My passion and the core values of FollowOne involve connecting underutilized resources with underserved needs for the glory of God. This is happening now in a way that is shocking but wonderful. It all began when God started moving in the life of a young girl in Georgia. When I met Emma in 2010 her mother mentioned, "Emma has a special place in her heart for China."
In recent years it has become more common for political and religious leaders in China to acknowledge some of the positive aspects of early foreign missionary work in China.
This brief eulogy recalls the life and influence of Moses Xie, a patriarch in the 20th century Chinese church who endured more than two decades of imprisonment for his refusal to cooperate with the Three Self Patriotic Movement following its formation in the early 1950s. Following his release in the early 1980s Pastor Xie became a mentor to many young leaders and at times a spokesman on behalf of Christians in China to the outside world. He passed away in June of 2011, and this was published in Church China Journal in July of 2011.
This article from the Gospel Times website in October of 2011 is about the launch of BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) in Beijing.
This is from the testimony section of the website for Zion Church in Beijing. It is the story of God's grace in a difficult marriage.
While much attention has been given in the West to the Chinese church's Back to Jerusalem vision, the realization of this vision has been a slow and difficult process.
One thing that has been historically lacking in the Chinese church is a corpus of indigenous worship music. In the past few years, however, some musicians have begun to compose and produce music for the church. These new songs are slowly gaining popularity.
On the occasion of Dr. James Hudson IIIs death in 2009, Sina Weibo user @何超人 posted a short video highlighting his life and work in China.
The plight of Iranian Pastor Yousef Nadarkahni has attracted the concern of China's online Christian community. New information regarding his case is posted and reposted on Christian websites and Weibo (micro-blog) pages, often accompanied by urgent calls to pray for Pastor Nadarkahni.
Pastor Jin briefly looks at the history of the church in China and how it influences today's church as well as the changes the present-day church faces. He identifies six challenges facing the church and also looks to the future. In a side bar, he challenges the North American church.
I have recently been struck by how susceptible my attitude is to being influenced by my environment. This sounds obviousalmost tautologicalbut let me explain a bit about the kind of influences I am thinking of.
One of the wonderful things about cross-cultural living is the nearly constant barrage of surprises. After living in a country for nearly ten years, it is easy to fool yourself into thinking that you have the place figured out, that you know what is up and what is down, what is in and what is out. Sometimes, you even seem to know what to expect and what not to expect. But when those thoughts creep in, beware something is likely to come out of left field and remind you that you are still pretty clueless about all the little things that go on in the society around you. The unexpected may throw you for a loop and make you frustrated, or even angry. However, more often than not, it can be a positive experience, something which opens a window allowing you to see that the society which you so poorly understand, and which you sometimes think barely functions, is, in fact rather "normal." Then, at least for a few minutes, you might have the feeling of being an insider instead of the outsider that you in reality always are.