How Can We Better Prepare People for the Field?
An interview with Lauren Pinkston on preparing people for cross-cultural work.
Ideas
Editorial reflection and analysis on issues shaping Chinese Christianity.
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A New Day for Foreign NGOs?
For decades foreign NGOs trying to work in China have struggled with a lack of legal framework. Rumors have abounded about legislation that was “just around the corner,” but which never seemed to see the light of day.
How Do You Measure Success?
Faith-based organizations have, for too long, adopted a secular business model for gauging their effectiveness. This is the conclusion of Gary Hoag, Scott Rodin and Wesley Wilmer in their short but provocative book, The Choice.
Equipping Christian Leaders for Today’s China
A look at ChinaSource initiatives for Christian leaders in China facing new challenges in their ministries.
The State of Chinese Urban Churches
In this week’s Chinese Church Voices, we republish a post from the excellent China Partnership Blog. Last autumn China Partnership held a conference in Atlanta, centered on the topic “The Church in a Global-Local World.” Many of the speakers at the conference were church leaders from China. One of them gave a talk titled “The State of Chinese Urban Churches.” The speaker looks at the situation from three different perspectives: the Chinese value system, the political system, and the expansion of Christianity. China Partnership originally published it on their blog in February. It is reposted here in full, with permission.
One Step Closer to an NGO Law
As anyone who works in or deals with China on a regular basis knows, so much of life and work operates in a gray area – that space which can often be described as “neither legal nor illegal” since there are not yet laws governing the space or activity.
That has been the situation for numerous NGOs operating in China. Absent an actual law governing foreign NGOs in China, they've operated unofficially or with local blessing or registered as commercial enterprises.
Does China’s Constitution Guarantee Freedom of Religion?
For the outside observer seeking to make sense of China’s religious policy, the Chinese Constitution presents quite a conundrum.
Baptism Questions
Most Three-Self churches in China conduct baptism services on Easter Sunday each year. In this translated article from the Gospel Times, the writer shares questions that the pastors at two large churches in China ask of each person being baptized.
Visas for “Short Term Tasks”
New visa regulations and how they might affect you on your next trip to China.
New Report Highlights Roots of Religious Persecution in China
According to China Aid Association’s latest annual report, religious persecution in China more than doubled last year. The increase comes as no surprise, as 2014 was marked by a wave of attacks on church buildings, particularly in the city of Wenzhou and around the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang. The general social tightening that has come to characterize President Xi Jinping’s rule contributed to the pressure on religious believers, as did heightened tensions between the regime and ethnic minorities in Western China.
Defects in the Chinese Education System
In this “special report” in the Christian Times, a reporter talks with a Christian woman who runs a homeschooling academy in Guangzhou about her thoughts on the Chinese education system.
The Safety Belt of China
Last week I attended The Gospel Coalition Conference in Orlando, FL.