Technology
WeChat and Chinese Christians, Part 2
The Challenges
Quickly adapting to new technology has become a way of life for believers in China. They have done it before, and they will do it again. But in the meantime, they are growing in how to live as disciples of Jesus in the WeChat generation. May God strengthen them and give them wisdom.
We Have Been Harmonized
A Book Review
“The China we once knew no longer exists. The China that was with us for forty years—the China of ‘reform and opening up’—is making way for something new.”
Rethinking Church in Today’s World
A continuing conversation on the use of digital tools and trends in how the church gathers for worship and teaching and how they serve their communities.
To WeChat or Not to WeChat?
What can we do? What can we not do? What should we do? What should we not do?
The Inconvenience of Incarnational Ministry
Yes, we can use WeChat and many other ways to speak Life to our personal networks of image-bearers. But we speak best, truest, and fullest in the flesh.
Facial Recognition and the Church
It's quite common that people in China have to have their faces and identity cards scanned before being allowed into high-speed rail stations, but the same approach has triggered controversies when used in some churches.
Facing Reality
If facial recognition technology is being rolled out in every other public space, why would we think churches and other religious institutions would be exempt?
Re-Thinking Technology’s Impact
What influence does technology have on us, our lives, and the church in China? Our attitudes toward technology may hold the answer.
The Chinese Internet–by the Numbers
Recently China Internet Watch produced a white paper on the Chinese Internet, titled “China Internet Statistics 2017.” The information and charts are based on the semi-annual report published in December 2016 by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).
The Unseen Side of China’s Internet Explosion
What China was lacking in technology 30 years ago it has more than made up for as it has leapfrogged traditional communications media to become one of the most connected countries in the world. A generation ago the idea of a personal telephone in one's home was unheard of, unless one's family was particularly privileged. Today, although wired telephones in every home still may not be the norm, personal mobile phones are considered a necessity. Even for migrant workers with no permanent home and very few personal possessions, the mobile phone is a lifeline to family back home and to job opportunities in the city.