Christians In China

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Beijing, or Beijing Xuanwumen Catholic Church

admin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:28:50 +0000

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Beijing, or Beijing Xuanwumen Catholic Church (also called Nan Tang), is the oldest existing Catholic Church in Beijing.

The building is now hidden behind modern skyscrapers that dominate Beijing’s skylines.

The entrance looks rundown and in need of repair (or at least of dusting). The two signs on the right [...]

Christianity on China’s Microblog

admin — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:59:57 +0000

China’s microblog has become the new frontier of China’s Christian movement. The Twitter-like service run by Sina.com, also known as “wei bo” – the Chinese word for microblog – now claims more than 120 million users and are expected to reach 200 million at the end of the year. And it is only [...]

Beijing’s Theology of Repression: Is This Anything New?

admin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 03:39:44 +0000

David Aikman, a former Beijing bureau chief for Time Magazine, had an article last week on the Wall Street Journal. Titled “Beijing’s Theology of Repression,” the opinion piece describes a “crack down” of house churches in China by the government.

The crack down cites one church’s closure: Beijing Shouwang Church, which we previously covered.

‘For [...]

A Letter From the Bishop of Shanghai

admin — Sat, 28 May 2011 16:28:59 +0000

We were recently in a brand new commercial area in Pudong, Shanghai. Having just finished a delicious meal in a fancy Chinese restaurant with fish pond filled with lotus flowers and goldfish, we were taking a pleasant stroll with a bubble tea in hand.

When else to encounter the statue of Virgin Mary, and what better [...]

Beijing Shouwang Church 2

admin — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 14:14:04 +0000

Less than two months ago, we visited Beijing Shouwang Church (see previous post), a so-called underground church in Beijing. At the time, we commented that the experience was similar to our visits to China’s grand state-owned churches.

Then, we read the news today that dozens (some say more) of worshipers from Shouwang Church have been [...]

Beijing Shouwang Church

admin — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:56:53 +0000

Beijing Shouwang Church is the first so-called underground church we visited. As we said before, it is difficult to know where to find these underground churches. A search online led us to Shouwang Church because it has been the focus of several news reports lately.

Claimed as the largest underground church in Beijing, Shouwang Church was [...]

Christmas Service At Beijing Chaoyang Church

admin — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 05:19:30 +0000

We went to a service at Beijing Chaoyang Church on Christmas day. At the gate of the church, an old homeless (possibly legless also – hard to tell in the darkness of the night) man was begging for money.

The church was filled up with people standing in the back. Here are two videos:

In case you [...]

Baptism in China around the 1920s

admin — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 05:41:52 +0000

Found this rare picture online showing that a man was being baptized. Judging by the clothing of the people and other details (the man being baptized seemed to still have a braided ponytail), it looks like it might have been around the 1920s.

Water is not visible in the pool, but we can still observe some [...]

The Historic Chongwenmen Church In Beijing

admin — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 13:38:58 +0000

We went to Beijing’s Chongwenmen Church, another key historical church in the capital, this Sunday.

The Chongwenmen Church, AKA Asbury Church, is located a stone’s throw from the Beijing Railway Station. Down a hutong close to the Chongwenmen subway station, the church is located via a stone gate and within a stone and wood structure.

When [...]

Church Market

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 01:53:42 +0000

In Manhattan, where land is more expensive than gold, it is a miracle that so many churches have survived commercialism after hundreds of years. There are probably way more churches than Starbucks. It seems you are passing by a church every other block.

So it is a unique scene to see an old stone church converted [...]