• Mon-12-2024
Azerbaijan draws scrutiny for religious freedom violations (December 4, 2024, The Baptist Paper)

Azerbaijan, which recently hosted a United Nations climate summit, has come under international scrutiny for human rights and religious freedom violations. Days before the climate summit, the Azerbaijani government held a summit of religious leaders working on climate issues, calling itself “well-known for its traditions of tolerance, multicultural values and inter-civilizational and inter-religious cooperation.”

  • Mon-12-2024
Caught Between Conflicts, Lebanon’s Christians Resist Displacement and Division (November 22, 2024, The Media Line)

Israel has increased its attacks on Christian-dominated areas as a way to discourage Lebanese Christians from supporting their Shia neighbors. “There is nothing we can really do. We don’t have a say in this war, not now, not then. Hezbollah imposed this war on all Lebanese, despite their religion.”

  • Mon-12-2024
South Korea’s Missions Success Won’t Be Its Future (September 17, 2024, Christianity Today) (Subscription required)

The extraordinary church story of the 20th century is struggling with a demographic crisis, disillusionment with Christianity, and a 2007 Taliban attack. Still, most are optimistic about the future of South Korea’s missionary movement as they see growth in new conceptualizations and expressions of missional living among younger Korean Christians.

  • Mon-12-2024
Iran: Where Oppression Helps the Church Grow (October 18, 2024, Persecution.org: International Christian Concern)

Decades of fierce government oppression have failed to eradicate the church in Iran. Introduced in 1979 after a bloody revolution, the modern-day theocracy ruling Iran is consistent in its violence against all who dare disagree with its radical interpretation of Islam. From its founding, the government has enacted a draconian system of laws.

  • Mon-12-2024
Secret Believers Share Faith under Fire (October 11, 2024, CBN Asia)

One-hundred-thousand Christians are murdered because of their faith each year. In many cases, governments are to blame because they pass laws that restrict religious freedom. Recently, CBN News gained exclusive access to a gathering of secret believers inside a former Soviet Republic to get a close-up look at what life is like for Christians who face daily persecution.

  • Tue-12-2024
When Will the Soldiers Return? (December 5, 2024, China Partnership)

After his friend had spent three years behind bars, Li Yingqiang wrote and shared this letter to his imprisoned comrade. Although Christians may face different battlefields — some in jail, others a part of the wider world — all believers serve and fight for the same Commander. The fight may be different, but God uses all experiences to further his kingdom.

  • Mon-12-2024
Chinese Folk Religion: “Belief” (November 28, 2024, Stephen Jones: A Blog)

My new film on the 1995 New Year’s rituals in Gaoluo prompts this post on the tenacity of rural tradition. Still reflecting on my fieldwork, it’s worth revisiting my remarks in Plucking the winds (pp.277–85, with minor edits) on “belief”: By 1995, as throughout its history, the association had a patchwork of ritual artifacts made at various times over the last century. The previously bare and unprepossessing “public building”, once fully adorned, becomes a place of great beauty, a fitting backdrop for the association’s ritual performance.

  • Mon-12-2024
Xiamen: Beautiful, Coastal… and Expensive (December 2, 2024, China Partnership)

This December, we are finishing our year of prayer for Chinese cities by praying for Xiamen, a beautiful (and expensive!) coastal city in eastern China. Xiamen has a population of about 4 million, and has a long history as an important port city for China. It sits just across the strait from Taiwan, and is known within China as a famous tourist destination. Although it is a lovely city with an enjoyable atmosphere, Xiamen’s high cost of living makes it difficult for young people to settle down and build their lives there. Today, four Xiamen pastors introduce us to their home.

  • Mon-12-2024
Guangzhou: Raising Gospel Soldiers (November 28, 2024, China Partnership)

How does the church impact the city? Through Christian life. The Christian life is the process in which we apply truth to daily life situations. Our church’s vision for service can be summed up in a few words: righteous laws, a gospel of grace, sound doctrines, godly living, a healthy diet, a healthy body, clear calling, holy service.

  • Mon-12-2024
The Battle of Faith (November 22, 2024, ChinaSource)

Pastor Hsi’s spiritual battles, particularly the split in the Hung Tung Church, tested his faith and leadership in profound ways. Yet, through these trials, he emerged stronger, his ministry expanding in the face of opposition. In the final installment, we will reflect on his last days, the legacy he left behind, and the lessons we can learn from his life of service and faith.