Four incorrect assumptions often hinder Chinese Christians from understanding biblical generosity. Lee discusses elements of these assumptions involving poverty, prosperity, earthly examples of biblical generosity—including filial piety—and when it is best to start learning to be generous.
The guest editor's point of view . . .
Resources for learning about biblical stewardship.
A review of The Sower: Redefining the Ministry of Raising Kingdom Resources by R. Scott Rodin and Gary G. Hoag.
For those assigned to raising funds for the ministries they represent, this book, by seasoned fund development professionals, suggests a shift requiring a reorientation of the view of fund raising. Rather than seeing it as a process of reaping financial increase for God’s work, it should be seen as a process of sowing into the lives of God’s stewards. It is a reminder that it is God who gives the increase.
The author looks at two lives, that of Samuel Pollard and her own, to help us understand how faithful stewardship of time, abilities, and finances can be used to joyfully serve our Master, Jesus Christ. Pollard, an English missionary who loved the Big Flowery Miao people of southwest China, gave his life to introduce the Miao to Christ and uplift their society. The author is active in the arts and has been used by God to influence many lives in a variety of ways.
The blog Building Healthy Families recently posted a short piece about the importance of single and married Christians of the opposite sex setting boundaries in how they relate to one another.
A collection of articles and features on those being left behind or left over in China.
For many international organizations working in China, the transition to local leadership can be a challenging one. In particular, it is not always easy to achieve high levels of spiritual formation when many local leaders are either first generation believers or fairly recent converts.
A ChinaSource "3 Questions" interview based on the "Walking with Leaders" podcast series.
Taxi drivers in China are some of the most interesting people to talk with. Since they interact with ordinary people all day long, they are often a great source of information about what Chinese people are thinking. In this post, translated from the Chinese blog Building Healthy Families, a taxi driver asks his passenger, a Christian pastor, to explain the gospel to him. It’s an interesting window into the types of questions a Chinese seeker might have and a model for how to respond to them.
In the past year, we have heard numerous reports of the Party’s attempts to promote traditional Chinese cultural values and to warn against the pernicious influence of western cultural values. But are the traditional values even there anymore? In the third section of the article ”The Shadow of Chinese History," Huo Shui takes a look at the destruction of traditional Chinese values and wonders on what values will China base her future development.
My good friend and former student's father drove. The dirt road, only forged in the last year or so, made the ride tremendously bumpy and kept travel slow. The road wound through scores of vast, grassy valleys, each curve bringing my wife, me, and our friend to an area that looked so similar to the last we wondered if we were driving in circles.