Laura de Ruiter grew up in China (1997–2010). She completed her BA in Biblical exposition at Moody Bible Institute in Spokane, US in 2016, then earned her master’s degree in strategic leadership and change management in 2017. From 2018 to 2019 she worked as a pastor in Frankfurt with a new church planting initiative for international professionals in the finance district of the city.
While at Moody Bible Institute, she started researching the situation for Christians and Christianity in China, as well as the Western perspective on Christians in China, for her senior thesis with the intercultural honors program. Her first article was published in Global Missiology in 2016. After graduating, she realized that her story was not finished and her research not yet complete. Therefore she continued to explore and research, which has led her to write a book on Christian persecution in China. She hopes to see it published in 2022. Currently she lives in The Netherlands and works part-time as an author.
One old-timer (a Bible-smuggler…) told me... “There is a lot possible when we function within the law. We can still head in all kinds of directions. There are always open doors in every country no matter how ‘closed’ they are. We just have to find them.”
When facing situations in which right and wrong choices are not quite so black and white, we need each other more than ever to discern the right path to take. In supporting each other, I believe we should also give each other the benefit of the doubt more often than not.
Many Chinese see Mao Zedong as a hero, while many Westerners see him as anything but. However, to understand China's new era, we must try to understand why the Chinese people continue to honor Mao and his legacy.
There have been seasons in China’s history when the sky seemed the limit. The possibilities for believers seemed endless…. Yet, there have also been seasons when China was closed, seasons when nothing seemed possible. And usually these followed a very open season, such as was not too long ago.
While insensitive cross-cultural work has often resulted in closed doors or deportation, sensitive and authentic cross-cultural work has time and again won over the hearts of the Chinese people.
As we stop to listen, as we hear the Chinese people’s stories, as we discover for ourselves Chinese history, as we put ourselves in China’s shoes, the Chinese context and therefore their practices and worldview become more understandable.
Growing up as I did in China, I had the privilege of listening and learning from many people who passed through our home and life.