My experience of the election and grace of the Triune God—the providential care of the Heavenly Father, the guarding of the Holy Spirit, and the guidance of the Holy Son—is truly a testament to what John Newton described as Amazing Grace in his hymn: “grace appeared the hour I first believed.”
We must explore what kind of ideology the Chinese church, which developed in tandem with such a turbulent history, would adopt as it enters the church, serves the church, and envisions the future.
The conference, "Chinese Christian Scholarship and the Church in Global Perspective: Review and Prospect," organized by the Institute of Advanced Studies of Chinese Christianity (IASCC) was certainly a fruitful event.
The universalizing claims of the Gospel about an unchanging God are spoken of in tension with the subjectivizing conditions of our lives in an ever-changing world.
The Chinese church is gradually moving from numerical breadth to intellectual maturity—from movement-driven growth to the building of institutions and a knowledge tradition.
These sessions showcased the intensity and seriousness with which this generation is pursuing in-depth knowledge with academic integrity, intellectual purpose, and faith.
The Chinese church is currently experiencing compression and purification. If it can take root amid headwinds, trust amid uncertainty, and discern direction amid complexity, this period may well become the foundation for future revival.
Hope flows out of this story. Shaped by solid historical information, filled with testimonies and accounts, with a story line that tells a gripping story, the conclusion is hope.
Christianity is not merely philosophical speculation, but a system of empirical knowledge based on ‘the Word becoming flesh plus Emmanuel.’
I gradually came to understand the deeper meaning of the Lord’s words over the years: those who trust in him are able, through him, to stand upright.
True formation is an inner checkup, a slow realization that our Heavenly Father has a specific plan and timing for us as we shift toward a life where God is truly first.
The cross did not remove the reality of pain—it reframed it.