
Jeferson Chagas
Cultural Harmony and Gospel Fidelity
Suggestions to the Chinese House Church
Chinese house churches must deliberate on how to be genuinely Chinese and truly Christian. Both the concepts that are overemphasized cause distortion. It takes constant navigating to be “in the culture but not of it.” Authentic Chinese Christianity will result from keeping both ideas in healthy tension as Chinese house churches negotiate between indigenizing and acting as pilgrim communities.
Ministering to Muslims: The Dialogue between Timothy I and the Caliph Mahdi
Introducing the Arab Christian Heritage to the Chinese Church
In AD 781, during the reign of Mahdi, the third of the Abbasid caliphs at Baghdad and spiritual and temporal head of the Muslim religion, Timothy and the caliph convened for a two-day dialogue in Arabic with portions in Syriac. The fraternal dialogue format with the caliph was in the form of questions and answers.
The First and the Last Sacrifice
最初和最后的献祭
Sharing the gospel with Muslims, including Chinese Muslims, takes a lot of cultural sensitivity. “The First and Last Sacrifice” is one method of sharing the story of Jesus which incorporates references to the Quran, Arabic names, and Islamic concepts to reach Muslims for Christ.
Engaging with Chinese Muslims, Part 1
The Woman at the Well as a Model for Evangelism
Engaging with Chinese Muslims requires building relationships through intentional, informal, and interactive conversations. Following Jesus' example with the Samaritan woman, we can find points of contact, steer discussions towards spiritual matters, reveal their need for salvation by confronting their sins with compassion and humanity, share the gospel story, and invite a decision to follow Christ.