For a moment, it was easy to understand the dream of finding something of home among one’s own, even far from home. Yet I wondered about the reverse: might someone still feel like a stranger among people who shared their language and cultural memories, longing for a belonging that familiarity alone could not provide?
Wang Yi said, “We have an opportunity to demonstrate to society what the church is; why spiritual authority should not be in the hands of those who wield the sword; why we can…endure external governance but cannot allow our faith, worship, teaching, …and members to come under the state’s review and control.”
Christianity in China and the global diaspora have taken on new layers of complexity, crossing many traditional boundaries. One of the editors of a new book on the subject reflects on what this means for the study of and working relationships in the Chinese church.
Many Chinese believers enter the church at times of personal crisis. Financial troubles, broken relationships, health emergencies—real world trials often reveal to Chinese people the fractured nature of their safety nets, as friends, family, and the state fail to provide them with what they need. These moments of brokenness can be used by God to open people’s hearts to their own weakness and God’s strength.
Above all, church development is not about how we feel, or how difficult it is. It is about fulfilling the Great Commission.
Insights from a conversation about the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the church in China.
Looking at the boundary of church and state from this perspective, the church holds fast to its heavenly citizenship in a prominent manner, but holds fast to its outward rights in an inconspicuous manner.
"I agree with the principle of separation of church and state. However, this is simply a concept. It is not sufficient to help us face complicated church-state relationships. We must carefully, diligently study the Bible. How is the church to exist in this world?"
Three challenges facing the church in China.
Using a historical approach, this book looks at the early stages of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and Chinese Protestant Christians’ responses to changing church-state relations from 1949-1958. The author proposes that to understand the conflicts between the early stages of TSPM and the Chinese church leaders, theology and Christian identity are significant factors. This work provides valuable insights to keep in mind while studying the history of Chinese Christianity.
A Chinese Christian writes about ecclesiology in China