Resources from 2013
The Resource Library is where you will find the latest resources from across our publications.
View From the Wall
Pastoring in a Registered Church
A ChinaSource interview conducted by Kay Danielson
In a recent interview, a pastor of a church, located in a rural district of a northern city in China, speaks about the congregation, its steady growth, its relationship with government officials, the challenges it faces and his responsibilities.
ZGBriefs The Weeks Top Picks, December 05 Issue
From Chen Guangcheng and the American culture wars to a village that is still living Mao's dream, our top stories this week are quite diverse.
December 5, 2013
A Pastors Reflections on the Asian Church Leaders Forum (December 2, 2013, Chinese Church Voices)
In June of this year, church leaders from all over Asia gathered in Seoul, South Korea for the Asian Church Leaders Forum. In attendance were many Chinese pastors who had been denied permission by the Chinese government to attend the 2010 Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa. One of those, Pastor Ezra Jin of the Zion Church in Beijing, wrote an article for the November 2013 issue of the Lausanne Global Analysis, titled A Landmark Encounter: The Significance of the ACLF for the Church in China.
Supporting Article
The Present Condition of Christianity and Religious Regulations in China
Huang Jianbo looks at China's basic understanding of religion which affects the formulation and execution of its religious policies. To date, the state has believed that religion is a problem although it has never explicitly stated what kind of problem. The author identifies three possible ways in which the government might perceive religion to be a problem. He then offers three suggestions for altering the thinking and implementing of policies. He concludes by affirming religious policies in China have improved greatly over the past thirty years.
Supporting Article
How China’s Religious Affairs Bureaucracy Works
The author helps us to understand the workings of the religious affairs bureaucracy first by following the story of an aspiring pastor, then by viewing them historically. The Chinese Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement Association, China Christian Council, Religious Affairs Bureau and United Front Work Department are all discussed along with how they interact, lines of authority and the role of guanxi.
Lead Article
Religious Policies in China
Defining Normal
As this article looks at the three key government documents that address religion in China, it focuses on the use of the word "normal." It looks at the definition of normal, the restrictions the government regulations actually place and the thinking that undergirds the regulations. The principals underlying them are discussed as well as the distinction between belief and practice.
Quotations of Chairman Mao–Really a Best Seller?
I spend a lot of time in taxis in Beijing and since I am a blondish, big-nosed foreigner who speaks Chinese, many drivers are eager to chat. They want to know what work I do and how much money I make. When I tell them that I am an educator and don't make much money, they wonder what in the world I am doing here.
Five Words Google Can’t Translate
It is exhilarating to move to a new country and communicate with people so different from ourselves. Whether through Chinese you have learned or English you have taught, the sense of accomplishment can be deep and genuine.
A Pastor’s Reflections on the Asian Church Leaders Forum
A Beijing house church pastor shares his reflections on the Asian Church Leaders Forum in Seoul, South Korea.