"What is a church?" Is it a magnificent, towering building? Or a group of people who have been saved and set free by Jesus Christ from their sins? Or is it a religious organization?
"The church should be like a rescue station, saving those who are drowning", said Dr. Wang Xuefu, who quoted the analogy of Rev. Howard Clinebell, Ph.D., a professor of counseling in the United States.
Dr. Wang, the director of Zhimian Institute of Counseling and Psychotherapy, Nanjing who holds a Ph.D. in literature from Nanjing University and Master of Psychology and Counseling from Andover Newton Theological School in the U.S., stated that many people were drowning in this world which was like the sea, and unable to extricate themselves. Though there were so many wounded, weak, and helpless souls on this earth, churches should be like "rescue stations" to save them.
The biblical picture that "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching people" impressed him.
He said, "I have provided psychological counseling for injured people for more than 20 years. I am acutely aware of my limitations and know sometimes we really can do nothing."
Only Jesus came to this earth to show mercy to people in all cities and villages, he confessed.
Once, a patient he received stated that he felt as if Dr. Wang was like the protagonist of "Blood Battle on Hacksaw Ridge", struggling to find out if there were survivors on the battlefield. Hearing this, he was very touched.
"We (Christians) are like those who go to the battlefield to check for survivors, saving as many as we can," Wang stressed.
He called on the church to pay more attention to people with mental disorders, as the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has led to many cases of mental illness.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
