![A young Chinese man reads the Bible sitting outside. May we welcome [Chinese international students], love them, teach them about Jesus, and disciple those who believe. May we prepare them well to return and may the churches in China prepare well to receive them.](https://media.chinasource.org/uploads/2024/12/QAR-2024-04-CSP-9-ChinaSource-Chinese-Christianity-Returnees-International-Students-Sino-US-Relations-300x150.jpg)
Returning from a Sojourn
May we welcome [Chinese international students], love them, teach them about Jesus, and disciple those who believe. May we prepare them well to return and may the churches in China prepare well to receive them.
Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs.
Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul (MN), and Chinese Culture and Communication at Wheaton College (IL) and Taylor University (IN).
Joann has a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul (MN), and an MA in teaching from the University of St. Thomas (MN).
She is the author of Survival Chinese Lessons and The Bells Are Not Silent: Stories of Church Bells in China.
Her personal blog, Outside-In can be found at joannpittman.com, where she writes on China, Minnesota, traveling, and issues related to "living well where you don't belong."
You can find her on Twitter @jkpittman.com and on Facebook at @authorjoannpittman.
She makes her home in New Brighton, Minnesota.
Latest
![A young Chinese woman prays in the church. May we welcome [Chinese international students], love them, teach them about Jesus, and disciple those who believe. May we prepare them well to return and may the churches in China prepare well to receive them.](https://media.chinasource.org/uploads/2024/12/BL241209-header-ChinaSource-Chinese-Christianity-Returnees-International-Students-Sino-US-Relations-300x150.jpg)
Insights into the Sojourn of Chinese Returnees
May we welcome [Chinese international students], love them, teach them about Jesus, and disciple those who believe. May we prepare them well to return and may the churches in China prepare well to receive them.
Gratitude
As we prepare for Thanksgiving Day celebrations here in the United States, I’ve been thinking about expressions of thanks in Chinese culture and language. The most common way of expressing thanks in Chinese is xie xie (谢谢). But there is another word: gan’en (感恩). I love that en means “grace.”
Five Observations from a Week in China
Even though I have been keenly aware of the immense changes that have taken place in China over the past few years, what I saw and experienced was more was more familiar to me than different.
Human Flourishing in Chinese Thought: A Christian Response
Enjoy the recording of I’Ching Thomas’ lecture, “Human Flourishing in Chinese Thought: A Christian Response.” Drawing on themes from her book Jesus the Path to Human Flourishing, I’Ching explored the notion of human flourishing in Chinese thought, focusing especially on Confucius’ teaching on self-cultivation and benevolence as keys to achieving the ideal of the Noble Man.
Loving Gen Z with the Truth of the Gospel
Joy Cheng closes by reminding us that, even as generations and technologies change, the need for salvation and love remain. The mission also remains the same. “The most loving thing we do as a parent,” she says, “is love our children with the truth of the gospel. We are the missionaries to this generation.”
Book Club: Shanghai Faithful
Join Joann Pittman for an online discussion on Jennifer Lin’s book, Shanghai Faithful: Betrayal and Forgiveness in a Chinese Christian Family.
Can I Still Get a Bible in China?
Since the Bible does not have a government-issued ISBN, they can only be sold legally in churches and bookstores affiliated with the [registered church] … “The process of printing and distributing Bibles is a regulated and systematic procedure that begins with an annual assessment by the [registered church] of the demand for Bibles. The proposed quantity is then submitted…for approval.”
A Prayer Calendar for Advent
Join us in praying for Chinese believers this Advent season.
Public Lecture: Honor and Shame
Brad Vaughn will give a lecture called, “Salvation in a Chinese Context” on November 11 in Berkeley, CA. Register to attend in person or to receive a link to the recording!
Learning about Global Digital Culture
Despite all the regulations and restrictions that the Chinese government puts in place to limit religious content on the internet, digital evangelism is alive and well and bearing fruit. The articles in this issue focus on what God is doing through digital engagement, not on what the Chinese government tries to prevent.
How Many Christians Are There in China? It’s Complicated
If you are looking for a tidy answer to the question of how many Christians there are in China… then you will be disappointed. That’s because this is the first time Pew has (sort of) come out and admitted that they don’t really know and that it’s almost impossible to really know.