Chinese Christianity and the Missio Dei
As mission in China goes through changing circumstances, it is important to remember that the growth of the Chinese church is primarily the missio dei (mission of God) rather than our mission.
Reflecting on the End of the “Golden Age”
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Thoughts in Response to the End of the “Golden Age”
If Christian workers, foreign or local, were aware of the cyclic historical pattern, they might be less surprised by the recent retightening of religious policy after four decades of reform. It was just a matter of time.
The Paradigm Shifts as the Pendulum Swings
Preventing infiltration through preaching, seen as a national security concern, has become a valid reason for prohibiting foreign missions whenever the pendulum swings towards the restrictive side…. I propose revisiting the concept of missions in order to find a breakthrough.
Missiological Reflections on Money
Questions of money—supporting Chinese Christian workers, paying local assistants, giving gifts to “needy” Chinese—return like revolving doors as often as new expat Christians arrive in China.
Why Denominations?
An experienced cross-cultural worker discusses the issue of Christian denominations in China, in light of questions raised in the recent post, “When the Golden Age Is Over.” He argues that denominations can help churches unify and work together to further the spread of the gospel throughout China.
A Necessary Task
As the number of expatriate cross-cultural workers in China, and the scale of their work, has shrunk dramatically, it is vital that we take time to reflect on what we have done and how we have done it.
When the “Golden Age” Is Over
If we grasp the opportunity offered by this moment, what might we discover about ourselves and our ministries that could well benefit the Chinese church, as well as the global church, and could even contribute to the birth of a new mission paradigm for the future just as what happened during the second half of the twentieth century?