ChinaSource

06/02/2026

World Christianity is often discussed as a broad and expansive field. But what happens when the books, lectures, translations, and sources available to us are still shaped largely by English?

In this follow-up reflection from his 2026 Timothy Lin Memorial Lectures at China Evangelical Seminary, Alexander Chow writes from the experience of teaching World Christianity in Taiwan. His lectures drew from theologians across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Chinese-speaking contexts—but the process also exposed a familiar limitation: many theological voices remain difficult to access outside their original languages, while others are filtered through translation.

Chow notes that “every translation is an interpretation.” That reminder matters not only for scholars, but for anyone seeking to understand the church across cultures. Language shapes what is heard, what is missed, and whose theological questions become part of the wider conversation.

For readers who care about Chinese theology, Majority World voices, and the global church, this essay invites a slower and more careful kind of listening—one that recognizes theological study is never a solitary act.

Read Alexander Chow’s full reflection: https://www.chinasource.org/articles/the-problem-of-language-in-teaching-world-christianity/

A reflection on teaching World Christianity in Taiwan, the challenges of translation in global theology, and the importance of listening to voices beyond the English-speaking world.

06/01/2026

What if the most important parts of mission are the hardest to measure?

In this article, Brent Fulton reflects on China’s emerging mission movement and asks what may be missing when mission is shaped mainly by strategies, structures, programs, and metrics.

The question is not whether sending, baptizing, teaching, and discipling matter. They do.

The question is whether these activities can become detached from the deeper purpose of glorifying Christ and revealing him among the nations.

A thoughtful read for anyone involved in missions, cross-cultural ministry, or the global Chinese church: https://www.chinasource.org/articles/reframing-the-mission/

A reflective examination of China’s emerging mission movement, exploring what may be missing when missions become driven primarily by strategy, metrics, and measurable outcomes rather than the glory of Christ and the church’s witness among the nations.

05/27/2026

This week’s ChinaSource Weekly invites us to reflect on revival, providence, suffering, and what it means to walk faithfully with others across cultures and generations. 🌏📖

📰 ZGBriefs | May 21, 2026
Compiled by Jon Kuert
From theology and AI to church life and global affairs, this week’s ZGBriefs reminds us how important it is to stay informed with wisdom, discernment, and prayer. How do we faithfully engage the rapidly changing realities shaping China and the global church today?
Read: https://chinasource.org/newsletters/zgbriefs/zgbriefs-may-21-2026/

📖 “If Revival Comes III”
By James Wu
What happens when revival is sought more for power or influence than for repentance and transformation? This thoughtful reflection invites readers to consider what genuine spiritual renewal truly looks like.
Read: https://chinasource.org/articles/if-revival-comes-iii/

✨ “Providence and Vision”
By Zha Changping
How do we continue trusting God’s providence when the path ahead is uncertain? This moving testimony reflects on calling, suffering, and the quiet ways God shapes vision over time.
Read: https://chinasource.org/articles/providence-and-vision/

🤝 “No Longer Alone”
By Andrea Lee
The global church is richer when we learn to listen to voices beyond our own experiences and traditions. What might we discover when we approach theology with greater humility, curiosity, and openness to one another?
Read: https://chinasource.org/articles/no-longer-alone/

05/26/2026

Some gatherings matter not because they settle every question, but because they reveal who else has been carrying the same questions.

At the April 2026 Hong Kong conference on Chinese Christian scholarship and the church, the questions were many: What does “Chinese theology” mean in a global perspective? How should scholarship remain connected to the life of the church? What kind of translation is needed between academic research, pastoral discernment, theological education, and missional practice?

Andrea Lee’s reflection does not offer a simple answer. Instead, it notices the atmosphere of the room—the conversations between sessions, the younger scholars who said the gathering felt like home, and the quiet recognition that a dispersed community was beginning to see itself.

The work remains incomplete. But perhaps that is part of the gift: not a finished map, but the discovery that others are walking the same road.

Read “No Longer Alone” https://www.chinasource.org/articles/no-longer-alone/

When people who have long been studying, teaching, pastoring, and serving in different contexts finally sit in the same room, what becomes visible?

05/22/2026

✈️ What’s it really like to travel to China today?

In this short video, Joann Pittman shares personal reflections and practical insights connected to her article, “Traveling to China.” From cultural observations to thoughtful encouragement for those engaging with China, Joann offers perspective shaped by years of experience and relationship.

🎥 Watch the video first, then dive deeper into the article to learn more about navigating travel, understanding context, and engaging thoughtfully with China today.

Read the full article here: https://chinasource.org/articles/traveling-to-china/

05/22/2026

What does it mean to engage China with wisdom, theological depth, and prayerful understanding?

This week’s ChinaSource Weekly explores timely questions facing the global church, from US–China relations to the future of Chinese Christian scholarship and theology.

📰 ZGBriefs | May 14, 2026
A curated roundup of important developments shaping China, the Chinese church, society, politics, theology, and global engagement.
➡️ Read: https://chinasource.org/newsletters/zgbriefs/zgbriefs-may-14-2026/

🌏 As Trump and Xi Meet
As global attention turns to renewed US–China tensions and diplomacy, Matthew Cookson calls believers to pray faithfully for leaders, the church in China, and the witness of the gospel across borders.
➡️ Read: https://chinasource.org/articles/as-trump-and-xi-meet/

🎓 Narrowing the Gap by Broadening Our Mission as Chinese Christian Scholars
Kenneth Lau reflects on how Chinese Christian scholars can serve both church and society through scholarship that is globally engaged, contextually rooted, and missionally minded.
➡️ Read: https://chinasource.org/articles/narrowing-the-gap-by-broadening-our-mission-as-chinese-christian-scholars/

📖 Theological Negotiations in World Christianity
Alexander Chow explores how theology develops through dialogue across cultures and traditions, highlighting the growing contribution of Chinese voices within world Christianity.
➡️ Read: https://chinasource.org/articles/theological-negotiations-in-world-christianity/

Read the full articles at ChinaSource.org

05/19/2026

For many Christian scholars, the question is not only what to study, but whom their work is meant to serve.

Kenneth Lau’s reflection from the IASCC conference in Hong Kong begins with this tension. As a young scholar, church elder, and researcher of Lingnan University’s Christian history, Lau writes honestly about the gap that often separates academic research from the life of the church.

His article does not dismiss the importance of academic rigor. Instead, it asks whether Christian scholarship can be both intellectually serious and pastorally meaningful. Can research strengthen the church’s memory? Can historical study deepen Christian identity? Can scholars serve not only the academy, but also the people of God?

The conference’s closing prayer became, for Lau, a fitting picture of this larger vision: scholarship, ministry, and spiritual formation held together before God.

Read the full article and reflect on the mission of Chinese Christian scholarship today: https://www.chinasource.org/articles/narrowing-the-gap-by-broadening-our-mission-as-chinese-christian-scholars/

The conference, “Chinese Christian Scholarship and the Church in Global Perspective: Review and Prospect,” organized by the Institute of Advanced Studies of Chinese Christianity (IASCC) was certainly…

05/18/2026

Theology is always spoken by particular people, in particular languages, histories, and contexts—yet it seeks to bear witness to the one God made known in Christ.

In this essay, Alexander Chow invites readers to reconsider how Chinese theology and Majority World voices belong within the broader story of World Christianity. Rather than treating these voices as peripheral, Chow points us toward a more generous and attentive understanding of theology as a global conversation.

For the church, this is not merely an academic concern. It is an invitation to listen, to learn, and to recognize how God’s people in different places have wrestled faithfully with Scripture, culture, history, and lived experience.

Read the article and join us in reflecting on what the global church can learn when overlooked voices are heard with care: https://www.chinasource.org/articles/theological-negotiations-in-world-christianity/zh-hant/

An exploration of Chinese theology within World Christianity, examining how global voices reshape theological understanding across cultures and contexts.

05/15/2026

🌍 In this video, Eunice Choi shares her personal reflections on “Where Are We?” by Sheng En — a thoughtful article exploring diaspora, identity, faith, and presence.

Her reflections invite us to slow down, listen, and consider how God meets people in places of displacement and transition.

🎥 Watch the video, then take time to read the article:
https://chinasource.org/articles/diaspora-as-theological-location/

05/14/2026

As world leaders meet, how should the church pray?

As President Trump and President Xi meet in Beijing, much public attention is focused on diplomacy, trade, technology, and geopolitical concerns.

This ChinaSource article invites Christians to consider another important question: how can the global church pray faithfully in this moment?

Matthew Cookson reflects on the detention of Pastor Ezra Jin and other members of Zion Church, while also calling believers to pray for the Chinese church, for leaders in both nations, and for the gospel to continue bearing witness in China.

This is not only a political moment. It is also a reminder that the church belongs to Christ across borders, languages, and earthly powers.

Read the full article and join us in prayer: https://www.chinasource.org/articles/as-trump-and-xi-meet/

As President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing this week, the world’s attention has turned once again to the relationship between the United States and China.