The study then takes a closer look at the brief emergence of a comparatively Chinese underground church…before concluding with a fascinating reflection on martyrdom, comparing the Chinese notion of suffering perseverance motivated by filial loyalty to the saints who have gone before with the European concept of sacrificing one’s life for the gospel.
The new generation of believers and church leaders are no longer easily excited by large conferences and mission movements but are willing to delve deeper into each individual’s life. They have started moving away from focusing on the relationship between church and state and are now turning their attention to broader public concerns.
Chinese Bible translations were often the result of years of diligence, at times division, and significant group work. While Westerners often numerically dominated the projects mentioned above, Chinese Christians also played a role.
“The abrupt change in China's zero-covid policy allowed our congregation to live out God's love. In the face of sickness and scarcity, we supported each other sacrificially,” writes a Chinese believer. In the face of medication shortages and sick children, the church family pulled together to share what they had.
Despite China’s growing global economic power, it is becoming increasingly closed and hostile to foreign influence from outside and foreign people inside the country. How, then, does the church in China maintain ties with the global church? We remain open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and pray for discernment to interact wisely with Chinese brothers and sisters.
One…reason for [the] drop in the number of publications [is] the measures introduced to combat the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in…less direct contact. However…the decline started before the arrival of the pandemic and secondly, the Communist Party had…been busy for many years…to control the information environment, even before the watershed 2018 regulations came into force.
In the polarized political landscape, China garners near-universal disapproval. The instrumentalization of China's church distorts reality for political gain, linking it with domestic religious freedom issues. Genuine dialogue is needed to address complex concerns and avoid silencing Chinese Christian voices.
[A group of believers] later distributed supplies and meals to the people who were being relocated. [One sister] shared, "As we engage in rebuilding our hometown after the flood, we aspire to provide assistance according to our capabilities for whatever is required."
God works through the lives of individual believers to spread the gospel and fulfill the great commission. In this post, we have rounded up several posts that look at multiple important missionaries from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Take a walk through the past and learn about different missionary efforts in China, from the Nestorians to Matteo Ricci to missionaries like Robert Morrison and Hudson Taylor.
The author delves into the history of how Pentecostalism came to China in the late nineteenth century. He introduces us to early missionaries—including women—Chinese leaders, and revivals.
Balcombe brings us into the present by telling us about the Pentecostal church at the end of the Cultural Revolution and on through the years to its present situation.