Christians to Welcome Qatar's First Christian Church (May 5, 2025, Christian Post)
Next month, the St. Mary's Catholic Church will be among the first of a series of churches to open its doors in the Qatar capital of Doha. Anglican, Greek Orthodox, and Coptic churches are expected to soon follow.
Hindu nationalism threatens India’s secular foundations (May 8, 2025, East Asia Forum)
Since 2014, BJP governance has eroded India's secular foundations through legislation targeting religious minorities, particularly Muslims. The Waqf (Amendment) Act, the Citizenship Amendment Act and growing violence against Muslims and Christians signal a fundamental shift toward Hindu nationalism. This transformation threatens India's constitutional values and global standing as a pluralistic democracy.
Lebanon at the hinge point of change as political standoff continues (April 29, 2025, Mission Network News)
Amazing changes have taken place in Lebanon in recent months, yet the battle for a free country isn’t over yet. The political climate has impacted ministry, sometimes for the worse and sometimes with new doors.
A dream of Jesus in Brunei leads to 30 years of women’s ministry (April 11, 2025, Open Doors UK)
Sara faithfully ministers to the women in her church, helping them to build strong relationships with their spouses. And it’s all because of a dream she had when she was 12…
New Religious Regulations for Foreigners in China (May 6, 2025, ChinaSource)
A few weeks ago, the Chinese government announced an updated set of regulations to govern the religious activities of foreign personnel. Many secular and Christian media outlets in the West trumpeted this as something new, indicating the government’s desire to ban foreign religious involvement in China. These regulations went into effect on May 1 and apply to all foreigners living in or visiting China (including tourists) and their religious activities.
Wuhan: Central China’s Connection Point (May 5, 2025, China Partnership)
Although most people outside of China probably think of Wuhan as the origin of the Covid pandemic, within China, the city’s reputation is more layered. Wuhan is a connection hub and important center for all of central China, with some referring to Wuhan as the “Chicago of China.” Wuhan has many universities and young people, and is an important educational center for central China.
Standing in the True Light (May 5, 2025, ChinaSource)
Why would a Protestant Chinese scholar, deeply rooted in decades of house church life and theological training, turn to the Eastern Orthodox Church? This question raises deeper issues about spiritual formation, tradition, and longing. Mark Shan’s story offers a unique window into one man’s desire to seek what he considers the fullness of Christian life—something ancient, embodied, and spiritually powerful.
When the Church Stands Low (to Rise Again) (May 2, 2025, Chinese Christian Voices)
This reflection by Pastor Nelson Leung offers a humble and honest glimpse into what local churches are facing: declining worship attendance, aging leadership, emigration, fatigue—and yet also creativity, resilience, and hope. Rooted in both statistics and spiritual insight, his words invite the wider body of Christ to reflect, persevere, and rise again in hope—even when standing from the lowest place.
Did China ‘slap’ Francis in his coffin? – UCA News (May 1, UCA News)
As more than 1.4 billion Catholics around the world said farewell to Pope Francis — and millions of non-Catholics watched his funeral live — one country’s absence stood out: Xi Jinping’s China. This absence was so conspicuous that even critics of both Pope Francis and China hardly dared to comment.
Shenzhen: “Sheep Without a Shepherd” (April 30, 2025, China Partnership)
Shenzhen is a city with many people, so many people. But they truly are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Pray that God will enable more churches to see the needs of these first-tier cities. May he move the churches to send workers to Shenzhen to harvest the crops.
AsiaBriefs, produced in partnership with ChinaSource, is a place for you to catch up on news items and analysis from around Asia that you might have missed. It is a curated list of links from published online sources. Clicking a link will take you to a website other than Asia Congress or ChinaSource. Neither Asia Congress nor ChinaSource is responsible for the content or other features on that site. Further, an article’s inclusion does not equal an endorsement. Links to China stories are from ZGBriefs, a weekly publication of ChinaSource that highlights important news and analysis from China. You can read the complete, unabbreviated version of ZGBriefs at ChinaSource, and subscribe to receive it by email every Thursday.
Editor
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
Explore Topics
Newsletter