China's comeback as a world power is undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary stories of our time.
Equally extraordinary is the comeback of China's church. Both numerically and in terms of its growing influence in society, the church has experienced phenomenal growth during the past three decades.
The reviewer discusses the author's argument that China has created her own path for aid, how this is working in Africa and what it means for the continent.
In order to understand China today, it's helpful to understand this simple rule: nothing is as it seems. In fact, I would say this rule applies when observing and analyzing nearly all segments of life in China: politics, economy, social relationships and even religion. To put it another way, whatever China seems to be at any given moment, it is in fact, the opposite. This can be difficult for Westerners because we tend to be dichotomist in our thinking, wanting something to be either this or that. We don't do well with this and that.
Facts about the church in China may be more readily available than they were 10 or 15 years ago. But more information does not necessarily produce greater clarity. Often the opposite results.
The "Sunday Christian" phenomenon is not just a feature of lukewarm churches in the West. The demands of urban life in China have taken their toll on the commitment of Christians there as well. In this online church publication, two Chinese believers point out the dangers both for the spiritual life of the individual Christian as well as for the church.
This is the third section of an article on the Fuyinmen (Gospel Door) website titled "Christianity Brings Western Medicine to Guangdong Province." The first two sections can be found in the previous two posts. In this third section, the reporter conducts an interview with Protestant church officials from Guangdong Province concerning the historical development of the Church in the province.
The first part of the article on the Fuyinmen (Gospel Door) website focused on western missionary work in the medical field in Guangdong. The second part of the article focuses on education and a missionary's encounter with Hong Xiuquan, who would later lead the Taiping Rebellion.
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 anonymous post, on the popular Christian site Living Water, warns Christians to guard against complacency in their relationships, ministry, and pursuit of Christ.
"Faith is not just a beautiful adornment added to our lives; it encompasses our entire lives. Truth is not a set of ideas or theories, but personal realities for which one can live and die." This article presents a detailed analysis of the challenges facing the church in todays society. It was originally posted on the Sina blog of Xing Pinghuang, and later re-posted on the Gospel Times website.
From the opening chapter of his work on the proper method of mission practice (Nevius was at least partly inspired by Timothy Richard's work in Shandong), the following quote is a reminder for those of us who have found what we believe to be a better method for working in China to keep a proper perspective: