If a foreigner plans to learn to read Chinese characters, why not learn those in the Bible first? There is a rumor out there that says the characters in the Bible are so different than those used in contemporary Chinese society. This is an unfortunate half-truth. The characters themselves are not unique to the Bible. In fact, I did a comparison between this list of characters and that of list of the 3000 most commonly used characters in Chinese society.... Read more
The Chinese know how to do multiplication. Evangelism is a trademark of the Chinese church. One cannot help but be encouraged and spurred on by Chinese brothers and sisters. It’s easy then to forget that even Chinese believers may have certain weaknesses or troubling tendencies. Chinese Christians are famous for their boldness. However, boldness is not the sum total of evangelism. I will list 10 areas of concern that I think we should be aware of when it comes to... Read more
Here are a few more suggestions to help address the problem of academic cheating among Chinese Christians Read more
Many times, I’ve heard Christians excuse the fact that many pastors routinely cheat on their seminary work. The devil didn’t make them do it. It was their culture! It’s Not Because They Don’t Know For years, I’ve heard foreigners make excuses for Chinese students: “They don’t know it’s cheating” or “They don’t think it’s wrong.” To put it frankly and as kind as I know how, those comments are simply patronizing and/or ignorant. I fully admit that a number of... Read more
Check out my most recent article “Biblical Theology from a Chinese Perspective–Interpreting Scripture through the Lens of Honor and Shame.” It’s a part of the July 2013 issue of Global Missiology. The theme of this issue is “Urban Mission.” (more…) Read more
Last week, I discussed an article about some rioting Chinese parents who protested “There is no fairness if you do not let us cheat.” Having received a lot of feedback about the article, I would now like to add some thoughts of my own based on my time teaching Chinese church leaders. First, I’ll summarize some of the things I’ve experienced. Then, I’ll share my own perspective and offer some suggestions. Previously, I worked a lot with Chinese college... Read more
This is one of the most telling articles you may ever read about Chinese culture.Here are the opening words of an article titled “Riot after Chinese teachers try to stop pupils cheating”––– What should have been a hushed scene of 800 Chinese students diligently sitting their university entrance exams erupted into siege warfare after invigilators tried to stop them from cheating. To read the details, you can click the link. The following quote captures the scene. By late afternoon, the... Read more
Simply put, Romans is about honor and shame. In the latter sections of Saving God’s Face, I do a detailed exegesis of Romans. Although I definitely discuss Romans 1 and later chapters, I mainly focusing on chapters 2–4 since these are so foundational to determining the meaning of the entire book. Here are just a few key themes in the letter. Each theme involves honor and shame. –Law (Does Paul refer to the Mosaic Law or a human moral law... Read more
No one can read John Piper and miss this single point: GOD WANTS GLORY. Piper’s impact on contemporary evangelicalism and missions is incalculable. Among the missionaries (ages 40 and under) whom I have personally met, I would estimate 70-80% of them list Piper as one of the major influences on their doing cross-cultural missions. He is also the face of what has been called “The New Calvinism” or the “Young, Restless, and Reformed” Movement. As a result, every other contemporary... Read more
A friend of mine, Ben Stuart, recently wrote an excellent post for the Desiring God blog. The post is called “Fighting the Tyranny of Ministry Success,” where he offers sober comments about ambition and ministry. Here is a snippet–– What is the most loving thing God can do for a 22-year-old minister? In my case, it was ordaining that my inaugural, epic, game-changing, well-publicized ministry event be attended by one kid. One single human being. A junior high boy named... Read more
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