Research and advocacy organizations who have kept the world informed of rights violations in China and other countries are now laying off staff, resulting in decreased visibility into the lives of those who suffer for their faith.
Just as the serpent maneuvers and weaves through its environment, we can adopt an outward appearance of compliance while preserving inner principles.
Open Doors has released its latest World Watch List, the annual roster of countries where persecution of Christians is most extreme. China moved up in the rankings, from 19th to 15th place among the 50 nations profiled.
In a society and culture that values platforms and celebrity, may we be like the ordinary disciples of the early church—living to be forgotten so that Christ will be remembered.
It is our responsibility to actively seek the opportunities for building shalom and to pray earnestly for the authorities until we see the alternative doors opened for holistically blessing the people in China.
I no longer wallowed in self-pity as a piece of wild grass because such grass is also created by God and loved by God.
People have never been so eager to hear about the gospel because their lives and hopes have never been so damped in the past four decades.
Hearing the incredible stories from both the children and their parents, I feel I understand why the Chinese church is once again facing severe oppression… This implicit self-exodus happening in China seems to embody God’s mercy and unfailing love. Without this persecution and oppression, we would undoubtedly lose our children forever; under the communist schemes, our children would be brainwashed and become poorly educated rebels against the truth.
More Chinese people, both believers and non-believers, are looking for ways to leave China. Some people are leaving because of persecution, while others want to escape the imposition of “Xi thought.” As Chinese immigrants arrive in our communities, we need to look for ways to welcome the newcomers and show them the love of Christ.
At its most basic level, Sparks presents readers with a host of remarkable women and men who persist in talking about what really happened. In an environment focused on silencing certain aspects of the past, these are the stories of the Chinese citizens who say the quiet part out loud.
The cultural and political aspects of the Sinicization campaign go hand in hand. At its core, the campaign is all about political control. Yet, given China’s culture of political dominance, it is also very much about culture—a culture of obedience in which religion serves the interests of the state…
In the face of adversity, we were asked a profound question: Are we willing to pay the price to follow Jesus? This period of persecution became a crucible, testing our faith and convictions.