Author Archive
Many religions, but only one God
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There are many religions in East Asia, yet only one way to the One True God. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Go to http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/ to learn about the major religions listed below and more. Commit to praying for the salvation of the East Asian People.
- Animism In parts of China, witch doctors offer animal sacrifices and create talismans to ward off evil spirits that can cause sickness or disaster.
- Atheism Ask a typical college student in China if he believes in God, and he will politely tell you: “There is no God. I believe in myself.”
- Shintoism The animistic religion originated in Japan and centers its theology on the worship of spirits, or “kami.”
- Taoism Its root word, “Tao”, literally means “The Way.” Because Taoism originated in China, many Chinese make it their religion of choice.
- Islam 22 million people in China, especially minority people groups in the western and northwestern regions, follow Islam.
- Buddhists The majority of Buddhists in the world today can be found in East Asia, including the majority of Taiwan’s population and most Tibetans.
- Christianity While not the predominant worldview by any standard, there are Christians found throughout East Asia. In addition to Biblical Christianity, there are also several Christian ‘cults’ that have developed over time.
In Yueyang, the most predominant worldview is a version of ‘atheism’ in which people claim to be atheist, but in practice, they are pretty superstitious and follow some form of ‘folk’ Buddhism or ‘folk’ Taoism. For many, it is all about ‘Good Luck’ ism – basically doing whatever they feel might bring them good luck, prosperity and safety.
Please pray that eyes will be opened to truth and that hearts will be set free from the bondage of faith in empty worldviews.
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
Reaching China’s “West”
Posted by: | CommentsI Am a Church Member
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I am a church member.
I will seek to be a source of unity in the church. I know there are no perfect pastors, staff, or other church members. But neither am I. I will not be a source of gossip or dissension. One of the greatest contributions I can make is to do all I can in God’s power to help keep the church in unity for the sake of the gospel.
I am a church member.
I will not let my church be about my preferences and desires. That is self-serving. I am in this church to serve others and to serve Christ. My Savior went to a cross for me. I can deal with any inconveniences and matters that are just not my preference or style.
I am a church member.
I will pray for my pastor every day. His work is never-ending. His days are filled with constant demands for his time; with the need to prepare sermons; with those who are rejoicing in births; with those who are traveling through the valley of the shadow of death; with critics; with the hurts and hopes of others; and with the need to be a husband and a father. My pastor cannot serve our church in his own power. I will pray for God’s strength for him and his family every day. Read More→
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→
Projecting Poverty Where It Doesn’t Exist
Posted by: | CommentsThis is an article from the September-October 2011 issue Making Disciples.
Articles may be printed and distributed as much as you like.
by Steve Saint
I have been in relationship with the Waodani since 1956, when they killed my dad Nate and four of his friends. My relationship continued through the time my aunt Rachel lived with them beginning in 1958 through her death in 1994. I most recently lived with the Waodani beginning just after Aunt Rachel’s death in 1994 until later in 1997, maintaining a house and spending about one quarter of my time with them until 2008.
When people visit the Waodani, they look around and think, “Wow, these people have nothing!” People from the outside think the Waodani are poor because they don’t have three-bedroom ramblers with wall-to-wall carpeting, double garages so full of stuff the cars never fit and, I guess, because they never take vacations to exotic places like Disney World.
So, on speaking tours I began describing these jungle dwellers as “People who all have water front property, multiple houses and spend most of their time hunting and fishing.” The most common response I have gotten when describing the Waodani this way is, “Wow, would I ever like to live like that!” I agree completely. 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→
Biblical Foundations and Guidelines for Contextualization (Pt 6)
Posted by: | CommentsBiblical Foundations and Guidelines for Contextualization (Pt 6)
Editor’s Note: This guest blog is written by the IMB’s Regional Leader for Central Asia. It is a six part series, giving the biblical foundations and guidelines for contextualization, and making application to Christian ministry in the Muslim world. This series will appear as a chapter in the forthcoming book “Look What God is Doing in the Muslim World.”
The Church:
Muslim background believers in Jesus (MBBs) should be encouraged to remain in their community as much as possible.
Muslim background believers should be encouraged to maintain their ethnic and cultural identity as much as they can without compromising their obedience to Scripture.
MBB churches should be encouraged to be indigenous in their expressions of their faith and worship, without compromising Scripture. This is particularly true in matters of style. The church should look, sound and feel local, not foreign. Read More→
Biblical Foundations and Guidelines for Contextualization (Pt 5)
Posted by: | CommentsBiblical Foundations and Guidelines for Contextualization (Pt 5)
Editor’s Note: This guest blog is written by the IMB’s Regional Leader for Central Asia. It is a six part series, giving the biblical foundations and guidelines for contextualization, and making application to Christian ministry in the Muslim world. This series will appear as a chapter in the forthcoming book “Look What God is Doing in the Muslim World.”
The Message of the Good News
We can use their book as a bridge to the Gospel, as long as we do it in a way that does not imply divine inspiration or equality with the Bible.
We can choose our terminology carefully, and delay the use of red-flag terms like “Son of God” in favor of other equally-Biblical terms until we have reached the point where we can explain those red-flag terms Biblically.
We can and should utilize the full scope of Biblical narrative to establish a worldview in which the Gospel is intelligible. The Bible doesn’t jump straight from the Fall of Man in Genesis 3 to the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1. Read More→