All articles in category China

Discovering the heart of China

By Colin Nevin

September 2008

China

Discovering the heart of China

Discovering the heart of China China has been very much in the headlines lately, and we are often given negative impressions from the news reports we receive — whether they relate to the Olympics, the thorny issue of Tibet, or human rights and the persecution of ‘underground’ churches. China is even being blamed for the world’s economic ills in worries over its rising demand for raw materials and oil. However, all these criticisms were temporarily quieted when the extent of the Sichuan earthquake on 12 May shocked the world, and aid began to flow in from many nations. Even Taiwan which has no...

China and the Reformation Translation Fellowship

By John McFarland

April 2008

China

China and the Reformation Translation Fellowship

China and the Reformation Translation Fellowship One goal of Chairman Mao’s ‘Cultural Revolution’ in China (1966-1976) was to snuff out the religious impulse in man. He attempted to do this by persecuting the weak church, ridiculing all things spiritual, and proving once for all that the co-operation of people under their almighty State could satisfy the deepest needs of man. How did Mao fare? In the middle of that ‘revolution’ liberal Western missiologists were declaring that more than a century of Christian missionary effort in China had been for nothing — ‘The church in China is dead’, they declared. But did you...

A visit to China Part 2

By Jack and Angelina Sin

March 2008

China

A visit to China Part 2

A visit to China In January’s ET Jack and Angelina Sin described their visit to China. Here they provide some historical background to gospel and missionary work in that great land. Famous preachers in China Robert Morrison (1782-1834) was sent out to China by the London Missionary Society in 1807. He remained there until his death in 1834 — studying the language, compiling a Chinese dictionary and grammar, and translating the Bible. The next notable Western missionary was James Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission (today’s OMF), who was called by God to the mission field early in life. Arriving in Shanghai...

A visit to China Part 1

By Jack and Angelina Sin

January 2008

China

A visit to China Part 1

A visit to China China is the most populous nation in the world and territorially the third largest. It has changed greatly since the drive for modernisation began under Deng Siow Ping in the 1970s. With a huge market of 1.3 billion people, it is well poised to host the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. From 6-19 September 2007 we visited the cities of Shanghai, Beijing and Dalian, fellowshipping with believers and conducting Christian meetings there. China’s mainstream churches are known as the Three Self Churches (self-propagating, self-supporting and self-ruling). They are largely managed by the state authorities. House churches, however, abound and...

Chinese puzzle

January 2002

China

Chinese puzzle

It can be difficult to grasp the true state of a church from a distance. This is particularly true when we live many thousands of miles away and speak a different language! In recent years there have been reports of great movements of God in China. We hear of large numbers of converts to Christianity and frequent periods of persecution. It is therefore helpful when the situation is assessed by someone who has researched it first hand and can provide a biblical perspective. We reproduce below an edited version of a letter received from Phoebe Ma, former chief editor of the Chinese Reformed magazine Faith...

MISSIONARY SPOTLIGHT-House churches in China

December 1999

China

MISSIONARY SPOTLIGHT-House churches in China

Leaders of major house-church movements in China have issued a ‘united appeal’ calling on the Chinese Government to recognise the legitimacy of Christian groups outside the government-approved ‘Three Self Patriotic Movement’. The seven-point statement, issued from an unidentified location in Henan province and dated 22 August 1998, was reportedly drafted by twelve house church leaders from various provinces. Their repeated use of the term ‘Chinese House Church’ suggests that these leaders view themselves not as members of scattered, unrelated groups but rather as part of a larger body. In the first such statement directed at the Chinese Government, these leaders call on the government to...

Letter from Hong Kong

By Cameron Tallach

May 1999

China

Letter from Hong Kong

Prior to its return to China probably the most frequently asked question about Hong Kong was, ‘What will it be like after [1 July] 1997?’ Now, almost two years after the hand-over, ‘Business as usual’ is probably the simplest answer. It is also appropriate, because business is what Hong Kong is largely about and most high-level decisions seem to be made to protect those interests. Few changes ‘One country, two systems’ was Deng Xiao Ping’s formula for Hong Kong’s reunification with the motherland. The Beijing authorities promised to leave the province unchanged for fifty years after its return to China, and it would seem...

MISSIONARY SPOTLIGHT

December 1998

China

MISSIONARY SPOTLIGHT

House churches in China Leaders of major house-church movements in China have issued a ‘united appeal’ calling on the Chinese Government to recognise the legitimacy of Christian groups outside the government-approved ‘Three Self Patriotic Movement’. The seven-point statement, issued from an unidentified location in Henan province and dated 22 August 1998, was reportedly drafted by twelve house church leaders from various provinces. Their repeated use of the term ‘Chinese House Church’ suggests that these leaders view themselves not as members of scattered, unrelated groups but rather as part of a larger body. In the first such statement directed at the Chinese Government, these...

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