Atheists say Indonesia denies right to live religion-free (February 6, 2025, Deutsche Welle)
A rare legal effort to secure rights for atheists and nonbelievers was quashed last month by Indonesia's Constitutional Court, which ruled that a citizen must profess a faith, even a minority one, on official documents, and that marriage must conform to religion.
Faith Under Siege: New Documentary Exposes Severe Persecution of Evangelical Christians by Russia (February 5, 2025, The Christian Broadcasting Network)
A new documentary is shining a light on the growing persecution of evangelical Christians here in Ukraine, a crisis that remains largely unknown in the West. "A Faith Under Siege" takes viewers to the front lines, where pastors and missionaries are providing hope amidst the horrors of war.
Podcast: Cyprus puts the spotlight on religious freedom and protecting Christians and other Middle East minorities (December 26, 2024, Kathimerini)
Cyprus is once again making headline news as Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides becomes the first leader in the region to appoint a special representative – Ambassador Thessalia Salina Shambos – for religious freedoms and the protection of minorities in the Middle East. The Washington Bureau Chief for Breitbart News Network who interviewed President Christodoulides about this move, joins Thanos Davelis to break down why this is such a significant story.
How Islam Became the State and Only Religion of the Maldives (December 8, 2024, MSN - UAE Moments)
The Maldives' conversion to Islam was a gradual process influenced by its geographical location, cultural exchanges, and strategic trade links. Before Islam, the Maldivian people practiced Buddhism and, earlier, forms of Hinduism. These earlier faiths left cultural and archaeological marks, including Buddhist stupas and monasteries, some of which are still evident today.
Shamanism in Japan (December 6, 2024, Christianity Today) (Subscription required)
Japanese shamanism is not a religion but a way of exercising spiritual guidance in the context of an animist worldview. It likely arose from the shamanistic practices of the Ainu, an Indigenous ethnic group in northern Japan.
Seeking the Good in DeepSeek (February 3, 2025, ChinaSource)
I had always thought that AI couldn’t replace artistic creations—those AI-generated texts, music, drawings and videos tend to repulse people after being watched a few times. But this time, honestly speaking, after reading the wuxia novels (Chinese stories about knights doing kung fu) and a few modern poems generated by DeepSeek, as a die-hard literature fan I was in a trance, shocked by its “creativity.”
How Global Believers Can Pray for China (February 3, 2025, China Partnership)
We want to pray for China in 2025 — but how? Today, a Chinese believer follows up last week’s post on why it is important for global believers to pray for China and shares how we can concretely do so. Pan Xihong uses China Partnership’s prayer guides on various Chinese cities to help his church pray for the needs in those cities. As he prays for specific needs and learns more about the history of these cities, he sees God move.
More than Conquerors (January 31, 2025, ChinaSource)
Focusing only on “what China is doing to Christians,” as seen in its draconian laws, or on individual cases, which concern only a tiny fraction of China’s sizable Christian population, obscures the more complex picture of Christian life in China’s current environment.
Why Global Believers Should Pray for China (January 30, 2025, China Partnership)
A Chinese Christian shares how he has seen God use the prayers of the church around the world to bless China — and why he longs for those prayers to continue. There are many needs in Chinese society right now. As some Chinese acknowledge the futility of life apart from God, Pan Xihong believes this is a crucial time for the church to step in and show people God’s love. But Chinese believers cannot do this alone! Revival is built on prayer, and the prayers of other Christians around the world are a crucial part of what God is doing in China now.
What DeepSeek Says about the Church in China (January 29, 2025, Christianity Today)
When I asked DeepSeek, the new Chinese AI chatbot, Tuesday morning whether or not I should attend an unregistered house church in China, its answer surprised me. Instead of telling me flat out to avoid it—in the same way it diverts questions on other sensitive topics—it told me to keep a low profile, referring to the Chinese concept of “policies at the top and countermeasures below.” Apparently, China’s AI also has Chinese survival wisdom.
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Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs. Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University …View Full Bio
Blessing Asia
In October-2022 more than 500 Christian leaders from across Asia gathered in Thailand for the Asia 2022 Congress, sponsored by the Lausanne Movement and various partnering organizations. I had the opportunity to participate in the Congress virtually and was mightily blessed. From Bible exposition to K-pop worship, and through seminars and workshops, the participants were encouraged by the stories of what God is doing in countries all over Asia. Clearly, God is on the move.
A beautiful vision was portrayed in a video of the popular worship song The Blessing, featuring singers from all over Asia. Here it is:
Many of the sessions have already been posted on their website and to their YouTube channel.
One that I found particularly helpful considering all that is going on in China was a presentation titled Church and State Relationship in Asia Today. You can see the video here.
I encourage you to spend some time on their website; there are fantastic resources for understanding God’s work in Asia today.
Original link: https://www.chinasource.org/resource-library/blog-entries/blessing-asia/
Image credit: Andrea Brucker, via Unsplash
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