Editor’s Note: Why would a Protestant Chinese scholar, deeply rooted in decades of house church life and theological training, turn to the Eastern Orthodox Church? This question raises deeper issues about spiritual formation, tradition, and longing. Mark Shan’s story offers a unique window into one man’s desire to seek what he considers the fullness of Christian life—something ancient, embodied, and spiritually powerful. Rather than taking a position for or against his journey, this article presents his story as a contribution to ongoing conversations about faith, change, and rediscovery within the global Chinese church.
A Glimpse of the Unseen
One evening before Christmas in 2019, Mark Shan arrived at the church on the outskirts of Boston for the Vespers held by Fr. Spyridon, the founder of the church, and Fr. Herman, the monk. Light from the sanctuary room poured through the window, casting a soft glow onto his eyes. That day, he recalled, “I saw something—not of this world. Maybe as Moses saw the burning bush in the wilderness.1” From that moment on, I knew I had entered a different realm of the Christian spiritual world.”
It would be easy to interpret this experience as a denominational turn. But for Mark, a Chinese house church veteran, theologian, and scholar with two doctoral degrees (with a third on the way, pending dissertation approval), the shift was far more radical. He emphasized that it was not about conversion, but about completion. “I didn’t change traditions,” he said. “I received an ‘upgrade.’”
From Xinjiang to the Academy
Mark’s spiritual journey began in Xinjiang of China, where he encountered Christianity in college through his favorite American professor.
As he concluded: “Protestant tradition is great and used powerfully by the Lord Jesus Christ in China, but it was not enough for me, I always believed there must be more in God’s Truth of gospel.” His academic career suffered due to his conservative theological stance. He was subjected to a kind of ideological “reeducation” in 2010 in a US school, which he likened to a political “brain-washing class” he experienced in China. In 2018, his dissertation was rejected by a UK school due to so-called “Christian bias.”
In time, that passion gave way to a deeper hunger—a longing for what he calls the “tangible presence of God,” a supernatural reality he found lacking in his prior experience. After coming to the United States for theological studies, he is completing his third PhD, having seen his previous two doctoral programs derailed by what he describes as academic discrimination. He calls himself a “scholar called by God,” committed to bridging faith and academia, and to offering a prophetic voice through academic discoveries. “In Protestantism, I felt my spiritual life was stagnant,” he said. “Even within theological systems, I felt increasingly powerless.”
Returning to the Church Door
By 2016, amid growing discouragement, a news report about Russia’s stance on same-sex marriage caught his attention. It brought to mind an old lecture he had heard in Boston in 2010 about the Orthodox Church and its ancient liturgy. He decided to visit a Russian Orthodox church near his home. His first visit left him disappointed. “Nothing happened.” But three years later, on the eve of Christmas, he walked in again—and this time, something shifted.
Orthodox worship, Mark believes, is fundamentally about encounter. “It’s not rational,” he said. “It’s physical, mental, spiritual. You stand, you’re silent, you contemplate the lights and icons, you hear chanting, and you pray the Jesus Prayer.”
Embracing the Jesus Prayer and Hesychasm
That prayer—“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”—became the heartbeat of his new spiritual practice. Through exposure to the teachings of Fr. Spyridon and Chinese scholar Zhang Baichun2, and further inspired by the writings of St. Gregory Palamas3 and the classic The Ladder of Divine Ascent4, and the philosophical work Synergic Anthropology5 by Sergey Khoruzhiy, Mark embraced an ancient tradition known as Hesychasm6—a mystical practice grounded in the distinction between God’s essence and energy. He came to see it as a breakthrough theological formula with transformative implications. He attended Orthodox liturgies up to ten times a week and even traveled to Mount Athos7 in January of 2025. “My mind, my heart, my spirit, even my body were renewed,” he said. “It felt like a total system upgrade.”
Reflecting on his time at Mount Athos, Mark emphasized how profoundly the physical environment itself—the churches, the icons, the very architecture—shaped his experience of prayer and presence.
When asked whether this emphasis on sacred spaces might feel somewhat similar to traditional Chinese notions like fengshui, he paused thoughtfully.
“There is a big difference,” he said. “Fengshui seeks to manipulate energy for human benefit, a demonic way from a Christian spiritual perspective. Sacred space in Christianity is not about controlling spiritual forces—it is about surrendering to the reality of God’s presence, made manifest through his Church. The architecture, the icons, the worship—they orient the heart, not empower the ego.”
For Mark, the Orthodox understanding of space was not superstition, but a theology of incarnation: God meeting humanity not just in spirit, but also in space-time through places, history, objects, divine energy, wisdom, and beauty, as part of his redemptive work.
Outside the church, Mark integrates Hesychasm into his daily life. “I say the Jesus Prayer when I drive, walk, or stand before the small shrine I’ve set up at home, with a lamp, icons, and a Bible,” he explained. “It is how I stay connected to the presence of God.” Before bed and upon waking, he also prays in silence, drawing from what he calls a “daily rhythm of inner transformation.”
He didn’t keep it to himself. After his baptism in 2021, he began sharing his experience with others. One friend, Stephen Gao in Chicago, began praying the Jesus Prayer diligently and soon joined Mark in leading online fellowships. “It started like a mustard seed,” Mark said. “Now there are more than ten Chinese believers who are practicing, or at least exploring, this path.”
Some were initially hesitant. “I told them, just try it. Once they experience and perceive it, they understand,” he said. “Many have thanked me, saying I’ve shared a great spiritual gift with them.”
A Candid Reflection on Chinese Christianity
His critique of contemporary Chinese Christianity is sharp. While affirming the Protestant revival since 1979, he believes it still lacks what he calls “the supernatural middle level”—a concept drawn from missiologist Paul Hiebert8. Mark argues that centuries of Daoist and Buddhist influence have left Chinese spirituality overly emotional and superstitious. “Even Chinese Christians need a deep renewal of mind and spirit,” he said. “Without cleansing the Gnostic habits of mind and soul, we cannot fully receive the liberation promised by the gospel.”
He sees Hesychasm as the missing piece. “It reconnects us to the energy and power of God,” he explained. “It’s like plugging into a spiritual power outlet and internet—one that empowers us not just to believe, but to experience. The issue isn’t so much the form, but the object and the truth behind it. Orthodoxy, he believes, restores that alignment. “We are not called to chase feelings or mysteries,” he said, “but to be sanctified through the True Light of Christ9 and the work of Holy Spirit.”
Faith and Academia: A Two-Way Influence
Mark noted that his theological research has been deeply enriched by his experience within the Orthodox tradition. Studying ancient Christianity, particularly in Central Asia, has broadened his understanding of often-overlooked spiritual treasures such as Hesychasm. “As a Christian scholar,” he said, “I am obligated to offer my discoveries—not as doctrines, but as a spiritual inheritance—for the Chinese church to remember and reflect upon.”
Books, YouTube, and a Quiet Witness
Mark envisions his role not as a spiritual authority but as a steward of discovery. He hopes to write more about his findings, both in academic and devotional formats. “We don’t need to start from scratch,” he said. “The Orthodox tradition has preserved spiritual treasures for thousands of years. My responsibility is to help the Chinese church remember what has been forgotten.”
Today, Mark runs the Boston Chinese Academic Institute and its YouTube channel, where he introduces Russian Orthodox spirituality to a growing audience. He is also working with Stephen Gao to establish an Orthodox community for Chinese believers. He plans to publish a second book titled Embracing the True Light in Christ, which he sees as a continuation of his conversion story—first from traditional Chinese religion to Protestant Christianity (“I was lost, but now I am found”), then from Protestantism to Orthodoxy (“I was blind, now I can see”).
Mark does not urge others to convert. “Keep your denomination,” he tells people. “But upgrade your spirituality.” For him, Orthodoxy is not about changing churches. It’s about rediscovering what was once central to the early Christian faith—a truth, he believes, that continues to burn.
Reading His Story, Rethinking Our Own
As Mark’s story closes, what remains is not just a personal testimony but a call to reflect. His language may be strong, even unsettling, yet behind it is a hunger for depth, beauty, and a more integrated faith—one rooted in both the power and the mystery of God. Whether or not readers share his theological conclusions, his journey invites us all to reconsider how we listen, how we worship, and how we remember the spiritual treasures entrusted to the global church.
Endnotes
- Burning bush—Refers to Moses’ encounter with God in Exodus 3; in this article, it symbolizes a moment of divine self-revelation and calling invitation.
- Zhang Baichun—A Chinese Orthodox theologian philosopher whose teaching and writing helped introduce Hesychast spirituality and Eastern patristic theology to Chinese-speaking audiences: More about Zhang Baichun: https://humanities.hainanu.edu.cn/info/1599/13618.htm, https://phil.bnu.edu.cn/rdgz/131791.html.
- St. Gregory Palamas—A fourteenth-century Greek Orthodox theologian known for defending the practice of Hesychasm and clarifying the distinction between union with God’s essence and energies.
- The Ladder of Divine Ascent—A sixth or seventh century spiritual classic by John Climacus, outlining 30 steps of spiritual growth.
- Synergic Anthropology—A philosophical framework developed by Russian scientist and philosopher Sergey Khoruzhiy (谢尔盖·霍鲁日), based on the spiritual practices of Orthodox Hesychasm.
- Hesychasm—A contemplative spiritual tradition in Eastern Orthodoxy centered on inner silence, the Jesus Prayer, and union with God’s energy.
- Mount Athos—A monastic republic in Greece, considered the spiritual center of Eastern Orthodox monasticism.
- Excluded middle—A term coined by missiologist Paul Hiebert, referring to Western Christianity’s neglect of the spiritual realm between God and humanity.
- “True Light”—A theological phrase used by Mark to describe what he sees as the fullness of God’s revelation found in Orthodox spirituality (cf. John 1:9).
Image credit: Ivan Zhuldybin via Unsplash
Andrea Lee
Andrea Lee writes at the intersection of faith, culture, and Chinese Christianity.As Content Manager at ChinaSource, she curates stories, nurtures a community of writers, and shapes the editorial direction to reflect the depth and diversity of the Chinese church experience. Born and raised in Taiwan, Andrea studied Chinese Literature at Tunghai …View Full Bio
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