My experience of the election and grace of the Triune God—the providential care of the Heavenly Father, the guarding of the Holy Spirit, and the guidance of the Holy Son—is truly a testament to what John Newton described as Amazing Grace in his hymn: “grace appeared the hour I first believed.”
I gradually came to understand the deeper meaning of the Lord’s words over the years: those who trust in him are able, through him, to stand upright.
If you regularly read ChinaSource’s publications, you will surely note the Chinese Church is currently undergoing one of the most pivotal transformations in its entire history.
A new series adapted from Sam Ling’s 2025 HLS lecture asks four guiding questions across four axes—China, the West, the church, and ideas—to help us think and serve faithfully as we look toward the 2040s.
The Christian life is lived in real, concrete situations: the union of the transcendent and the immanent, flesh and spirit. The “secret” to navigating this world successfully, as Wu says, is our “union with him,” and with his people.
On November 14, 2024, nearly 200 Chinese pastors, church leaders, theologians, and educators from around the world gathered at the picturesque Biola University. Together, they celebrated the historic establishment of the Institute for Advanced Studies of Chinese Christianity (IASCC) and the Biola Research Initiative for Chinese Theology.
![An image of John C. H. Wu with two Westerners. When he finally found the truth, Wu felt that it was just like “tripping blindly over [a] threshold and being thrown flat on his stomach into the House of Light.” In other words, one must give up believing he or she has the power to attain truth by oneself, and humble oneself to the point of realizing that it is a gift.](https://media.chinasource.org/uploads/2024/11/BL241111-ChinaSource-Chinese-Christianity-John-C.-H.-Wu-Republic-of-China-St.-Augustine-Beyond-East-and-West-300x164.png)
When he finally found the truth, Wu felt that it was just like “tripping blindly over [a] threshold and being thrown flat on his stomach into the House of Light.” In other words, one must give up believing he or she has the power to attain truth by oneself, and humble oneself to the point of realizing that it is a gift.
AFC adopted an innovative ministry model that focuses on supporting micro-communities, which reflect the highly mobile character of overseas Chinese intellectuals….Each micro-community exists to serve actual needs. Collectively, these micro-communities embody the ecosystem of the gospel—the variety of Christian life and the diversity of people groups.
Last month, the Chinese writer and public intellectual Ran Yunfei announced via WeChat that he had become a Christian, following in the footsteps of his wife and daughter who had come to faith earlier.
The website Xuanjiao Zhongguo (Missions China) recently ran a post written by a university student in China, sharing his/her reflections on faith in modern China.
China has always been an anomaly. She is open to the gospel, she is resistant to the gospel. She is hungry for things modern and Western, she is stubbornly proud of things traditional and Chinese. How do we make sense of all this? More importantly, how do we gauge the mindset of China's intellectuals and leaders? How do they view Christianity as a religion, as a Western cultural construct, as a world and life view?
Cross-cultural workers in China service are increasingly aware of the strategic importance of reaching China’s urban intellectuals. Some of these intellectuals, often (mis)named “Cultural Christians,” have taken up Christian thought as a subject for serious academic study. At the same time, these are exciting, confusing days. China is stepping onto the international scene as a member of the WTO. She is searching for new ideas and values. What can the history of China, and the history of Christian missions in China, teach us as we seek to understand China’s intellectuals?