Given China’s place in the world order today, it is very unlikely that they will completely ban all foreigners.... We can be confident that no matter how few the foreigners or how persecuted the flock, our God who makes the rocks cry out in testimony will ensure that his witness is never silenced, and his kingdom continues to advance.
Keep ReadingAs Christians, staying updated on effective digital strategies is crucial to keeping pace in this digital age and engaging the whole church in new pathways. Digital engagement is making the gospel available and accessible to anyone, anytime, anywhere.
By redeeming technology, Christians can redefine their engagement in the Great Commission and empower the discipleship of the next generation to carry global missions forward.
5 visa-free ways to travel to China by land, sea and air for 72 hours and up to 30 days (November 21, 2023, South China Morning Post) In October and November, the Ministry of Public Security, the National Immigration Administration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that travellers from dozens of countries can again enter China through several visa-free schemes.
The Fishing Village That Wasn’t and Other Myths About China’s Largest City (November 14, 2023, Sixth Tone) Shanghai’s opening as a treaty port has become shrouded in myth. What actually happened? And how did it shape the city?
A Chinese Jew’s Journey to Israel (November 2, 2023, The World of Chinese) From Kaifeng to Jerusalem—a Chinese Jew tells her story of leaving for the Middle East and reflecting on her dual identity.
Podcast: Rethinking Chinese food with Fuchsia Dunlop (October 30, 2023, Chinese Whispers) China has so much more to offer than what has made across into the West’s Chinese restaurants. Thankfully, that’s changing and quite fast. […] I’m delighted to be joined by her on the podcast today, to mark the publication of her new book, Invitation to a Banquet, which is all about the history, meaning and diversity of Chinese cuisine.
Given China’s place in the world order today, it is very unlikely that they will completely ban all foreigners.... We can be confident that no matter how few the foreigners or how persecuted the flock, our God who makes the rocks cry out in testimony will ensure that his witness is never silenced, and his kingdom continues to advance.
Mountains today no longer symbolize separation, but rather strength, as suggested by another phrase, tieda de Jiangshan (铁打的江山). Literally meaning “rivers and mountains forged in iron,” it is commonly translated “iron-clad country,” a fitting description of the seemingly unshakeable state power being exerted throughout Xi’s China.
Join us in praying for Chinese believers this Advent season.
As long as our motivation comes from a godly desire for peace and reconciliation, seeking clarity in relationships is worth the effort. Someone has to take the first step to initiate conversation. For those seeking to reflect God’s face in relationships, let’s be the ones doing the initiating.
Being thankful and saying thank you is important any time of year. Certainly in this Thanksgiving season I want to say thank you to the ChinaSource community for your friendship, love, and sacrificial involvement together with us.
Fraser’s most acclaimed contribution to missions is his translation of the Bible and Christian hymns into the Lisu language. When he first met the Lisu people in Tengyueh, they had no written language of their own. After Fraser learned to speak the language, he began to translate the Bible into Lisu.
By forcing the global church to be less reliant on the press or on social media, these surveillance measures could potentially encourage more meaningful engagement with Chinese believers. As E.F. Gregory points out, there is no substitute for personal relationships. Rather than trying to gather more information on the church in China, outside observers can deepen their existing friendships…
The study then takes a closer look at the brief emergence of a comparatively Chinese underground church…before concluding with a fascinating reflection on martyrdom, comparing the Chinese notion of suffering perseverance motivated by filial loyalty to the saints who have gone before with the European concept of sacrificing one’s life for the gospel.
The new generation of believers and church leaders are no longer easily excited by large conferences and mission movements but are willing to delve deeper into each individual’s life. They have started moving away from focusing on the relationship between church and state and are now turning their attention to broader public concerns.
At a time when the study of Christianity in China is becoming more difficult, the CHCD opens a new portal to explore China’s Christian past. The tool might be different than rummaging through a traditional archive, but by repackaging archival materials into an online tool it invites anyone to ask, “What could be discovered if…?”
Chinese Bible translations were often the result of years of diligence, at times division, and significant group work. While Westerners often numerically dominated the projects mentioned above, Chinese Christians also played a role.
Christians need to acknowledge a fact. We might disagree on whether Confucianism is a religion or not. But Confucianism, together with Daoism and Buddhism, are spiritual traditions that have provided “chicken soup” for Chinese souls for more than two thousand years.
Throughout the work of the NTB, the Holy Spirit showed up time and time again by giving the translators “lexical surprises.” God gave words to express the Bible message, surprising words that were embedded in the language and waiting for discovery by the translators.
“The abrupt change in China's zero-covid policy allowed our congregation to live out God's love. In the face of sickness and scarcity, we supported each other sacrificially,” writes a Chinese believer. In the face of medication shortages and sick children, the church family pulled together to share what they had.
Today China’s officials are much less likely to turn a blind eye toward unauthorized Christian activity. Under the rubric of national security, Xi Jinping has shifted the government’s emphasis from aggressive economic growth to social control.
When I first visited China, someone gave me a very wise piece of advice. They told me everything I ever heard about China was probably true—of someone, somewhere! There are definitely overarching trends and tendencies throughout the country as a whole. But a whole swathe of people in one town may have experiences that are completely contradictory to the experience of others somewhere else.