From Futilism to Faith

There is no recorded history of Yusi’s family having any religion. Her parents don’t believe in anything, and she tells me her grandparents grew up in a society which embraced futilism and superstition more than faith. 

Yusi was born and raised in Beijing, and though she was exposed to Buddhist temples attracting tourists and the Catholic church next to her primary school, she had no real faith of her own. 

“For many Chinese people, faith has never been an institutional part of their life,” she says. 

So how is it that she’s now sitting in a foyer full of churchgoers, telling me her story of becoming a Christian herself? 

She says she found “true faith” when she came to Australia. As St. Jude’s Unichurch minister Tim Curtis mentions, “Christians are thinking people”, and Yusi went on a journey to investigate what the Gospel says and what it means. 

After three years of being exposed to Christianity and reading “Mere Christianity” by C.S Lewis, she finally chose to embrace the faith for herself. 

“What faith and religion brings (especially Christianity) is this hope that’s beyond the frustration of this life.”

Unlike other Chinese children with similar testimonies, Yusi’s parents received the news positively as they saw the change for good in their daughter’s life. 

Ever since she has found hope through her faith, Yusi has had an eagerness to see her family have the same hope. 

She recalls talking to her mum on the phone until her phone died when she became a Christian, hungry for her family to hear the Gospel. 

“The good thing in my case would be that I didn’t face any objections. I don’t think Christianity was evilised in my parents’ mind.” 

Yusi’s story is not uncommon today. As Tim Curtis mentions, the church in China has grown considerably in the past decade. 

Nevertheless, Yusi has observed how today, people have life goals of being happy or successful without being certain of whether they can achieve them by their own efforts. 

In Yusi’s eyes, however, the lack of faith or religion right now means “a huge possibility in the future.” 

The Gospel has moved thousands of Chinese people both inside and outside of China to become Christian. 

Yusi Liu* is a student at the University of Melbourne studying a Bachelor of Science. She is currently 22 years old and has been in Australia for four and a half years. 

*For purposes of privacy, Yusi’s surname has been changed.