“From heavy-handed industrial policy in pursuit of an illusion of self-sufficiency, through barriers to trade and investment, to an immigration policy that treats foreign talent with suspicion, the effort to defeat the autocrats at their own game will not succeed. Rather, it will undo the foundations of what makes America—and the collective West—strong.” - Persuasion
Anticipating Trump's China Policy
“Trump’s political instincts—as exhibited in his first presidency and on the campaign trail for his second—are reflexively Jacksonian, deeply rooted in an ‘America First’ branded nationalism.” - Law & Liberty
Olympic Gold to Missionary Sacrifice: Eric Liddell’s Legacy at 100
“With the Japanese invasion pressing further into China in 1944, [Liddell’s] wife and their two daughters (and another on the way) were sent overseas to avoid danger…. Liddell was convinced he should stay.” - TGC
Pew: More people view the U.S. positively than China across 35 surveyed countries
“A median of 54% of adults in these nations have a favorable view of the U.S., while a median of 35% see China favorably.” - Pew
China Is Reversing Its Crackdown on Some Religions, but Not All
“This applies to much of China’s biggest religion, Buddhism, and its only indigenous religion, Taoism. The government has also endorsed folk religious practices that it once deemed superstitious, subsidizing pilgrimages and temples.” - CFR
Pew: China’s Christian population appears to have stopped growing after rising rapidly in the 1980s and ’90s
“data from the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) does not show ongoing growth. Between 2010 and 2018, the share of Chinese adults who formally identify with Christianity remained stable at about 2%” - Pew
Cooperating Under Persecution
“Over the past 25 years, I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of a growing cooperation of churches in China that faces lower-level persecution. By ‘lower-level’ persecution, I mean that the authorities have…relaxed their hold on churches in comparison to a previous era.” - 9 Marks
Measuring Religion in China
“Many Chinese adults practice religion or hold religious beliefs, but only 1 in 10 formally identify with a religion.” - Pew
Ancient Chinese Sacrificial Rituals Resemble Those of the Israelites. Does This Matter?
“I personally believe that these ancient Chinese rituals foreshadow Christ in a common grace sense and that their presence serves as a reminder that he is the sacrificial Lamb of God offered on behalf of all.” - CToday
Chinese Christians Adapt Under New Restrictions
“… people in the Henan province register [must] before attending worship services. They’re supposed to use a ‘Smart Religion’ app, which records each person’s name, address, date of birth, occupation, and government ID number.” - TGC