On May 25, a memorial service for the late Reverend Lin Chih-Ping, a renowned evangelist and the founder of the Cosmic Light Holistic Care Organization in Taiwan, was held at Taipei.
Born in 1938, Lin Chih-Ping, passed away on the evening of April 27 at the age of 86. He served as the general secretary and executive director of the Christian Cosmic Light Holistic Care Organization which grew from a Christian magazine and chairman of the Operation Dawn ministry in Taiwan since 1973. Since 2003, he served as chairman of the Bethany Children's Home. Over the years, he was committed to promoting the concept of “holistic education and care”, having brought profound influences to educational and social communities on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. He also worked as a professor at Chung Yuan Christian University, concurrently serving as the dean of the College of Humanities and Education and the director of the Institute of Religion.
At a chapel located in Lin Shun South Road, Lin’s son Lin Chih-Hsiu first shared a brief recount of his father’s life: “My father was born in a rural area in Changsha County, Hunan Province, in the 27th year of the Republic of China (1938, translator’s note). My father’s early years of education were not smooth. It was full of depression and frustration, making him a rebellious teenager involving mischievousness, truancy, and fighting. He felt increasingly lost and disillusioned. Although he rationally knew that life should not be like this, he still indulged in his behavior every day. His paradoxical status between the desire to be good and bad behaviors became an opportunity for him to believe in the gospel. At the age of 17, my father, who was once lost, became a son of God and was baptized under the name of Jesus Christ. After tasting the sweetness of God’s grace and seeing the benchmark of life, all that was left was to fully devote himself to the path of the cross.”
Dr. Samuel K.C. Chang, the chairman of Chung Yuan Christian University, expressed that “Brother Lin” was a “warrior” whom he greatly respected in the Lord. He believed that the most remarkable thing that Professor Lin had accomplished was to edit and publish 70 commemorative collections on the 200th anniversary of the missionary work of Robert Morrison in China. He said, "Cosmic Light has transformed from initially a magazine into a holistic care institution, which complements the holistic education philosophy of Chung Yuan Christian University. Chih-Ping regarded holistic education and care almost as a belief, and so did I.”
An anonymous sister followed Brother Lin in the ministry for over 40 years after she learned about Cosmic Light. She said that Brother Lin had given her opportunities for growth during this period. She recalled that the phrase Lin often said to her was, “Then you should go back and pray.” When she wanted to refuse the responsibility of editing 20 picture books for the 200th anniversary of Robert Morrison’s arrival in China, when she struggled with being a board member of the Bethany Children’s Home, and when she planned to avoid the board re-election, Lin would always tell her to go back and pray.
Dr. Simon Hung, the current chairman of Cosmic Light, created a video as a reconstruction of the vision of Lin Chih-Ping’s founding of the Bethany Children’s Home: “The work of caring for these children who have lost their loved ones has always been called orphanages. I find the word ‘orphanage’ heartbreaking because everyone has dignity, meaning, and value in life. Therefore, later on, we proposed in the board meeting to change this stereotype and get rid of the label. We are not helping orphans; we are helping people to live with more humanity, dignity, meaning, and value. This is Bethany's fundamental belief.”
Liu Min-ho, founder of Operation Dawn in Taiwan, a gospel drug rehabilitation ministry, expressed his gratitude for Lin Chih-Ping’s help, as the latter always reminded him that gospel drug rehabilitation should prioritize the gospel and should not compromise or deviate in many areas. He recalled that Brother Lin often took him to various places to introduce the gospel drug rehabilitation concept, and he saw the wonderful work of God. Those addicts and imprisoned people were able to successfully quit drugs by relying solely on the Holy Scriptures without television, tobacco, alcohol, or sleeping pills.
Reverend Dr. James Hudson Taylor IV, the president of the China Evangelical Seminary and the great-great grandson of James Hudson Taylor, talked about Professor Lin Chih-Ping as a preparer of the way for the Lord, similar to John the Baptist. He commented that Brother Lin connected the Chinese culture with the Christian faith, as well as making academic, historical, artistic, and holistic care connections with faith. Reverend Taylor encouraged, “We are here to commemorate Brother Lin, but I believe an even better commemoration would be to continue to devote ourselves fully to our Lord, as he devoted himself to his Lord. Let us also continue to support the work that Brother Lin promoted under God’s inspiration so that more people can not only hear the gospel of Jesus Christ but also turn to Jesus Christ.”
Finally, a group of Cosmic Light colleagues dressed in black sang a hymn titled “The Sweeter as We Serve,” inspiring participants to be beacons in this era.
- Translated by Charlie Li
