A weekly roundup of news and analysis to help you follow key developments in China and the Chinese church.
Chinese Santa (February 10, 2014, ChinaSource Blog)
To see our Chinese brothers and sisters as true equals, we need to let go of the subtle cultural pride that leads us to look down on our neighbors. In China, we are the cultural outsiders. We are not the arbiters of what is and is not normal. On the contrary, if we want to enter into people's lives, and earn the right to speak meaningfully to their situations, then we need to learn to see through Chinese eyes.
Compilation of important news from China this week, from around the Web.
Compilation of important news from around China, from around the Web.
A compilation of this week's news stories from around China, from published online sources.
A compilation of the important news from China this week, from online published sources.
A compilation of important news from China this week, from online published sources.
A compilation of this week's news items, gathered from published online sources.
Why China Celebrates Christmas (December 21, 2013, ChinaSource Blog)
Christmas is a global holiday, and it looks pretty much the same wherever goes is in the world. Including China. Once banned as a sign of bourgeois decadence, Christmas has made a roaring comeback in the Middle Kingdom. A recent article in the official English daily Global Times looked at why China celebrates Christmas. Not surprisingly, the writer highlighted the vast amount of economic activity generated by the holiday. Christmas in China, like anywhere else, is good for business. It puts people in a mood to spend money, gives them plenty of things to spend it on, and rewards the spending with the good feelings that come with giving and receiving gifts.
Christmas crusade (December 19, 2013, Global Times)
Christmas is, without doubt, becoming increasingly popular in China.Although Chinese people may not know the origins of Christmas, this has not affected their enthusiasm for the holiday, as the real reason for its popularity is not religious beliefs but consumption. Economic factors have brought Christmas into the lives of millions of Chinese people.However, with the rapid development of Christianity in China over the past 20 years, especially with the new phenomenon of worship services held in houses, office buildings and commercial spaces emerging in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and economically developed eastern coastal cities, more and more Chinese people are, for the first time, walking into churches for Christmas.
Religious Policies in China: Defining Normal (Winter Issue, ChinaSource Quarterly)The word "normal" is not something that those of us in the West commonly associate with the word religion or religious activities. Religious activities are simply religious activities, and to label one as normal and another as abnormal is, well, abnormal. What is normal for one religion or sect (baptizing people by dunking their heads under water) may seem strange, or even dangerous, to followers of another religion. This concept of "normal religious activities" is at the heart of the religious regulatory regime in China.
Dear ZGBriefs reader,
Christmas is coming! That means the end of the year is also near and time for fiscal year giving closes. We want to thank you for continuing to read and engage with ZGBriefs and offer you a chance to donate an end of year gift to support this fantastic publication!
A Pastors Reflections on the Asian Church Leaders Forum (December 2, 2013, Chinese Church Voices)
In June of this year, church leaders from all over Asia gathered in Seoul, South Korea for the Asian Church Leaders Forum. In attendance were many Chinese pastors who had been denied permission by the Chinese government to attend the 2010 Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa. One of those, Pastor Ezra Jin of the Zion Church in Beijing, wrote an article for the November 2013 issue of the Lausanne Global Analysis, titled A Landmark Encounter: The Significance of the ACLF for the Church in China.