In my letter on “Old Strategies for New Realities” in February, 2017, I said that “focusing on Chinese in the West, especially students and scholars and their families, but also restaurant workers,” was one of the old, tried and true methods of reaching Chinese with the gospel.
That is even more true today, for at least two reasons:
For the past several years, as part of their general crackdown on Christianity, the government of China has been expelling Christian workers from overseas and not granting visas to new ones
Covid-19 has made travel between China and the West, especially the United States, much more difficult. China has almost closed its borders to foreigners
With fewer opportunities to live and work in China, foreign Christians must find other ways to connect with Chinese people, including students.
Major Changes
Several developments have made sharing Christ with Chinese students in the West much more difficult than before.
Students come with a background of harsh anti-Western, and especially anti-American, propaganda in their minds. They have been taught to remember, and resent, past acts of imperialism or even aggression, and current attempts to deprive China of its “rightful place” in the world. Violence against Asians in the West during the pandemic has received great attention in China, resulting in more resentment but also fear for their personal safety
Students and scholars are now under much tighter surveillance than before. Their emails, text messages, telephone calls, visits to churches or participation in Christian activities, and even their contacts with local residents, are all potentially monitored. Fellow students or government-directed “watchers” may be taking photos or names of those who attend church meetings or Christian gatherings
Failures to control Covid-19 in the West, the 2020 American presidential elections, and other examples of incompetence (perceived or real), have greatly eroded the kind of admiration for things Western held by Chinese only a few years ago
Ongoing Openings
On the other hand, nearly 2.5 million Chinese live in the United States alone, and at least 60 thousand students are coming for the fall semester. They are our neighbors, classmates, co-workers, bosses, and more. From all walks of life and of all ages, they have spiritual, emotional, and relational needs that only God can meet. Frequently, our Lord chooses to use his people to demonstrate his love and communicate his truth.
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
In the opinion of many, these people represent a priceless opportunity. God has placed them in our midst for his gracious purposes. If we take the time to pray for them and build genuine friendships with them, some will eventually find new life, light, and love in Christ.
Space prevents me from saying more about how best to reach Chinese in our midst. I recommend that you read two brief books: My Reaching Chinese Worldwide, available from Amazon (I receive no income from the sale of any of my books; it all goes back into the ministry), and Connecting with Chinese International Students, recently issued by the Inter-Varsity International Student Ministry (tiny.cc/cwcis).
For your prayers:
Please ask God to
Continue to work in the lives of the Chinese to whom we ministered for 25 years in Virginia
Enable us to encourage those whom we can still reach by email and telephone
Prosper the efforts of our China Institute Partners and Global China Associates who reach out to Chinese in the U.S., Canada, and England
Find a suitable organizational platform for a young Chinese Christian woman we know who has just received a Master’s Degree in Theology and who would like to minister to recent Chinese immigrants to Canada
