This statement might send shivers down the spine of some evangelical Christians, who are suspicious of non-Christian spiritual traditions. But theologically speaking it is not a radical statement for a Christian to make.

Natural revelation has a long and honored place in Christian theology. Christianity has always taught that God reveals himself in the natural world.

The apostle Paul says in Romans, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead….” (Romans 1:20)

God has revealed his divine nature to all peoples at all times and places. Therefore it is not strange to find evidence of God’s general revelation in the spiritual literature of the world’s peoples.

In Chinese culture this natural revelation of God is best articulated in the Tao Te Ching, an anonymous book of poetry written in the sixth century BC.

It is attributed to Lao Tzu, which simply means “Old Master.” Tao means “the Way.”

This is also the earliest term used by the followers of Jesus for Christianity. (Acts 19:23) It is the term that Jesus used for himself. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6)

In the earliest (and still the most popular) Chinese translation of the New Testament, the word Tao is used for the eternal Christ before his incarnation as Jesus of Nazareth.

The first verse of the Gospel of John is translated, “In the beginning was the Tao, and the Tao was with God, and the Tao was God.” (John 1:1)

English translations say, “In the beginning was the Word.”

“Word” is the translation of the Greek word Logos. In ancient Greek philosophy, Logos was the divine principle underlying the physical world. The apostle John understood that the Logos of Greek philosophy was the preincarnate Christ.

Early church Fathers such as Justin Martyr and Clement of Alexandria followed the apostle’s lead. They described Greek philosophers, such as Socrates and Plato, as “Christians before Christ” because of their knowledge of the Logos.

Tao is the equivalent concept in Chinese philosophy. God has not left himself without a witness in any culture. (Acts 14:17)

In Chinese culture that witness is expressed as Tao.