Happy almost-New Year! The days between Christmas and the new year lend themselves to taking stock and thinking over the last twelve months. What a year 2023 was! Below, we’ve assembled our most-read blog posts from the last year for you to ponder again or read for the first time. Enjoy!
1. Can I Travel to China Now?
by Joann Pittman, February 17, 2023
When China eliminated the zero-COVID policy, the next question was whether it was actually possible to get into China again. Since this was published, it’s gotten easier, but travel levels have still not recovered pre-pandemic levels.
2. Thoughts in Response to the End of the “Golden Age”
by Sylvia Yuan, January 15, 2023
This challenging response to Chen Jing’s 2022 article, “When the ‘Golden Age’ Is Over” clearly sparked readers’ interest. Sylvia Yuan encourages serious historical research into the Chinese church and how it has fared in relation to the various Chinese governments it has encountered over the centuries. At the same time, she cautions that this inquiry will be hard and may require quite a bit of time and discretion, given the current difficult circumstances for believers.
3. Listening in the Quietness
by Jerry An, November 13, 2023
Pastor Jerry An was able to travel to China after four years away and was struck by the quiet, in the airport, on the streets, and in the churches. He reflects on what that quiet means for the Chinese church.
4. WeChatting to the Glory of God, a Free Webinar
by Joann Pittman, May 12, 2023
On May 31, we hosted four speakers who are experienced in online ministry. You can watch the recording here. The webinar also sparked the autumn 2023 issue of ChinaSource Quarterly, “Digital Engagement.”
5. God Continues to Speak Tibetan
by Chris Gabriel, November 3, 2023
The translation of the Bible into Tibetan began in 1857, when Moravian translators wrote out their translations by hand. Building on that legacy, a newly updated translation, in modern literary Tibetan, was published in May 2023. Chris Gabriel’s meditation on the winding road to this new translation is inspiring and uplifting, showing us how God blesses the efforts of his people to share the gospel around the world.
6. Beyond the Standard Narrative
by Brent Fulton, February 24, 2023
As the government tightens its regulations on religious people and religious gatherings, it’s easy for those outside China to think that believers inside China are simply frozen and unable to do anything. However, as Brent Fulton points out, God is always at work, and China is a large and complicated place. It’s essential to pay attention to what believers in China are saying about their own experiences.
It is certainly getting harder to hear from Chinese believers, but we have a great series doing just that. Check out “How We Hear from the Church in China” for more.
7. Pressure on the Church, Pressure on the Party
by MDB, February 22, 2023
In his response to the winter 2022 CSQ, “Chinese Christians in the New Era,” MDB looks at pressure from several points of view. Not only does the government exert overt pressure on the church, government policies create tension within the church and between believers. On the other hand, the Communist Party seems to have quite a lot of competing pressures within its own structures.
8. 神学词汇—A Tool for Translators
by Mike, September 1, 2023
Translation of theological terms into Chinese is notoriously difficult. Even transliterating words is complex and lacks standardization. Add in the tumult of the 20th century and the ways different theological traditions approach translation, and you have a tangle when it comes to translating. A new tool, Shenxueecihui.com, attempts to bring some order to the chaos.
9. How Many Christians Are There in China? It’s Complicated
by Joann Pittman, September 15, 2023
A recent Pew Research Center report, called “Measuring Religion in China,” reports on the difficulty of assessing how many religious believers there are in China. Joann Pittman looks at the factors that complicate the assessment and also includes a long quotation from ChinaSource founder, Brent Fulton, on the challenges facing the church, as well as the place statistics should have in our approach to evangelism.
10. Heart vs Surface-level Reconciliation
by Jolene Kinser, March 13, 2023
Jolene Kinser’s series, “Peacemaking in China,” has been running throughout 2023 and has been both very challenging and a huge blessing. In this third installment, she tackles the important topic of true reconciliation after a conflict. It’s an excellent article, and the whole series is well worth reviewing. In addition, Jolene’s book, Changing Normal: Break Through Barriers to Pursuing Peace in Your Relationships, will be available to purchase on Amazon on January 14, 2024!
11. BONUS: A Prayer Calendar for Advent
By Joann Pittman, November 28, 2023
Advent is over, but the prayer requests and praise items in the calendar are still relevant. It’s always a good time to pray for the church in China!
Image credit: Jan Kopřiva via UnSplash.
Rachel Anderson
Rachel Anderson serves as the Assistant Content Manager at ChinaSource. Though she has never been to China, her ancestors were missionaries in East Asia and passed on a deep love and respect for those cultures. Rachel lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their five delightful children. View Full Bio
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