The dispersion of Chinese populations will continue to grow in the near future and the missional implications of this are enormous. The recent growth of Christianity in China and the country’s political upheavals are pushing a record number to migrate overseas. Many have…embraced the Christian faith in foreign lands and cultures.
Our Lord is the lord of history, and everything happens according to his plan. The recent political developments in and related to China have impacted the movement and dynamics of the global Chinese diaspora. They have closed some doors for mission while opening others.
Two Sessions: China says it's open for business - do we buy it? (March 11, 2024, BBC) As China's annual parliamentary sitting came to a close after a hectic week of meetings, a glaring void loomed on Monday's final agenda. The National People's Congress is usually capped off by the premier's press conference. But this year, and for the rest of the term, the tradition was mysteriously nixed.
Two sessions: Can a rubberstamp parliament help China's economy? (March 3, 2024, BBC) The Chinese government is under massive pressure to come up with solutions for its troubled economy. So people will be watching the National People's Congress to see what's on offer when it starts on Tuesday.
Video: Reporting from China: How this trip was different (February 25, 2024, CBS News) This week on 60 Minutes, correspondent Lesley Stahl reports from Beijing and Shanghai, cities few Western journalists have entered since 2020, when China began to expel some journalists and restrict access to others in the foreign media. Stahl went at the invitation of U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, who spoke about China's economy and its relationship with the U.S.
China’s VPN Usage Nearly Doubles Amid Internet Censorship (February 15, 2024, VOA) Last year, VPN usage in China nearly doubled, according to data from IT education news outlet Techopedia, this despite the country’s strict regime of internet controls of everything from overseas websites to online games. China’s “Great Firewall” is one of the world’s most comprehensive internet censorship regimes, preventing citizens from accessing websites like Instagram, Wikipedia and YouTube, as well most major news organizations including VOA.
The British Chinese community holds a relatively open attitude towards faith and Christianity. There is a significant curiosity about its social, cultural, and ethical dimensions amongst those who appear to be religiously unaffiliated in the census. The appeal of Christianity appears to extend beyond its spiritual teachings, touching upon a desire for community, understanding of British culture, and alternative perspectives on contemporary issues.
What is needed is people who know Jesus and love Tibetans enough to find ways to engage them personally, enough to walk with them through faltering steps of faith, and enough to endure long enough in the field that seeds sown find their way to good soil, hearts God has already prepared.
Expectations for new missionaries as well as for their sending bodies should include a long-term developmental perspective that recognizes on-field difficulties as expected and as the normative shaping events God intentionally uses to develop cross-cultural ministry capacity.
Understanding both the registered and unregistered aspects of the church in China provides a more comprehensive picture of the dynamic interplay within the Christian sphere, shedding light on the various challenges and opportunities that each sector encounters.
Right then and there, in our apartment, [two Chinese friends] made the decision to follow Jesus. Something he said that evening has stayed with me for the past 25 years. He stated, “I always knew he was there. I just didn’t know his name.”
Scripture forewarns us of life's trials, and Jesus' words in John 16:33 are a beacon: “In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” The path of pastoral ministry has its own inherent trials, and as a woman, these can be distinctive.
While Chinese Muslims deliberately seek to earn God’s favor through practicing Islam [during Ramadan], there is a spiritual war raging. As Christ’s church, we engage in this battle through prayer.
Our new identity in Christ allows us to bravely face everything that being a woman entails… Even if the world, Satan, or our own sin constantly seek to deceive us, we can, by fixing our eyes on God, bravely and strongly maintain our feminine identity.
Our Lord is the lord of history, and everything happens according to his plan. The recent political developments in and related to China have impacted the movement and dynamics of the global Chinese diaspora. They have closed some doors for mission while opening others.
Our social networks serve as a conduit for others to understand our lives, our faith, and the transformative impact of our beliefs. New media offers the most accessible, effective, and personal means for interaction and connection. Our virtual community becomes our broadest mission field, accessible to all for engagement.
“If the… global body of Christ can be there and say, ‘We are together here with you. I have my struggles, and you have your struggles, but we are together, praying to God together and seeking his guidance and help together,’…that can be very comforting and can be an encouragement.”
China is open for business, and a lot more. What is God calling you to do with that information? What might you try?
Can some information regarding Jesus, the gospel, and life-with-God be communicated through digital means? Yes, absolutely. But discipleship is the transformation of a person into Christ’s likeness, and the normal, everyday means of that happening is people in vital, real (as opposed to virtual), personal relationships with one another.
The Apostle Peter’s ethnocentric conversion exploded into fullness through an unanticipated personal interaction with Cornelius, a gentile military officer who lived out his fear of God in household leadership, generosity, and constant prayer (Acts 10:1–2).
The influx of BN(O) migrants has upended the landscape of Chinese Christianity in Britain as we knew it…At this critical historical juncture, the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) initiated the “Bible and the Chinese Community in Britain” (BCCB) research project in 2022, aimed at developing an…understanding of Christianity amongst the Chinese population.
The poem “Yearning” speaks of the deep groaning out of a longing to be in communion with the creation in wonder and awe. It is an invitation to embrace the beauty and sacredness of the creation with the very life God has given us.