so, she didn't give up trying to pray, although she thought it was like hearing her own echo.

These narratives, real people jump from the page. They are no longer individuals in history, but flesh and blood In reading, I feel like breathing with them, feeling their struggle, pain and happiness.

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The people of Sri Lanka have passed away, but "there is nothing new under the sun" (see Ecclesiastes 1:9). The challenges that Kang Cheng and Shi Meiyu experienced in that troubled time, such as the tension between China culture and Christian belief, how to treat the balance between gospel and nationalism, social care and gospel, and so on. It still exists in today's era, but it has changed in different time and space and dialogue methods.

And they spend all their lives and all their time witnessing. In fact, only by returning to the gospel itself can they be the final answer to all questions.

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Note: The contents quoted in this article are all selected from Shan Yan the Practitioner (USA: Spiritual Literature and Art Publishing House, 2020).