Blog Entries

Most-Read ChinaSource Blog Posts of 2014


These are the ChinaSource Blog posts that our readers enjoyed the most in 2014. Did you read them? If not, click on the link to see what you missed!

Ten "Americans Really Do THAT?" from Chinese Scholars Living in the U.S.

I'm sure you've done it, I know I have. Asked a Chinese friend or colleague what stood out to them if they had a chance to visit your home country. I enjoy hearing what stood out to them or to friends who have visited me in China. Their impressions help me to see afresh the places I care about. […]

I asked a group of 16 visiting scholars and their spouses what stood out or surprised them about life in the U.S. Having lived in China, I thought I knew what would stand out to my Chinese friends after living in the U.S. for an extended period of time. Their answers reminded me why it's good to keep asking questions and not assume!

Ten Lessons from the Church in China

As the church in China continues to grow and mature, opportunities to connect and partner with churches in the West continue to grow as well. In many cases, these partnerships provide opportunities for churches in China to learn from the experiences of the churches in the West. This is a good thing.

But partnerships are two-way, so it is also good to take some time to consider what the church in the West has learned and can learn from the church in China.

Ten Books on Christianity in China

People often ask me for recommendations of books to read about Christianity and the church in China. There are a lot of books out there; some better than others.

These 10 books are a good place to start. (Amazon descriptions included):

Does China Need More Leadership Training?

Last week I had two meetings in as many days regarding two proposed leadership training efforts aimed at Christians in China. Both were well thought through and grew out of decades of China experience.

As we looked at the various offerings already available to church leaders in China, the question that emerged in both cases was, "Is this really needed?"

Calvinism in China

One thing that I have noticed over the past couple of years is the growing influence of Calvinism among Chinese house church Christians. At a conference I attended in Germany last year, one of the speakers even listed it as a major challenge facing the church in China.

Six Trends Shaping China (and What They Mean for the Church)

Jeffrey Towson and Jonathan Woetzel, both professors at Peking University's Guanghua School of Management in Beijing, claim you can understand China in an hour. An excerpt from their new book on the McKinsey and Company website says getting a handle on China is a lot less about politics and a lot more about a handful of major economic and social trends that are shaping the country's future.

Here they are, along with some comments of my own (in italics) on what they mean for China's Christians.

China – The Most Christian Nation? Three Comments and a Story

Late last week The Telegraph published a story about the rise of Christianity in China under the attention-grabbing headline "China on course to become 'world's most Christian nation' within 15 years." […] A number of friends have written me (or 'tweeted') asking for my reaction to the article. I have three comments and a story.

Popular Christian Books in China

In the past ten years, because of more autonomy given to publishing companies and what they can publish, a small Christian publishing industry has spring up. Content providers find publishing companies willing to issue ISBNs for their books. Basically, a publisher will be willing to issue an ISBN for a religious book if they believe that the profit potential outweighs the risk of getting into trouble.

I thought it would be interesting to take a look at what Christians in China are reading these days by looking at the top selling books on three different distributors of Christian content in China.

Photo Credit: Banaih Lain

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ChinaSource Team

ChinaSource Team

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