The Gate at Bethel: Building Religious Freedom in Vietnam

By Dr. Chris Seiple on 06 July 2006

"This is an awesome place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of Heaven."

— Jacob (Genesis 28:17)

In the first book of the Bible, the patriarch Jacob had a dream in which he saw a ladder ascending into Heaven as God promised to be with him and his family wherever they went. So he called the place “Bethel,” meaning “house of God” or “gate of Heaven” because of God’s promise for the future.

In 1957, another place was named “Bethel,” this one a church in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. The church was built by a local family with mud, a thatched roof, and a vision. They called it Bethel because they believed it would be the house of God, a gateway to a better future.

It has not been easy to be a Christian or attend church in Vietnam’s Highlands. Soon after Bethel Church was established, Vietnam’s civil war began and did not end until 1975. With the unification of the country, Highland Christians were persecuted because: they belonged to various ethnic minority groups (many of whom had fought with the U.S. during the war); they were perceived as betraying their culture by joining a “foreign” religion traditionally associated with imperialism and violence; and because some Christians desire to secede from Vietnam and form their own state. As a result, Christians were often harassed, prevented from obtaining good jobs, not allowed to meet freely and thrown in jail.

Due to this persecution of Christians in the Highlands, among other places, the United States designated Vietnam a “country of particular concern” (CPC) on 15 September 2004, officially sanctioning Vietnam for religious freedom violations.

In this context, IGE visited Vietnam in October 2004 to explore how we might serve as an impartial friend to the issue of religious freedom, as well as to the governments of Vietnam and the U.S. In June 2005, we returned to establish a signed framework through which we might sustain and expand religious freedom. During this visit, we also traveled to the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, where Bethel Church is located (the first visit by Westerners since the CPC designation). During our time there we sensed cautious optimism from the local government and Christian leaders. But we never could have expected what we found when made a second visit to Gia Lai last month.

The most profound difference was the sense of joy that Christians had as we met. They smiled and they smiled often. They had a reason. Twenty-nine churches were now recognized and registered, while many had been given building permits to construct new places of worship (something impossible just two years ago).

Bethel Church has led the way, having dedicated its new sanctuary on Christmas Day 2005. Now it serves over 1000 members who, in turn, serve their community. In addition, the government has recognized 235 temporary places of worship for this province’s 80,000 believers. The provincial committee of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South), to which most believers belong, is now working to organize these places of worship into churches that will also soon be recognized and registered by the government.

The key to this process is pastors, and more of them. More theologically trained pastors means better Christians who are better citizens. In other words, more trained pastors means better churches that daily apply their faith by serving the poor, the widow, and the orphan (which also helps alleviate some of the government's financial responsibilities for these citizens). Finally, having more pastors also means more Christians who have been educated about the true tenets of their faith, and are therefore less susceptible to the false teachings of personality cults and secessionists. More pastors serves the best interest of both the state and the church.

Unfortunately, there are currently only nine government-recognized pastors in the province—an overwhelming need that provincial and Christian leaders have addressed together. In the last year, three seminary tracks have been approved by the government. The first track allows pastors who have long served in the “underground” church to attend a six-month certificate course. For those aspiring pastors without such experience, a second track allows them to attend a two-year course while gaining experience by interning at recognized churches. A third option is a four-year course in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). While the government approves the instructors, related curricula, and students, all are chosen and/or developed by the Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South).

Why such an extraordinary change in Gia Lai province?

First, the Vietnamese government deserves great credit for issuing religious freedom ordinances (15 November 2004), instructions for Protestants (4 February 2005), and overall guidelines (1 March 2005). These decrees have begun to establish a transparent and legal framework through which religious freedom can be sustained and expanded.

Second, the Vietnamese government very much wants a positive relationship with the United States, to include the establishment of permanent normal trade relations between the two countries as well as American support for Vietnam’s bid to join the World Trade Organization. Removing religious freedom sanctions is the gate through which both countries need to walk if they are to claim the promise of a bright future together. But substantive and sustainable progress must still take place regarding religious freedom.

Third, while these top-down trends create the context for change—and not all provinces have reacted in the same manner at Gia Lai—it is still the bottom-up leaders who must seize the moment and implement change. In this regard, the leaders of Gia Lai province, especially its Committee on Religious Affairs, are to be commended. The real hero in this story, however, is the local Christian leader, Pastor Siu Y Kim.

Two years ago, Kim took stock of the geo-political and spiritual situation. Recognizing that there are indeed ethnic minorities who use Christianity inappropriately in their efforts to secede from Vietnam, Kim went to the local authorities and proposed a plan. He would take responsibility for the lawful behavior of all Christians in the province—that is, he would work to ensure social stability—if the authorities agreed to recognize and register local churches. Given the past persecution of the church, Kim acted with great bravery.

His greatest bravery, however, takes place within his own community, especially among those Christians who attack him for working with the government. Focused only on the past, they distribute negative reports about Kim, brand him an agent of the government, and call him a traitor. It is a sad day when those who profess the Christian faith have forgotten that the heart of the Gospel message is forgiveness and reconciliation.

Jesus, on the other hand, calls Kim a “peacemaker” and declares him “blessed” (Matthew 5:9) as he lives out his faith “shrewdly” and “innocently” (Matthew 10:16). Indeed, Kim is answering the prophet of old who told us to “hate evil and love good, and establish justice at the gate” (Amos 5:15).

Kim is the pastor of Bethel Church. He has kept faith with the church’s founders. And he teaches each of us something about how best to claim the promise of the future.

Last updated 15 September 2008