Can the Chinese Church Avoid the Disconnect Between Theological Education and Pastoral Work?
We need to rethink the model of theological education in the Chinese church today…The disconnect between theory and practice brought about by the independent model of theological education in the West is obvious. Will the Chinese church make the same mistake? Can we avoid the disconnect between theological education and pastoral work? Western seminaries have made very important contributions and have had very significant results, but in the current situation of the Chinese church, this model of theological education may not be suitable. The important thing is that this is not the model of theological education and pastor formation advocated by the Bible.
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Studying Theology Overseas: A Word of Caution to the Chinese Church
In the last decade, it has become a trend for Chinese Christians to study overseas (mainly in North America) at various Western theological education institutions. This new wave of overseas students has two distinctive features: first, they are mainly urban intellectuals, and second, most of them have been deeply involved in pastoral service in China before attending overseas seminaries. As a member of this wave, I have benefited a lot from it, but at the same time, I am also deeply concerned about the various shortcomings. Therefore, I offer the following as my own personal humble opinion, in an attempt to analyze the benefits.
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House Church Seminaries in Mainland China: Let the Machines Do the Data Transfer
Bring the seminary into the church, don’t bring the people out of the church to go to seminary. I think that was Jesus’s model. With technology, why do we have to operate theological education in the old way? If the printing press changed the Reformation, and technology changed the church, then how we deliver the transformational model [can change as well]. Think about how to mentor the people. That is the part that is lifelong. Even creation had that aim—“You are my God, we are your people.” Less data transfer. Let the machines do the data transfer, let the people transfer the wisdom, the knowledge, the experience, and the fellowship.
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House Church Seminaries in Mainland China: Mimicking the Western Model？
During the turn of the century, around 2000, there was a movement to church planting in urban settings as intellectuals became Christian. They were more hungry to learn. Some people went overseas; others were sent into China to start this training. A lot of theological trainings started to be held in the city. The intellectuals were more educated people, and so they thought of formal, theological education. They wanted to mimic what Westerners did.
However, as I mature and pastor and train and teach at different seminaries in the Asian context, I see that the purely Western model may not always be good.
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The Impact of My Theological Education: Suffering, Preaching the Word, Understanding Human Emotion
Suffering for or with Christ can easily become legalistic. Instead, we are suffering the suffering of Christ, suffering as Christ, and suffering in Christ. This concept comes from a very deep biblical structure and has had a great impact on me. When I say this I feel very ashamed, because I often forget this and feel very weak, but this is very important.
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A Religious Defense: They Compare the True God with False Gods
Throughout this experience, I have pleaded our case with police officers, officials, and even my fellow inmates. To them, our words do not count; our voices are not important enough to be heard; and even our proclamation of God's word is nothing but a lie. Christ, on the cross, was long ago presumed guilty by the world. All those who do not believe in Christ participated in this crime with their prejudices. Who can understand that the innocent was condemned in order that we, the guilty, might be forgiven and justified by faith?
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The Ways of Discipleship In Our Church
It is difficult to do discipleship. It needs to be comprehensive, not only in terms of knowledge, but also in the practice of piety, which includes love for others, and evangelism. It is not easy to do discipleship well in a comprehensive way…Discipleship is related to the specific context and growth of our churches. It is difficult to simply copy a discipleship system from another region, country, or culture. In the case of my own church, our discipleship mechanism has been developed gradually and organically.
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The Voice of Chinese Sisters: Planting a Chinese House Church
The greatest need for church planting anywhere is the mission of the gospel and a passion for ministry. When we truly know God and the gospel and the mission that comes with it, a passion will be kindled in us through the love we receive. This passion will create desire for more people to know God, for more people to have the opportunity to worship where there are no such opportunities. This naturally develops into a church-planting ministry. The first great need is truly knowing what the gospel is.
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Two Weeks in a Chinese Detention Center, Part Two: "Even the Prisoners Judge Us By Assumption"
Now I have come out of it and had the opportunity to measure the power of darkness with my own personal experience, I am thankful and convinced by the Lord that the power of hell cannot prevail over the keys of the kingdom of heaven. This is my greatest take-away from my time in prison, and a message I purposely bring to you.
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Two Weeks in a Chinese Detention Center, Part One: “Ignite the Fuel of the Gospel”
The next morning there was a big debate. "If you are not a cult, why did they arrest you?" When you go inside, the hardest thing is not that the police say you have a problem, but that the prisoners also think you have a problem. The hardest thing is not that the people in power don't understand you, but that average citizens also think the same about you. This debate is necessary for a basic reason. If they identify you as a cult, the testimony of faith has failed. Christians willingly follow the Lord even if they are imprisoned and arrested; but what is more difficult and important is to present the testimony of the gospel and to ignite the fuel of the gospel. After the debate, people did not think of me as a cult member anymore. They called me a missionary, and later they called me "father," according to their understanding.
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