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An older man sits at a window looking outside. Today we look back at the trials the church in China faced, as well as the many ways that God took care of his people. Excerpt: Today we look back at the trials the church in China faced, as well as the many ways that God took care of his people.

God Is on the Move, Part 1

During the zero-COVID chaos, Chinese churches found hope and resilience, witnessing God's presence amid isolation.

A white home sits in a meadow of yellow flowers against a rosy sky. Home and family are very vital topics to a Chinese person, often providing bridges to their heart’s desires and offering a way to present Christ as the way to give a perfect home and family—the home and family found in knowing him.

Home Is the Bridge to Our Hearts

Home and family are very vital topics to a Chinese person, often providing bridges to their heart’s desires and offering a way to present Christ as the way to give a perfect home and family—the home and family found in knowing him.

A young boy is holding a candle and looking at the camera. Hearing the incredible stories from both the children and their parents, I feel I understand why the Chinese church is once again facing severe oppression… This implicit self-exodus happening in China seems to embody God’s mercy and unfailing love. Without this persecution and oppression, we would undoubtedly lose our children forever; under the communist schemes, our children would be brainwashed and become poorly educated rebels against the truth.

Lighting the Future: A Candle in the Dark, Part 2

Hearing the incredible stories from both the children and their parents, I feel I understand why the Chinese church is once again facing severe oppression… This implicit self-exodus happening in China seems to embody God’s mercy and unfailing love. Without this persecution and oppression, we would undoubtedly lose our children forever; under the communist schemes, our children would be brainwashed and become poorly educated rebels against the truth.

Several Chinese students sit on the steps of a schoolhouse reading. Mayfield highlights…the essential continuity that bound the early Pentecostal missionaries together with their evangelical contemporaries; the way in which the “heat and noise” of Pentecostal worship, which often repelled Europeans, actually served to attract the Chinese masses; and the strategic role that women played in the founding of Pentecostal churches.

The Appeal of the Pentecostal Movement in Hong Kong

Mayfield highlights…the essential continuity that bound the early Pentecostal missionaries together with their evangelical contemporaries; the way in which the “heat and noise” of Pentecostal worship, which often repelled Europeans, actually served to attract the Chinese masses; and the strategic role that women played in the founding of Pentecostal churches.

A sign is spray painted under a bridge. It reads, “Let’s love our community.” Although we cannot perform miracles as Jesus did, we may be able to bring holistic blessings through different community services…We do not only offer help on our own, but we also encourage volunteers and donors to join the actions for building shalom in the community.

An Alternative to Being Marginalized

An outreach approach acceptable to the government and public interest will be a solution. The police can block a venue, but charity, merciful actions, and care for neighbors can gain societal support.

An Evangelical Christian church in China has red bricks. A truly “Christian” Chinese church will not only be thoroughly enculturated, but it will also retain the entire “rule of faith” shared by the rest of the universal church. Finally, Chinese Christians, knowing they are part of the universal church, will continue to seek to share the joys and trials of the indigenous churches of all other cultures. Such a church would be biblical, God-pleasing, and truly Chinese.

Creating a Truly Chinese Church

A truly “Christian” Chinese church will not only be thoroughly enculturated, but it will also retain the entire “rule of faith” shared by the rest of the universal church. Finally, Chinese Christians, knowing they are part of the universal church, will continue to seek to share the joys and trials of the indigenous churches of all other cultures. Such a church would be biblical, God-pleasing, and truly Chinese.

A mural probably depicts Palm Sunday, from a Church of the East temple in Qocho, Chinese Turkestan, dating to the 7th–9th century. Deeply committed Syrian Christians traveled thousands of miles to plant a church in China, enjoyed a season of imperial favor during which the gospel took root and spread, and succeeded in communicating the essential message of Christ’s suffering for the salvation of the world and his resurrection from the dead.

Collective Misunderstanding

Deeply committed Syrian Christians traveled thousands of miles to plant a church in China, enjoyed a season of imperial favor during which the gospel took root and spread, and succeeded in communicating the essential message of Christ’s suffering for the salvation of the world and his resurrection from the dead.

A man has his hands folded on top of a Bible. I believe that this is not an era that demands achievements or pursues accomplishments, but rather an era that yearns for spiritual awakening. We must genuinely return to a place of rest, waiting upon God, encountering him in the depths of our souls, and hearing his gentle whisper. We must recognize that he is greater than all our actions and possessions, yet he encompasses our entire lives.

The Predicament of Young Pastors in Contemporary China

I believe that this is not an era that demands achievements or pursues accomplishments, but rather an era that yearns for spiritual awakening. We must genuinely return to a place of rest, waiting upon God, encountering him in the depths of our souls, and hearing his gentle whisper. We must recognize that he is greater than all our actions and possessions, yet he encompasses our entire lives.

A person holds a pair of glasses up and out, showing a blurry streetscape. Worldviews are extraordinarily resistant to change, and archetypical cultural and gospel metaphors shape how missionaries convey the gospel across cultural boundaries. That is why it is so important for Chinese missiologists to “understand and critically integrate” imported cultural and metaphor worldview presuppositions lest what they “staunchly affirmed as biblical may have had more to do with nurturing cultural mores…than with God’s eternal truth,” as Brent Fulton writes.

Crossing Cultures: Conveying the Gospel

Worldviews are extraordinarily resistant to change, and archetypical cultural and gospel metaphors shape how missionaries convey the gospel across cultural boundaries. That is why it is so important for Chinese missiologists to “understand and critically integrate” imported cultural and metaphor worldview presuppositions lest what they “staunchly affirmed as biblical may have had more to do with nurturing cultural mores…than with God’s eternal truth,” as Brent Fulton writes.

A Cautionary Tale: Reacting to Rumors That China Rewrites the Bible

Professor Anna says, “Many times, textbook authors make mistakes out of ignorance, not with the intent to provoke…Although the impact is limited, it can serve as a reminder for religious individuals: You need to engage in more clarification and dialogue and prioritize interaction with professionals from different fields to help eliminate illiteracy.”

A brightly colored wooden sign says, “Welcome.” Given that the small community of the Chinese diaspora and the East Asian societies and Western societies that host it are all facing crises and challenges brought about by various changes, the ministry work done by churches in this context can provide a powerful witness, allowing the grace experienced by this small community to bless the much larger Chinese and Western populations in which it is embedded.

A Watershed Moment for Global Chinese Christianity

Given that the small community of the Chinese diaspora and the East Asian societies and Western societies that host it are all facing crises and challenges brought about by various changes, the ministry work done by churches in this context can provide a powerful witness, allowing the grace experienced by this small community to bless the much larger Chinese and Western populations in which it is embedded.