Crossroads Podcast: What’s Next With Global Religious Freedom? (April 11, 2025, Religious Unplugged)
In this podcast, it was stressed that there are important, valid, news stories on both sides of this divide. The question is which stories will be covered by journalists in major newsrooms.
Imprisonment of Christians Jumps Six-Fold in Iran as Persecution Intensifies (April 1, 2025, Center for Human Rights in Iran)
Iran’s relentless persecution of Christians has surged in intensity and brutality over the last year, with the evangelical Christian community singled out for violent arrests and interrogations, lengthy prison terms that have increased six-fold, and brutal mistreatment in detention that has torn apart families and devastated lives.
Evangelical Divide Widens After South Korean President’s Ouster (April 11, 2025, Christianity Today) (Subscription required)
Korean evangelicals have also found themselves split over the ruling. Some see it as God’s just judgment, while others are disappointed by the outcome. Believers struggle to see how they can reconcile with those on the other side of the political divide.
God’s Own Treasure: Bible archaeologists unveil barmy plan to dig up Noah’s Ark they claim is buried beneath a mountain in Turkey (April 6, 2025, The Sun UK)
The clever team at Noah's Ark Scans are determined to solve one of religion's greatest mysteries by uncovering where the 510ft vessel is located today.
China Closed Christian Bookstores. Digital Publishing Grew in the Vacuum. (April 21, 2025, Christianity Today) (Subscription required)
Under China’s increasingly strict book-publishing system, fewer and fewer Christian books—translated or not—pass censors and obtain the government-issued ISBNs (International Standard Book Numbers) required for books to be sold in the country. To combat the lack of high-quality Christian literature, groups like Living Stone now produce e-books as PDF, EPUB, and MOBI files and disseminate them online.
Video: China’s Earliest Christians: Who Were They and What Can We Learn From Them? (ChinaSource, via YouTube)
In 1625, a great stone stele was discovered near modern-day Xi’an that told the story of a Christian presence in Tang Dynasty China during the 700s. The name given to their religion in this stele is Jingjiao (Luminous Teaching). Who were they and what did they believe? In this lecture, Dr. Thompson will introduce us to these early Christians and how their story can inform and inspire the work of the modern church in China. Dr. Glen Thompson is a Professor Emeritus at Asia Lutheran Seminary (Hong Kong). He is the author of “Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China,” (2024), which was given an Award of Merit from Christianity Today as one of the top books of Christian history in 2024. (Recorded on March 20, 2025)
Ink That Binds (April 22, 2025, ChinaSource)
It began with a simple idea—one chapter per person. The initial goal was modest: to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Chinese Union Version of the Bible, the most beloved and widely used translation among Chinese Christians. Organizers envisioned 1,189 participants, each handcopying a single chapter, to create one complete Bible by hand. But what followed was far more than anyone anticipated.
Shenzhen: Working Migrants (April 21, 2025, China Partnership)
Shenzhen is known for people living in clusters with those having a similar background. [There are two main areas]: “within the border” and “outside the border.” People “within the border” are mainly well-paid white-collar workers; people “outside of the border” are mainly workers with less education and lower pay. I pastor mostly people living “outside of the border,” Shenzhen’s lower class.
How the Global Church Remembers (April 18, 2025, Chinese Christian Voices)
In many Protestant communities in China, traditional Holy Week liturgies have not been a central part of church life. Yet in recent years, some believers have begun exploring the beauty and depth of older Christian practices—not out of nostalgia, but from a longing to enter more fully into the story of Christ’s Passion. The following article, originally published in Chinese by the devotional platform 祷读365 on WeChat, takes us on a journey through Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Holy Week traditions.
Shenzhen: Gospel History (April 17, 2025, China Partnership)
God has really blessed this city. Shenzhen has a district called Fuyong. I heard it means “the gospel will be preached forever.”[1] Shenzhen used to be called Bao’an County, and was a place where missionaries bought land. For instance, the mountain behind the Third People’s Hospital was bought by missionaries. This history shows God’s blessing on this place.
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.
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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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