American Christians Who Support Trump Should Be ‘Moved by the Plight of Persecuted Christians’ in Afghanistan, Says Advocate (March 7, 2025, Church Leaders)
Visa applicants must complete an interview before they can enter the U.S. However, there is no U.S. embassy in Afghanistan, so applicants must travel to a country where they can have the interview in person prior to being approved. These “in-between” countries are known as “lily pads.”
A Decade After ISIS: ‘Even When They Tried to Erase Us, God Left Us a Reminder of Life’ (March 7, 2025, National Catholic Register)
In a land where civilization began, Iraqi Christians, despite all the persecution and the pain, the suffering and the deep sorrow, are writing a new story — a story of resilience, of courage, and of hope. A decade after ISIS tried to erase them, they stand strong, rebuilding not just their homes but their lives, their faith and their future.
Churches In Indonesia Work To Reshape Lives 20 Years After Devastation (February 21, 2025, Religious Unplugged)
Twenty years after the dual disasters, Nias is reshaped again. Churches of Christ have dedicated thousands of dollars and hours to relief efforts and medical missions. Christians launched Jochebed’s Hope, a ministry that oversees a children’s home and programs to help islanders get a good education.
Evangelical Groups Begin Fundraising for New Worship Center in Qatar (February 27, 2025, Christianity Daily)
The World Evangelical Alliance has partnered with the Evangelical Churches Alliance in Qatar to break ground for a planned worship center for Evangelical Christians near the capital of the Middle Eastern country.
The Young Lawyer Who United Lebanon’s Christians in Worship (February 17, 2025, Christianity Today)
Lebanon has 12 officially registered Christian sects. Jesus prayed the church would be one. Once Mark Merhej did the math, the solution was worship. And in January 2024, the 29-year-old Maronite Catholic layman brought together representative patriarchs, bishops, and pastors from nearly every ecclesial family to pray collectively for the peace of Beirut.
Guilin: Restoring the Culture of Fellowship (March 10, 2025, China Partnership)
Three Guilin house church pastors told us about their city, and how it has changed (and stayed the same) in recent years. They say that area churches seem to be growing slowly, but overall, there are not many believers in Guilin. Their city is built around tourism, so Covid had a big impact on Guilin’s economy, and now many people are focusing on making as much money as possible, trying to make up for the time they lost during the pandemic.
Breaking the Cycle: Can Our Denomination Be Revitalized? (March 10, 2025, ChinaSource)
For decades, we have never seriously examined or reflected on the structure of our denomination—because, of course, we had no problems! If something wasn’t working, it had to be someone else’s fault. Naturally. When a church’s system is flawed, it is just like a company with structural problems—no matter how many people come in to serve, they ultimately cannot stay long. Either they become disheartened, or they burn out, leaving them no choice but to “fall in battle.”
Nestorian? Or Not? (March 7, 2025, ChinaSource)
While most of the steles told the accounts of emperors going hither and yon and engaged in this war or that, or promulgating policies, there was one that was of particular interest to me. It was a black marble stele that told the story of a religion called Jingjiao that had existed in the Chinese empire in the late 600s and early 700s.
Guilin: City of Beauty (March 6, 2025, China Partnership)
This March, we are praying for the southern China city of Guilin. Guilin is famous for its beautiful karst hills, rising up out of the misty air. The area is home to many ethnic minorities, and is one of China’s top tourist destinations. We spoke today with three Guilin pastors, who shared about the culture and gospel history of their beautiful city.
China’s Middle Class Searches for Faith and Meaning (January 8, 2025, Asia Society Policy Institute)
Guided by Marxist theory, China’s leaders once believed that religion would wither as the country became more educated, scientifically advanced, and economically developed. However, many policies meant to hasten modernization have created the very conditions for religion to flourish.
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