The Church in Burma
Twenty-Five Years of Isolation
by Maung Maung
Less than three years after the end of World War II, in January 1948, my country, Burma (recently renamed the Union of Myanmar), became independent. But almost from the beginning there were troubles. There were various insurgency movements—Communist and others—fighting the new government. And in the late 50s the ruling party was torn by internal struggles. Our last democratic election was in 1960. U Nu received the vote, but he was unable to control the strife among his own supporters. Then in March 1962 General Ne Win led a military coup and established his revolutionary program, the Burmese Way to Socialism. Under this program the military government, which was very suspicious of all outside influences, cut Burma off from the outside world. This has affected all of life in Burma, and in the Church also, to this day.
Until Ne Win all the churches had been under the direction of foreign missionaries. Then in 1965 the government nationalized all the mission schools, hospitals, etc.; in 1966 all the foreign missionaries were asked to leave, unless they had been there before the war. Almost all the Protestant missionaries left the country—only a few Roman Catholic fathers remained. It was a great shock to the Church, because the nationals had always worked under missionary leadership and they were dependent on the missionaries. Until that crisis they had had no chance to develop their own leadership. But the expulsion was both bad and good. Of course, at first the nationals were not prepared, but in the next ten years they learned to handle the situation. It did not take long—they had no choice. Today most of the Burmese churches are self-governing and self-supporting, although there is still great financial need.
Even after the expulsion, there was still some contact with the missionaries, but it was much more difficult. Different groups were affected in different ways. Campus Crusade for Christ, for instance, sent its people to Burma, not officially as missionaries, but in other capacities. And they established their organization among the native people, so that Crusade has been much less affected by the expulsion than some other groups. But those identified as missionaries could come back only on a tourist visa, which was good for three days. (I think that it is seven days now.) But they are not supposed to preach in the churches. (They do their work in the homes.) Other groups of foreigners who work in Burma under such conditions go to Bangkok in Thailand when their visas expire and get them renewed and come back. Missionaries who want to stay and work in Burma can do the same thing.
So the revolutionary government, which has held power from the 60s up to the present, has carried out policies which have isolated the Burmese Church and made life difficult for it in many ways. When the government nationalized the schools and hospitals, many closed down. Many times the government asked a headmaster to leave so that they could appoint someone they wanted. With this policy obviously there would be many problems. Institutions which had been connected with the Church were thus cut off.
I should point out that there are essentially two groups of Christians in Burma: those represented in the Burmese Council of Churches and the Evangelicals. Those I am calling Evangelicals do not register with the government. So they, in particular, suffer many things. For example, the door to the outside world is especially closed for them. Even when they have an invitation to a foreign conference and the cost of their transportation, they are still denied. From 1966 to at least 1980, I think, church leaders were not allowed to leave Burma for ouside events. Now, perhaps, the government is less restrictive, when a good reason for the travel is given.
Religious books, printed either in English or Burmese, cannot easily get into the country. There has been a very heavy restriction. Many times imported religious books were just held at the custom house. It is still a big problem to get books, even for religious libraries. What people do is to get books sent to Bangkok, and then when someone is going there, he or she can bring two or three books back with them.
In the Burmese Way of Socialism there are many projects and programs. Many times on Sundays there would be nationwide calls for volunteer labor, like road construction, for instance. Most of the time, in fact, it was on Sunday. Of course, the government doesn’t pay any money, and you have to do whatever you are assigned. If you displease the authorities, it could cost you. The secret police are always watching. That is why even while I am staying in the United States, I must use a false name when I speak or write about the conditions in Burma.
In such an atmosphere, you can understand that there would be problems with holding house fellowships, especially in the big cities. The houses are crowded together and apartments next to apartments, with little privacy. Even the houses sometimes have only a plywood partition between them. So if you play a radio, your neighbor doesn’t need one. And if you sing till twelve or one o’clock at night, naturally you cannot keep from bothering your neighbor. So, if we are to have a time of Christian fellowship in our home, we are required to apply for permission from the community council, which has authority over the immediate community.
So, for instance, if I wanted to have a Christmas celebration in my home—if I wanted to invite some friends and have singing, preaching, and fellowship and other activitites like that—it would be noisy of course. And I would have to explain this to the local council, and they would have to give permission. Otherwise, if your neighbor complains, you are guilty of disturbing the peace. So you cannot really have fellowship freely.
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