The Real Challenge of Taiwan
February 2026
Dear Praying Friends:
When Alex Honnold scaled the pinnacle of Taipei 101, he inspired millions, including me, with his bravery, skill, strength, and dedication. This stupendous feat took many years of training and preparation, as well as a single-minded focus on overcoming a challenge that seemed impossible. Honnold also relied on others, especially his wife, but also the Netflix team that supported him all the way.
Taipei 101 holds a special place in our hearts, not only because it so majestically dominates the landscape of the city where we lived for seven years and to which I have returned more than twenty-five times (including last April) since then, but also because the man who directed the construction of the skyscraper has been a good friend for forty years. He was the chairman of the young adults’ fellowship of our church, which we served as advisors in the 1980s. I met with him for three hours on my last visit.
An even greater challenge
Taiwan’s greater challenge, however, is that more than 98% of its 23 million inhabitants do not know Christ. Christians comprise only a tiny fraction of the total population, and many of them appear to be nominal followers of Jesus. Church leaders complain that many of their people seem worldly, tepid in their faith, not hungry for the Word of God, and unengaged in outreach to their neighbors. Idolatry, materialism, and sexual license surround them and sometimes lure them away from a pure love of the Lord. (Does that sound familiar?) Nor do most preachers know how to deliver exegetically sound and Christ-centered sermons.
Lights shining in a dark place
Thank God that there are still many believers who “shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” (Philippians 2:15).
They include all the former church friends and seminary students with whom I met last April, our China Institute Partners and Global China Associates in Taiwan, and other close friends.
Faced with such an immense challenge, they need our support, especially since no one knows how long Taiwan will continue to enjoy religious freedom.
For your prayers
Here are a few names. They have all spent many years preparing to bear witness to Christ in this critical hour of Taiwan’s history, but they need our support. Would you please join me in fervent prayer for these and others like them?
Dr. Cole, GCC Associate who teaches Philosophy of Religion at a Christian university.
Dr. Hwang, CI Partner, an independent theologian offering online and in-person training.
Dr. James and his wife Dr. Ruth, faculty members at China Evangelical Graduate School of Theology, where I taught New Testament and Greek. They met while attending the University of Virginia. Ruth was chairman of the Chinese Christian Fellowship.
Dr. Daniel, a former Greek student of mine who long ago surpassed his teacher, and who now serves on the faculty of Holy Light Seminary, preaches in churches, and writes books to equip pastors to do expository preaching.
District Court Judge V., who attended International Christian Fellowship (ICF) while earning an advanced law degree at the University of Virginia.
Dr. Jason, who also attended ICF and now teaches Systems Engineering at a university. He is a leader in the church where I preached in April.
Could you pick one of these and commit to intercede for that person for a month?
Just think of the victory celebration we’ll enjoy one day in heaven!
Yours in his light,
Wright