Post-Conference Reflections on Expatriate Ministry in China
What I learned on my Thai Spring Festival holiday...
Ministry
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Call for Photos
Our upcoming spring edition of the ChinaSource Quarterly deals with cults in China and we are looking for appropriate photos to illustrate this topic.
Cultural Values, Mapped
Crossing a cultural boundary inevitably leads to cultural clashes. Sometimes the clashes occur at the point of behaviors and customs, such as eating, drinking, or even how to cross a street. More often, however, the clashes occur at the deeper level of cultural values — beliefs about what is right and wrong or how how the world ought to be ordered.
An Indiana Zuotan (Informal Discussion)
Last week, on my way home from giving two days of lectures at Taylor University, I had the opportunity to visit the Center on Religion and Chinese Society, at Purdue University in Lafayette, IN.
Community and Witness
Cross-cultural workers have long debated the merits of devoting more or less time and energy to relations with other expatriates.
Seven Things to Know about Culture Shock
The first time I crossed a cultural boundary; I was but 1 year old! And no, it wasn't my parents whisking me off to some far-off tropical land; it was my family returning to the US after a term of service in Pakistan.
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.
Toward a Partnering Mindset
Recently I found myself in a discussion with several colleagues about what it takes to "partner well" in China.
Thinking the Unthinkable
When US Air flight 1549 landed unexpectedly in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, the pilot, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, III, became an instant hero. But there were other heroes on the Hudson River that day as well.
ChinaSource Summer Reading
It is often said that summer is for reading. We at ChinaSource love to read all year long, but we thought you might be interested in what members of the ChinaSource team have in our book bags this summer.
To Tattoo or Not to Tattoo?
"Where are their pastors?" my Chinese colleague asked incredulously as she counted the visible tattoos on the arms and legs of some of the newly arrived Christian English teachers. "How can their pastors allow them to have tattoos?"
Some Common Mistakes
One of my favorite blogs is the China Law Blog, maintained by lawyers with extensive knowledge of and experience in China. It seems like they always have something interesting and helpful to say.