Author: China Partnership

In celebration of reaching our 1st anniversary, during the month of October we will be highlighting content from the past year. We start out today with a list of your most “liked” posts. We hope you enjoy revisiting our (and your) favorite articles.

Conversations, debates, and prayers have surrounded the American church in recent years concerning the LGBT community; yet, the American church is not the only part of Christ’s body that faces the challenging and sensitive issues of homosexuality and gender identity. Though facing different situations and social contexts, this issue is on a similarly meteoric rise in China and as it grows in visibility, the Chinese church will need to develop rich theologies and pastoral practices in order to lovingly care for its congregations, particularly among the urban young. As we pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance of the American church concerning LGBT issues, let us also remember to pray for our Chinese brothers and sisters. 

This week, pray for environmental issues in China. As the media frequently highlights, China’s rapid industrialization has brought with it difficult and extensive environmental concerns. With issues ranging from air pollution to species loss, many are trying to stem the tide of damage, but efforts often seem small and ineffective. The government grows increasingly concerned as citizens grow increasingly frustrated by the situation. As with the process of industrialization in the West, the balance in China between progress, human life, and environmental sustainability is immensely complex. China needs men and women with integrity who are firmly rooted in a Biblical view of stewardship to have influence in these issues. 

Across the country, colleges and universities are opening their doors to Chinese international students. Last school year, 274,000 Chinese students studied in American institutions. According to one news source, last year’s numbers were a 17% increase from the previous year and the tenth year in a row that the number of Chinese international student in the United States increased. Needless to say, China’s elite and middle classes are in love with American education and families are holding nothing back in order to send their children here to study. Pray with us this week for these students to meet Christ and to be loved well be his people in America. 

This week we encourage you to continue in prayer for the city of Tianjin. Last week a massive explosion at a hazardous chemicals warehouse rocked one of the city’s suburbs and launched a series of subsequent explosions and fires. Officials are still attempting to quell the fire, as well as determine the exact cause. At present, the death tolls stands at 112, with 90 people still missing. 

August is a great time of transition for many overseas Christian workers. During this time, many people are either transitioning onto or off of the field, particularly if they work in campus related ministries. For those entering the field, teams are now getting established in their new homes, perhaps meeting each other for the first time. The vision for the year is getting set and ministry plans are being made. Everything is new – culture, food, language, people, etc. For those transitioning off the field, the reality of reverse culture shock really starts to set in during this time. For many this will be the first year in a long time that they have not participated in the busyness of late-summer ministry preparations. Pray this week for all of those who are go to or coming from ministry fields in China.

Last week, Beijing won the 2022 Winter Olympics making it the first city in over a century to host both the summer and winter games. When the announcement of victory came, many in the Chinese delegation broke down with tears of joy. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, China continues to see its participation in the Olympics as validation of the strides it has made in recent decades; however, as also with the previous summer games, controversy is already surrounding the decision. The current controversies mainly pertain to both China’s human rights record and the complete lack of natural snow in the Beijing region. Regardless, Beijing promises and is sure to deliver spectacular and “harmonious” games. 

As China’s house church continues to grow, it also continues to diversify. As with any advance of the gospel, Chinese Christians are struggling with questions concerning Biblical interpretation, historic theology, indigenous theology, and church polity. These are just a few large categories of issues that the Chinese house church is now working through. As you can imagine, there is a plethora of topics within each category that must be contextualized for Chinese culture. How to pray:

About the same time Greece’s economic woes took over the news a few weeks ago, China also faced economic difficulties. If you avidly stay abreast of the news, you most likely heard or read about China’s stock market crashing. For those of us who do not pay such close attention, you may have heard a brief mention of it in-between other major headlines. Either way, we encourage you to take time this week to pray for China’s economy as it continues to try to make up its losses in recent weeks. How to pray: