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The distorting of the human sex ratio
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http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/distorting-human-sex-ratio
The distorting of the human sex ratio
The gradual distortion of the human sex ratio by sex-selective abortion. A new essay by the demographer Nicholas Eberstadt concludes that “the practice has become so ruthlessly routine in many contemporary societies that it has impacted their very population structures.” He finds “ample room for cautious pessimism” in the fact that this phenomenon is still very much on the increase.
For obscure reasons, the human sex ratio is always slightly male-biased, but in the natural state it rarely goes above 105 male births per 100 female ones, except in small samples. In China’s last mini-census in 2005, the ratio was Read More→
Today Jim Elliot Was Killed (1956)
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Pete Fleming, Palm Beach
Today in 1956, five missionaries to the Auca indians in Ecuador were killed. Their deaths brought a sudden end to the project they called “Operation Auca,” but the tragedy became a defining moment in the history of evangelical missions. Hundreds of young people were inspired to take up missionary work, thousands were moved to deeper commitment to Christ, and millions of dollars in resources were mobilized. And the work with the Aucas went on, too.
In the headline, I name only Jim Elliot, the most famous of the group. While the other four men on the team (Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Peter Fleming, and Roger Youderian) were all important to the work and have all received commemoration and attention (they all have Wikipedia pages, if that’s a good index of status in 2009), Elliot has somehow stood out from the group. Why? It may be that Elliot had that certain something as part of his personality, a charisma or magnetism or star power. But I think there’s another reason: Read More→
They’d heard of Kobe, but not of Christ
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By Caroline Anderson ( http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/field-blog/theyd-heard-of-kobe-but-not-of-christ )
“Have any of you heard of Jesus?” Christian Bell* asked the group of children who formed a tight circle around him.
Confused looks were his only answer.
“Have you ever heard of Jesus, He’s God’s Son,” Bell rephrased his question.
The name didn’t ring a bell.
Bell had traveled all day, crossing a river on a raft and walking the rest of the way to reach this remote village in East Asia. Read More→
Chinese county imposes liquor ban on civil servants
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Sometimes people from the West will take an over-simplified, black-and-white, stereotypical view China’s leaders, both local and national. The reality is, it’s complicated and it wold be very foolish to just try and paint ALL Chinese leaders with one brush. Just like in any government, there are good leaders and bad, honest and corrupt, skilled and inept.
I’m not an apologist for the Chinese government, but I do recognize that there are some leaders who really are trying to do the right thing. The article sited below is an example of civil leaders making an unpopular decision to try and improve the integrity of the local government.
Please be in prayer for the leadership of Yueyang, that those who lead will do so with integrity and courage. Pray that leaders who, maybe secretly, follow Jesus would become bold and savvy communicators of the Gospel message to their fellow leaders! Read More→
Why Cities?
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In 1800, only about five percent of people lived in cities. A century later this had risen to about fifteen percent. By 1975, the percentage of urban dwellers in our world had risen to forty-one percent. Estimates are that by 2050 almost 80% of the world will live in urban areas. In Asia the present growth rate will produce by the year 2000 at least fourteen cities with a population of over ten million – three of these exist already in India, namely Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, and Calcutta. There will be thirty-two cities with over five million citizens and more than a hundred with over a million inhabitants. In India, cities like Madras, Hyderabad, and Bangalore already have climbed over five million in population, and they are numerous more cities over or near a million in population. It is true that India is primarily a rural society; however, the cities are growing and will continue to grow. There needs to be a concerted effort and a strategy on the part of the church to penetrate these spiritual strongholds of Satan.
We live in an urban world. However, only about nine percent of evangelical Christians live in the cities of a million or more inhabitants. Read More→
Beautiful Things
By · CommentsAs you think about and pray for the people of Yueyang, please also consider how you might make a tangible impact on the lostness in this place.
The Heart of God — Are We There Yet?
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“The command has been to “go,” but we have stayed — in body, gifts, prayer and influence.”
- Robert Savage
“Are We There Yet?”
By · CommentsToday, we can identify the people groups that remain untouched by the Gospel. For the first time, it is conceivable that all people groups can be reached in the coming years with a Gospel presence. According to IMB’s 2009 statistical data* there were 506,019 baptisms, 204,192 churches. Church membership overseas was at 10.7 million, and there were 24,650 new churches.
Yes, there is still a long way to go, but progress is being made every day.
Now is the time to also take a fresh look at the challenges ahead and be ready to finish the task. With 45,560 churches in the Southern Baptist Convention, there is much work to be done.
- 4,743 people groups are not engaged at all with the Gospel
- 6,426 unreached people groups (those with less than 2 percent of people who profess to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ)
- 1.7 billion with little or no access to the Gospel
- 1.5 billion Muslims – 22 percent of the world’s population
- 950 million Hindus in the world
- Christian witness among China cities less than 1 percent
- 3 percent evangelical believers among Ethiopia’s 82 million people
- 355 million in South America do not know Christ
- Less than 1 percent Christian among more than 270 million living in the Central Asia region
- 650,000 Lezghi in the Causcasus Mountains fear evil spirits
- 97 percent of all Palestinians are Muslim
- 89 percent of North African and Middle Eastern people groups are unreached
- 311 people groups in India have no known evangelical believers
- Only 1,600 believers among 1.6 million Muong of Northern Vietnam
Chinese fear aging process: Survey
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(China Daily)People in China are among the most fearful of getting old, a new global survey suggests. According to Bupa, a British healthcare organization, which asked 12,262 people in 12 countries about their attitudes toward aging, 28 percent of the Chinese polled said they feel depressed when they think about getting old. About 30 percent of Chinese respondents said they worry about who will look after them in later years, while 91 percent agreed the government of the world’s most populous nation should improve care for the elderly. About one third of Chinese respondents – more than double the global average – said they have put money aside for retirement, while 46 percent have taken out insurance, the poll showed.
As China moves into the next couple of decades, it is entering uncharted territory. It is safe to say that the traditional system from China’s past of children caring for their elderly parents is rapidly eroding. Many feel the government is not prepared, nor adequately concerned, about the gravity of this social shift.
Please pray for Yueyang’s older citizens. Ask that men and women who are followers of Christ will step-up and help meet the needs of this recently neglected part of Chinese society. Pray that expressions of self-less and Christlike love will help draw men and women of all ages to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ!
“Red-collar” jobs most sought after in China
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For nearly 20 years, white-collar jobs have been the most prized in China since the 1990s. However, times change and now more people are hoping to trade their white collars for red ones. So-called “red-collar” workers refer to civil servants in China. China has about 50 million civil servants now, and more people are planning to enter this class through public entrance examinations. Because of its stable income, security and the promise of promotions, more and more people are aspiring to be civil servants.
Often young professionals who are seeking civil servant jobs mistakenly believe that they cannot also pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ. Leaving them with a ‘cost counting’ mentality where they feel they must choose between having a career as a civil servant or having faith in Christ. While we don’t deny that radical obedience to Christ can often result in various levels of persecution in China, the reality is a bit more complex. There are many obedient followers of Christ who are also Chinese civil servants in China today.
Please pray that the gospel would be shared far and wide across Yueyang and that men and women at all levels of society and government would have an active and obedient faith in Christ!