Remembering C M Kao...

 

Remembering Rev. C M Kao and Rev. Dennis Thuftedal

 

I had several occasions of meeting Rev. Kao in Taiwan while I served as a fellow minister of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. My first impression was that he had a straight back as if he was holding the sky from falling with his head.  He was humble and friendly to the people around him and yet never bend his head to the pressure and the power of the evils. 

 

"Just that you know that I had to take a makeup test in order to graduate from the seminary years ago," He once told me.  He must be joking.  If Kao could not graduate from the seminary, what would the rest of us do?

 

In 1980 shortly after the news of the arrest of the Rev. C M Kao in Taiwan by the KMT arrived in USA, the Taiwan Presbyterian Church of Greater Chicago (Des Plaines) had started to prepare the demonstration under the leadership of pastor Rev. Andrew Chau(趙聰仁).  Rev. Yap(葉加興) of the RCA (Reformed Church in America) also joined the demonstration. 

 

The reason was that Rev. Kao had helped Mr. Ming T Shih hiding from the KMT's arrest.  Under the then martial law KMT thought the peaceful Formosa Incident was illegal and rebellious while in fact the reason was that the people were celebrating with the world on the World Human Rights Day.

 

We mentioned the news briefly to our friend by the name of Dennis Thuftedal who was a lawyer turned to pastor of the United Church of Christ in Country Club Hills -  a southwest suburban of Chicago.  Dennis showed much interest and decided to see for himself.

 

On a cool and cloudy day of 1980 in downtown Chicago the Daley Plaza several hundred Taiwanese people got behind a carrying sedan chair carried by Rev. Chau and Rev. Yap showing a pastor with cross and iron chains on him.   

 

The demonstration was led by Prof Chau Wu. 

 

Rev. Thuftedal was there watched the whole process. Shortly he was obviously so touched.  He quietly walked to the crowd and joined the Taiwanese friends (mostly unknown) with the demonstration process till the end.

 

Afterward Dennis did the followings:

1. Continued to post the Taiwan progress in the church bulletin and soon the congregation signed the petition to the Congress to keep an eye on the KMT movements

2. Pray for Rev. Kao

3. Asked us to keep him informed of the incident development

 

Rev. CM Kao was later released earlier.  But he still served more than four years and three months in political prison.

Rev. Dennis Thuftedal passed away in 2016. 

Just wondering what they would say to each other when Rev. Kao and Rev. Thuftedal meet in Heaven... 

 

## More website readings:

From World Council of Churches -

https://www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/news/wcc-mourns-death-of-rev-c-m-kao

From Presbyterian Church in Taiwan -

http://www.pct.org.tw/article_generalsecretary.aspx?strBlockID=B00329&strContentID=C2019021800008&strDesc=Y

 

Comments:

1) Rev CM Kao was certainly a man of principle and honor.  He really had fought the good fights for Taiwan and for the Lord.  We'll miss him.  - Bernard Tsai 

2) Rev. Kao is Gandhi of Taiwan.  His meek, nonviolent resistance to KMT dictatorship encouraged countless Taiwanese Christians to follow Christ’s steps, taking up crosses and eventually culminated the democratization of the country.  Like Nelson Mandela of South Africa, they put him in prison but that consequentially brought about the collapse of the apartheid regime.

When Rev. Kao was arrested in Taiwan many American friends like Rev. Thuftedal involved in various actions protesting KMT and exerting international pressure on the regime, which eventually released Rev. Kao.  Their helping hands to Taiwanese Christians during those challenging times are to be deeply appreciated and remembered.  Kudos to Steve for bringing to light what Rev. Thuftedal did when Rev. Kao was under unjust persecution.  Like the good Samaritan, Rev. Thuftedal did not know Rev. Kao at all.  But he did not hesitate to offer his help when a “neighbor” was in grave need.  Thank you Rev. Thuftedal!  - Poshu Huang