Ideas

Editorial reflection and analysis on issues shaping Chinese Christianity.

Latest

3 Observations from Teaching Biblical Interpretation

For many international organizations working in China, the transition to local leadership can be a challenging one. In particular, it is not always easy to achieve high levels of spiritual formation when many local leaders are either first generation believers or fairly recent converts. 

Cultural Chop Suey

In the past year, we have heard numerous reports of the Party’s attempts to promote traditional Chinese cultural values and to warn against the pernicious influence of western cultural values. But are the traditional values even there anymore? In the third section of the article ”The Shadow of Chinese History," Huo Shui takes a look at the destruction of traditional Chinese values and wonders on what values will China base her future development.

Choosing a Career

Whether in China or anywhere else around the world the choice of which career path to take is one that elicits no small amount of hand-wringing and late-night anxieties. For the Christian, there are additional concerns of avoiding corruption and trying to be in God’s will. How then should a Christian approach this question?

Recently, a blogger at The Good and Faithful Steward blog site shared some insights into the struggle.

China: Grandfather or Grandchild?

In the first section of the article "The Shadow of Chinese History," writer Huo Shui gives an overview of Chinese dynastic history. We highlighted that section in a post titled “A Long and Glorious History.” In the second section of the article Huo Shui uses the concepts of grandfather and grandchild to help us understand China’s desire for dominance. 

Getting Rid of the B-I-G

The latest episode in our ChinaSource Conversations podcast series continues our exploration into mentoring in the Chinese context.

A Long and Glorious History

If you’ve spent any amount of time in China, you have probably encountered the phrase “China has a long and glorious history.” In fact, you’ve probably encountered it so many times that you are tempted to roll your eyes when you hear it.

Mentoring in the Chinese Context, Part 2

In part two of our podcast “Mentoring in the Chinese Context,” we’ve brought back the same group of speakers to continue the conversation. In this episode they discuss what it means to be effective in ministry in the context of a changing China. They also explore the cultural complexities that should be noted when mentoring in China. 

Why China Needs Two

The big news out of China last week was, of course, the Party’s decision to alter its longstanding family planning policy.

How American Christians are Responding to Pluralism

The online publication Territory recently published a piece titled “In a Pluralistic Society, How are we to deal with those who hate the church?” Writing to an audience of Chinese Christians, the author presents the current religious landscape in the United States, particularly as it relates to issues such as so-called same-sex marriage and religious liberty. It’s a good reminder to Chinese believers that, even in a land known for religious liberty, there are (growing) tension points between the church and society, and that Christians need to be prayerful and wise in managing these tensions and divisions so as not to further alienate people from the church and the gospel.