Stories

Firsthand accounts of faith lived out in the context of Chinese Christianity.

Latest

Put Down the Tea Leaves (and Look Out the Window)

For those in long-term service in China, one of the difficulties in discerning where things are headed politically and socially is knowing how to separate out significant long-term trends from those events that, while appearing important in the moment, may prove to be mere distractions. This is particularly true for those working with the church in China, who often attempt to "read the tea leaves," through the lens of religious policy and its immediate affect upon China's Christians.

• September 23, 2014 •

“Stream of Praise” in Shenzhen

"Stream of Praise," a California-based music ministry has had a profound influence on the music sung in churches in China. If you have been to China and attended an urban house church or a "youth service" at a Three-self Church, then you have most likely listened to, or sung, their songs. Founded in 1993, they have written 330 songs, and sung at more than 1000 events around the world.

• September 11, 2014 •

This Is Crazy!

"This is crazy," I observed to my audience of parents and high school students in Beijing. "Why on earth would parents send their 14- or 15- or 16-year-olds to the other side of the world for schooling, especially when studies show some of the best schools in the world are in your own country?"

• August 26, 2014 •

Reflections on Worship

The piece translated below is from a post on the Weixin (WeChat) page of the Beijing Gospel Church, one of the citys more prominent house churches. The writer is sharing his thoughts on the nature of worship in the church.

• •

Turning Bricks into Jade

I have done a lot of cross-cultural training over the years for people heading off to work in China, and one of the resources that I turn to again and again is Turning Bricks into Jade: Critical Incidents for Mutual Understanding among Chinese and Americans. Edited by Mary Wong and others, this book is a collection of "critical incidents" or stories of cross-cultural conflict and misunderstanding between Chinese and Americans.

• August 21, 2014 •

Churches Respond to the Earthquake in Yunnan

On August 3, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck a remote region of Yunnan Province, in China's southwest, killing more than 600 people. The Chinese government quickly launched rescue operations and continues to provide relief for those affected. But what about the churches in the area? A reporter from the mainland site Christian Times talked with a local pastor in the area about how the churches in the area are responding. The article is translated below.

• August 12, 2014 •