fulltimestudent

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Posts by fulltimestudent

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  5

  Starting two days ago - travel for "Chunyun" the world's largest annual festival

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  chunyun - the spring festival (or, the chinese new year festival) is coming soon.

  and all over china and the chinese diaspora people are excited as they prepare for this festival.

  as prosperity has spread through china, more and more people can now afford to travel.

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  fulltimestudent

  Thank you Zeb!

  I see that you seem to be a Cantonese speaker, but I try to learn Mandarin ... so

  
  
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  8

  Chinese house churches start to missionise muslim countries

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  a lengthy overview suggests that chinese house churches are planning to end missionaries to islamic areas.. will it result in tragedies similar to the recent murder of two japanese?.

  i'm going to post the full article in two posts as sometimes things disappear in the friction between chinese authorities and google.. link: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/906820.shtml.

  dangerous missionby liang chen source:global times published: 2015-2-9 21:38:01chinese missionaries working in muslim world cause safety concernsa picture of local church in central asia taken by a chinese missionary photo: courtesy of a beijing church the past decade has increasingly seen chinese "house church" congregations send missionaries abroad, some with a focus on evangelization in the islamic world.

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  fulltimestudent

  I'm not sure what an NC-17 rating means V.I., but the Global Times seems to have been attempting to be even-handed, but at the same time, suggesting that these missionaries ran some risks.

  Certainly Muslim governments are likely to agree with Jefferson and will view such missionary work, as:

  " a national aggression on our peace and faith."

  And heads will eventually roll!
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  10

  Do the Chinese think they will soon take over the World? This is an official response

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  lot's of people believe that china will soon be a super-power.

  while its true that roughly 400 million chinese have attained a living standard approximating the usa, there is still another 700 million who have not.. every year, some 100 million chinese take overseas holidays.

  and, many millions of chinese live overseas, either as students or as representatives of chinese companies.. but of the 700 million who have not achieved something like western prosperity, some 90 million still live in poverty, leaving 610 million struggling between poverty and a low level of prosperity.. until they can live more comfortably, the chinese government must focus on building a more prosperous nation.. .

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  fulltimestudent

  I'm sure many may disagree (including some posters here). But consider, if prosperity is China's long-term goal, which I suggest is their real goal, will  that prosperity be gained by war?

  The USA has become the world hegemon at tremendous financial cost.

  It's interesting to compare the visits of Presidents Xi and Obama to India. Whereas Xi offered to build connecting rail links to enable trade, Obama's pockets were empty.
• 
  10

  Do the Chinese think they will soon take over the World? This is an official response

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  lot's of people believe that china will soon be a super-power.

  while its true that roughly 400 million chinese have attained a living standard approximating the usa, there is still another 700 million who have not.. every year, some 100 million chinese take overseas holidays.

  and, many millions of chinese live overseas, either as students or as representatives of chinese companies.. but of the 700 million who have not achieved something like western prosperity, some 90 million still live in poverty, leaving 610 million struggling between poverty and a low level of prosperity.. until they can live more comfortably, the chinese government must focus on building a more prosperous nation.. .

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  fulltimestudent

  Recently a Michael Pillsbury published a book claiming that China had a long term plan to replace the USA as the world hegemon.

  The following response in the official People's Daily newspaper seems to be the Chinese government's response:

  Link: http://en.people.cn/n/2015/0209/c98649-8847610.html

  Will China replace US as global superpower?

  
  (People's Daily Online)    07:41, February 09, 2015
  Will China replace US as global superpower? (People's Daily Online) 07:41, February 09, 2015 The US senior China expert Michael Pillsbury published a new book recently, The Hundred ­Year Marathon. In this book, he said that he was "aware" of China's long ­term strategy: introducing Western technology first, developing a strong economy, and finally replacing the United States as the world's superpower.

  It should be said that China is indeed running a one hundred year marathon ­ a democracy ­building and national rejuvenation process that began last century. After any number of difficulties and setbacks, China successfully ejected the invading powers, achieved national independence, adopted its policy of reform and opening­ up to the outside world, and engaged in international cooperation.

  Today, China has become a moderately prosperous society, and is developing into an emerging world power. In the process of reform and opening up, promotion of institutional advancement, and improvement of human rights and democracy, China has made progress along with many other countries.

  Most of them, like China, have dreams of achieving national development and world progress. In this process, China publicly put forward its explicit ideas for international cooperation. In the era of globalization, the means of production were optimized, which allowed effective cooperation between China's labor resources and Western capital and technology.

  To a certain extent, China's development strategy has created a successful model for other Asia-­Pacific countries and regions. By introducing advanced foreign technology, China has begun to innovate in such areas as high­ speed rail, aerospace and communications. It has also begun to export capital abroad and seek win-­win cooperation with the rest of the world.

  The core idea of Pillsbury's 'Hundred­ Year Marathon' is that China plans "to replace the US as the world's superpower", but the fact is that the Chinese government has never had any such strategy or aspiration. We are convinced that however powerful it might become, China will never engage in illegal acts such as violating the sovereignty of other countries without UN authorization. China is willing to be a power that makes a strong contribution to maintaining world peace, but is also willing to work with the United States and the rest of the world to live in peace. It has no intention of replacing the United States.

  
  This article was edited and translated from 《取代美国？中国没工夫想这事》  source:People's Daily Overseas Edition

   

  
  

  
  
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  10

  Do the Chinese think they will soon take over the World? This is an official response

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  lot's of people believe that china will soon be a super-power.

  while its true that roughly 400 million chinese have attained a living standard approximating the usa, there is still another 700 million who have not.. every year, some 100 million chinese take overseas holidays.

  and, many millions of chinese live overseas, either as students or as representatives of chinese companies.. but of the 700 million who have not achieved something like western prosperity, some 90 million still live in poverty, leaving 610 million struggling between poverty and a low level of prosperity.. until they can live more comfortably, the chinese government must focus on building a more prosperous nation.. .

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  fulltimestudent

  Lot's of people believe that China will soon be a super-power. I do not!

  Why?

  While its true that roughly 400 million Chinese have attained a living standard approximating the USA, there is still another 700 million who have not.

  Every year, some 100 million Chinese take overseas holidays. And, many millions of Chinese live overseas, either as students or as representatives of Chinese companies.

  BUT of the 700 million who have not achieved something like western prosperity, some 90 million still live in poverty, leaving 610 million struggling between poverty and a low level of prosperity.
  

  Until they can live more comfortably, the Chinese government must focus on building a more prosperous nation.

  
  

  
  
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  8

  Chinese house churches start to missionise muslim countries

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  a lengthy overview suggests that chinese house churches are planning to end missionaries to islamic areas.. will it result in tragedies similar to the recent murder of two japanese?.

  i'm going to post the full article in two posts as sometimes things disappear in the friction between chinese authorities and google.. link: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/906820.shtml.

  dangerous missionby liang chen source:global times published: 2015-2-9 21:38:01chinese missionaries working in muslim world cause safety concernsa picture of local church in central asia taken by a chinese missionary photo: courtesy of a beijing church the past decade has increasingly seen chinese "house church" congregations send missionaries abroad, some with a focus on evangelization in the islamic world.

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  fulltimestudent

  
  

  Part 2.

  Growing business ties are another way for missionaries to integrate themselves into new lands and also reduce the financial burden on sending churches.
  Pastor Li said if time and finances permit, he would look for possibilities for his church to open a company in the countries where missionaries were sent.
  Unaccustomed to the local situation, some missionaries survive in the Islamic regions by establishing relationships with local Christian churches. They also lean on missionaries from other parts of the world to ease the transition to a new culture.
  There is no specific figure on how many churches and Chinese missionaries are evangelizing in the Muslim-majority countries.
  The Global Times' research found at least 10 churches in Beijing with projects involving missionaries to Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and other Islamic nations.
  But most of the churches are still in the preparatory phase, focusing on recruiting and training missionaries. 
  Most of the churches that have sent missionaries focused on short-term missionary groups led by the church's pastor, as a way of preparing for longer-term missions. "Normally, [the missionaries] stay in the regions for one or two weeks, to get to know the local people, get accustomed to the situation and meet the missionaries who have been there for decades, and to further confirm on their faith and to prepare for the long-term missionary work," a pastor of a Beijing house church who gave his surname as Li told the Global Times.
  Churches in East China's Shandong Province have also sent missionaries to Muslim countries, according to Christian Times, an online Christian news provider. Some of them have established connections with local people by helping local people to build houses, a marked improvement over the makeshift straw huts common in many areas of those countries. They also endear themselves to local populations by offering financial support to the poor.
  Chinese Christians enter some countries using business visa. The fact that they might be in violation of local laws and the stringent religious situation makes the missionaries reluctant to publicly expose their identities or preach openly. 
  Pastor Li told the Global Times that his short-term missionary group in one country last year was followed and interrogated by officials in the local civil affairs bureau due to their presence in an area of the country where Chinese visitors are seldom seen. 
  Growing worries
  Experts worry that Chinese Christians in the Islamic world might face safety issues or cause diplomatic disputes when evangelizing in Muslim-majority countries, which could negatively influence bilateral relationships between China and those countries. 
  "Overseas evangelism should not be spread, as different religious groups should respect [local] religious diversity," Yan told the Global Times.
  Each different religious group should demonstrate mutual respect for each other and different cultures, Yan added.
  "Every nation has its own culture and traditions which they treasure. This means cross-cultural evangelization can definitely conflict with local people's willingness to preserve their own religious culture. So evangelism should be done in a rational and restrained fashion," Yan told the Global Times.
   Meanwhile, cross-cultural evangelism activities should abide by local laws and regulations,.
  "As the evangelization was not authorized by the authorities, the churches should shoulder responsibilities when problems occurred." Yan said, citing the example of South Korean cross-cultural evangelism activities.
  In 2007, 23 missionaries from South Korea were kidnapped by the Taliban terrorists while evangelizing in Afghanistan, setting off a diplomatic row between the two nations. Fanatical evangelism activities were criticized by South Koreans.
  There has worry what might happen if governments in the region come to believe there might be hidden agenda among Chinese businesspeople in the country. 
  As a result, Chinese church leaders are content to bide their time, waiting patiently for opportunities to present themselves.
  "We are not in a hurry. Right now we just want our missionaries to localize. They have to spend years picking up the language, learning the customs and adapting to local society. Afterwards, we might consider preaching the gospel," Wang said.
  In some Islamic countries around the world, laws against apostasy and blasphemy remain on the books, according to the Pew Research Center. Conversion from Islam into Christianity in some Islamic countries can be dealt with harshly.
  A new Pew Research analysis revealed, as of 2012, 22 percent of the world's countries and territories had anti-blasphemy laws or policies, and 11 percent had laws or policies penalizing apostasy. The legal punishments for such transgressions vary from fines to death.
  "Despite some Muslim can felt drawn to the Christianity, it would be difficult for them to openly admit their religion. Conversion the religion might put their lives at risk," Gao said.
• 
  8

  Chinese house churches start to missionise muslim countries

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  a lengthy overview suggests that chinese house churches are planning to end missionaries to islamic areas.. will it result in tragedies similar to the recent murder of two japanese?.

  i'm going to post the full article in two posts as sometimes things disappear in the friction between chinese authorities and google.. link: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/906820.shtml.

  dangerous missionby liang chen source:global times published: 2015-2-9 21:38:01chinese missionaries working in muslim world cause safety concernsa picture of local church in central asia taken by a chinese missionary photo: courtesy of a beijing church the past decade has increasingly seen chinese "house church" congregations send missionaries abroad, some with a focus on evangelization in the islamic world.

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  fulltimestudent

  A lengthy overview suggests that Chinese House Churches are planning to end missionaries to Islamic areas.

  Will it result in tragedies similar to the recent murder of two Japanese?

  I'm going to post the full article in two posts as sometimes things disappear in the friction between Chinese authorities and google.

  Link: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/906820.shtml

  Dangerous mission
  By Liang Chen Source:Global Times Published: 2015-2-9 21:38:01

  ---

  Chinese missionaries working in Muslim world cause safety concerns

  ---

  A picture of local church in Central Asia taken by a Chinese missionary Photo: Courtesy of a Beijing church
  The past decade has increasingly seen Chinese "house church" congregations send missionaries abroad, some with a focus on evangelization in the Islamic world. The missionaries do their best to adapt, learning the local language, dressing, acting and behaving like the local people. But the work can be risky, as apostasy and blasphemy might be against law in some predominately Muslim countries. Religious experts warn that Chinese Christians' evangelism might cause safety concerns and diplomatic disputes.
  Wang Jie (pseudonym), a pastor at Beijing Zion Church, has been on a number of missions to Islamic countries in recent years. He now works on recruiting, training and dispatching Chinese missionaries to Islamic countries. 
  Wang traveled to Central Asia in 2012 for the first time, leading other six Christians. He has since made short trips to the region several times.
  He has now decided that after this year's Spring Festival he and his wife would start their long-term missionary work in the region.
  Wang's sending church Beijing Zion Church, established in 2007, has an ambitious vision of spreading the gospel in the Islamic world. To date, the church has dispatched two families to Central Asia. One family has already been there for a year and a half. 
  While experiencing an expansion in its own country, Chinese Protestant churches say they feel called to spread the gospel.
  "In the past 200 years, over 20,000 overseas missionaries preached the gospel to every corner of the nation," Gao Quanfu, head pastor of Light of Zion Church in Xi'an, a pioneer and promoter of Chinese evangelization in Muslim countries, told the Global Times.
  Gao said he believes it's time for the Chinese to go out and preach. 
  China's churches have long been divided between churches officially sanctioned by the government and so-called "house churches," underground churches that do not accept administration from the State.
  The Chinese government has adopted a tolerant attitude toward house churches in recent years. House churches' overseas missionary work was spontaneous, with no authorization by Chinese authorities.
  There also have doubts on the necessity and impact of the Chinese house churches' overseas evangelism activities.
  China's central and local governments do not encourage cross-cultural evangelism, and government-authorized churches have never engaged in such cross-cultural evangelization, Yan Kejia, director of Institute for Religion Research of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
   There are a large number of non-Christians in China, and there has no need to spread religion in foreign countries, Yan added.
  Go westward
  Before, many Chinese churches struggled to survive due to a shortage of money, staff and resources. 
  A surging Chinese economy has changed all that. An increasing number of house churches in China now have the means to send overseas missionaries, with Islamic regions as one of mission fields.
  Gao believes that Chinese Christians have "natural advantages" when evangelizing in many parts of the world. "Most of the countries in Central and South Asia are friendly to China, which makes it easier for the Chinese Christians to preach the gospel in those nations, compared with the Western missionaries," Gao added.
  The missionaries' work is eased by these countries' growing commercial and cultural ties with China. In step with China's growing regional and economic influence, an increasing number of Chinese Christians are moving to Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, as well as Africa to set up business and, in some cases, to do missionary work.
  Huang Ying (pseudonym) was among the first batch of missionaries sent out by a Beijing house church. She became a Christian in her 20s when she studying in a Beijing university and became determined to be a missionary. Beginning in 2009, she visited Kazakhstan for two weeks to a month every year, teaching Chinese in a language camp for primary school students. 
  Missionaries are volunteers. They cover living expenses by collecting money from local believers and through remittances by their sending church. Churches typically offer classes on local language, culture and customs before missionaries are sent abroad. 
  Before Huang started her missionary work, she had to undergo six months of training.
  Huang believes he is "answering the call of the Lord" by converting people.  
  Kazakhstan is a Muslim-majority country, with over 70 percent of the country professing Islam as their faith, according to a 2009 national census.  
  According to a report by the Daily Mail last November, ISIS released footage showing jihadi training courses for dozens of Kazak children. The video depicted the children being taught to use every type of rifle the organization had available. 
  
  Despite the potential risk from extremists, Huang's sending church has made overseas missionary work one of its top priorities since 2009, with special prayer meetings held each Monday. The pastor also updates the congregation on overseas missionary work every Sunday. 
  
  Now, at least seven believers in Huang's church are preparing to go to countries including Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. They are undergoing intensive training, and expect to be sent within two years.
  
  Compared with other Asian countries like South Korea, India and the Philippines, China lags behind on overseas missionary work. Among Asian countries, South Korea sent the most missionaries overseas, with 20,000, while China sent only 5,600 in 2010, statistics from Center for the Study of Global Christianity showed. 
  
  Risky moves
  
  Evangelizing in Muslim-majority countries can be risky and taxing. Rising extremism has made these countries increasingly unsafe for Christians. Language barriers, cultural differences, and religious conflicts can all wear down the will of Chinese missionaries. 
  
  Teaching Chinese to schoolchildren is one possible way of evangelizing, according to pastor Li.
  
  For instance, in some parts of the Muslim countries, Chinese lessons have become compulsory for schoolchildren, the result of ambitious plans to capitalize on the growing influence of China's booming economy. 
  
  Joseph Ma, a missionary sent out by Beijing Zion Church, now teaches Chinese at a church school in the region. Zion Church refused to give further information on Joseph's classes for safety reasons. 
  
  
  
  Despite the potential risk from extremists, Huang's sending church has made overseas missionary work one of its top priorities since 2009, with special prayer meetings held each Monday. The pastor also updates the congregation on overseas missionary work every Sunday. 
  Now, at least seven believers in Huang's church are preparing to go to countries including Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. They are undergoing intensive training, and expect to be sent within two years.
  Compared with other Asian countries like South Korea, India and the Philippines, China lags behind on overseas missionary work. Among Asian countries, South Korea sent the most missionaries overseas, with 20,000, while China sent only 5,600 in 2010, statistics from Center for the Study of Global Christianity showed. 
  Risky moves
  Evangelizing in Muslim-majority countries can be risky and taxing. Rising extremism has made these countries increasingly unsafe for Christians. Language barriers, cultural differences, and religious conflicts can all wear down the will of Chinese missionaries. 
  Teaching Chinese to schoolchildren is one possible way of evangelizing, according to pastor Li.
  For instance, in some parts of the Muslim countries, Chinese lessons have become compulsory for schoolchildren, the result of ambitious plans to capitalize on the growing influence of China's booming economy. 
  Joseph Ma, a missionary sent out by Beijing Zion Church, now teaches Chinese at a church school in the region. Zion Church refused to give further information on Joseph's classes for safety reasons. 

  
  
  
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  10

  Apocalyptic 2 Esdras 2

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  await your shepherd; he will give you everlasting rest, because he who will come at the end of the age is close at hand.

  be ready for the rewards of the kingdom.

  ... receive what the lord has entrusted to you and be joyful, giving thanks to him who has called you to heavenly kingdoms..

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  fulltimestudent

  Thnx Doug, for bringing that document to our notice.

  A couple of points, a quick check of the wikipedia entry suggests it has a first century origin. 

  Author and criticism[edit]
  The main body of the book appears to be written for consolation in a period of great distress (one scholarly hypothesis is that it dates to Titus' destruction of theSecond Temple in AD 70).[16] The author seeks answers, similar to Job's quest for understanding the meaning of suffering, but the author doesn't like or desire only the answer that was given to Job.
  Critics question whether even the main body of the book, not counting the chapters that exist only in the Latin version and in Greek fragments, has a single author. Kalisch, De Faye, and Charles hold that no fewer than five people worked on the text. However, Gunkel points to the unity in character and holds that the book is written by a single author; it has also been suggested that the author of II Esdras wrote the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch.[16] In any case, the two texts may date from about the same time, and one almost certainly depends on the other.[16]
  Critics have widely debated the origin of the book. Hidden under two layers of translation it is impossible to determine if the author was Roman, Alexandrian, or Palestinian.
  The scholarly interpretation of the eagle being the Roman Empire (the eagle in the fifth vision, whose heads might be Vespasian, Titus and Domitian if such is the case) and the destruction of the temple would indicate that the probable date of composition lies toward the end of the first century, perhaps 90–96, though some suggest a date as late as 218.[16]

  If the 90-96 dating was correct, it may be surprisingly close to the suggested date of revelation. 

  And, if we see this from the perspective, that during the first century CE, the Jesus followers were essentially Jewish in religious thought, then we should not be surprised at the similarity of concepts.

  Perhaps there WAS a cross-fertilisation, as my teacher,( Chris Forbes), suggests that the function of the Revelation document in early Christianity was to encourage those affected by persecution. In his opinion it is definitely not 'prophecy' to be read in a lineal fashion, but a reminder that God is in control and will bring an end to persecution and reward the faithful with many blessings.

  I noted also, the reference to "putting on immortality" something not a meme in earlier 2nd temple Judaism.

  And, the question as to the identity of the young man who places the crowns? Likely based on the Daniel 7 document, as argued by Boyarin (whose arguments you also brought to our

  “Who is that young man who places crowns on them and puts palms in their hands?” He answered and said to me, “He is the Son of God, whom they confessed in the world.”

  Fascinating!

  I'm not covering any Judaism/Christian topics this year,* but I still have access to these guys. I'll bounce it off some of them (three weeks to go before Uni start,)
  
  
• 
  5

  Starting two days ago - travel for "Chunyun" the world's largest annual festival

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  chunyun - the spring festival (or, the chinese new year festival) is coming soon.

  and all over china and the chinese diaspora people are excited as they prepare for this festival.

  as prosperity has spread through china, more and more people can now afford to travel.

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  2. 
  3. 
• 

  fulltimestudent

  Across the widespread Chinese world, some cultural changes can be seen.

  In Singapore a boy band performs their version of a Chunyun song:

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E80h8pBfhyQ
  
• 
  5

  Starting two days ago - travel for "Chunyun" the world's largest annual festival

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  chunyun - the spring festival (or, the chinese new year festival) is coming soon.

  and all over china and the chinese diaspora people are excited as they prepare for this festival.

  as prosperity has spread through china, more and more people can now afford to travel.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  fulltimestudent

  Maybe these videos will convey the sense of excitement and celebration that Chinese people experience at Chunyun:

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qcvRVysXq8

  
  

  http://english.cntv.cn/2015/02/03/VIDE1422961082891829.shtml

  Click to start video