Photo by Gabriella Garriga

Bob Fu, Chinese American pastor and founder of the nonprofit China Aid, spoke to about 40 members of Trinity’s community on March 19. The event was sponsored by the Trinity chapter of Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT).

Fu spoke about the religious persecution affecting practicing Christians in China and his political activism in the United States. Fu began by speaking about his current work in the United States, working to help religiously persecuted groups, specifically Christians in China.

“I tried my best in working with and through Mike Pence, everyone is really working hard. This is a make or break kind of deal with China,” Fu said in the lecture.

Fu spent much of his lecture talking about his experience in China as a persecuted Christian. He spoke about his own experience at the massacre of Tiananmen Square in 1989 in which about 10,000 civilians were killed by government-backed military forces. Students were gathered in Beijing protesting the communist government. Fu was one of the main student organizers, but he was absent on the day of the massacre.

“God has a greater purpose than just to rescue me physically from the massacre of Tiananmen Square. After that, there was a major spiritual awakening in China. From our university up until the massacre, there were no followers of Christ. After, our university had a major spiritual revival.”

Fu spoke of the continuing growth of the Christian population in China, explaining why he has been active in fighting for religious freedom since he emigrated to the United States in 1997.

“As an immigrant, as a former refugee, as a son of a beggar, when I came to this country and being loved, nurtured, educated and embraced and I feel really glad that I can play a small role in helping not only the Chinese people but other people of faith that are persecuted as well,” Fu said in an interview.

Sophomore Julia Westwick, vice chairman of YCT, explained why Fu’s lecture about religious persecution was relevant to the members of YCT.

“Young Conservatives of Texas isn’t a religious group. We don’t have a religious stance. We have a bunch of religions represented in our group, but we support religious freedom and freedom in general. That’s at the core of conservative and libertarian philosophy is freedom — to practice any religion you want,” Westwick said.

One attendee, senior and YCT member Blaise Fort, spoke about the importance of Fu’s presence in American politics for the people of China.

“I really like how Bob Fu is so active in the American government and just being an advisor to not only the president but to Congress as well. Of course, China is not a democracy, the people’s voice doesn’t exactly hold sway as much as the communist party’s, so for him to speak through the United States is like the Chinese people speaking. He’s kind of bringing democracy to China in a proxy way,” Fort said.