| UPCOMING EVENTS |
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Theology of Work: Making Sense of the Other 6 Days
March 26-29, 2009
Boulder, CO
Starting with the definition of work as "purposeful activity, whether manual or mental or both, whether remunerated or not" we will explore both the biblical basis of a theology of work and then wrestle with the contextual implications. The course will involve learning as a community and putting into practice the theology of work one has gained.
Overture II: China
April 15-25, 2009
Beijing, Xian, Shanghai
For all who make the journey, these 10 days in China will change perspectives, shift paradigms and prepare a new space for God to reveal how He is working in the world. If you want to join us, do not delay in securing your place. You will come away from this trip having been exposed to modern Chinese history, changes and challenges resulting from rapid urbanization and contemporary economic and social policies.
BGU LAUNCHES MBA DEGREE
Globalization & the Global Economy
May 7-9, 2009
Seattle, WA
Globalization - the course will expose and expand your thinking on global economic and geo-political institutions and activities. You will access their impact on business and managerial decision-making. Impacts on the global markets will be explored. Be a part of this history making class.
You can register by clicking this link, or contact Shirley Akers (800-935-4723 or shirleya@bgu.edu) for more information. |
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INNOVATIVE RESOURCE |
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China and Christianity: Burdened Past,
Hopeful Future
This volume comes out of a major international conference held by the Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History and the Center for the Pacific Rim at the University of San Francisco in October 1999. The timing on the eve of the twenty-first century is perceived by the organizers as a historical opportunity to reflect afresh on Sino-Western cultural relations, with particular regard to the experience of Christianity in China. On the basis of the broad review of the past and the present relationship, the focus shifts to the future with its great promise and potential pitfalls. The contributors include authorities from China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan), Europe (including Russia and Eastern Europe), and North America.
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February 2009 |
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CHINA . . . AN APPOINTMENT WITH DESTINY
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Daqin Pagoda
| China, a mystical and wonder-filled country with a land mass only slightly smaller than the United States. Picture, if you can, this giant's more than 1.34 billion people, who represent over 20 percent of the world's population, gathered into 56 different tribes. Of the 56 tribes the Han account for 92% of China's population. Despite rapid economic growth, 47% live on less than $2 a day, with an increasing gap between rich and poor. The leading cause of death for 15 to 34 year-olds is suicide - one every two minutes, resulting in over 250,000 deaths a year. Major religions include Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and ancestor worship. Christians are a growing minority estimated at anywhere between 130 million and 200 million.
For the last four years, I have led Bakke Graduate University's annual China course/educational trip to Xian, Beijing and Shanghai. One of the highlights of these trips for students and fellow travelers has been our excursion to an important archeological site - the Daqin Pagoda - near Xian, one of China's most ancient cities. The Daqin Pagoda is the remnant of the earliest surviving Christian church in China. The church and the monastery were built in 640 CE by members of the Assyrian Church of the East, also referred to as the Nestorian church. These ancient missionaries traveled along the Silk Road, from what is now present day Iraq to bring the gospel to China.
In this location a stone stele erected in 781 CE was excavated. It describes and commemorates the flourishing communities of Christians throughout China. The Chinese inscription on the stone translates, "Memorial of the Propagation in China of the Luminous Religion." The Christian church referred to itself as "The Luminous Religion of Daqin." Also inscribed on the stele, "The religion spread throughout the ten provinces. . . . Monasteries abound in many cities." These early missionaries persevered in their efforts to earn the favor and the intellectual appreciation of the Chinese court. Indeed the location of the excavation was deep inside what used to be the palace ground during the Tang Dynasty.
Last year several in our group climbed the pagoda on a rickety wooden ladder and were astounded to find relics believed to be sculptures of Biblical stories, including Mary, mother of Jesus, and the story of Jonah. Looking out from the top level of the pagoda, I saw ripened wheat fields ready for harvesting, stretching as far as my eyes could see, and I was reminded of the scripture in John 4:35b, "Look at the fields for they are already white for harvest."
With the globalizing economy, its entry into the WTO in 2001, and then the Olympic Games in 2008, China is front and center in the public eye.
However, what is most significant is the spiritual awakening, or perhaps I should say reawakening, that is gaining momentum in China. In August 2008, forty Chinese in ten vehicles undertook a "prayer rally" from Xian, along the old Silk Road, all the way to Jerusalem. They believed that God had instructed them to open the doors, spiritually speaking, by praying along the route the missionaries from Iraq had come in the mid 6th century.
While Christianity's spread in the seventh century failed to transform China spiritually, we are on the brink of seeing Christianity supply the needed transformation power this time around. Case in point . . . in the next two decades, it is possible that there will be at least two key mission sending countries originating from East Asia - China, joining South Korea, to significantly spiritually impact their neighbors and the world. In fact this movement has already started. An urban house church in a leading Chinese city has been sending mission teams to Japan and South Korea, as well as Southeast Asian countries. They are now planning to facilitate sending missionaries to an Arabian Peninsula country to share the gospel with the North Korean migrant workers there. China, in terms of mission, is already exceeding its geographical boundaries.
An immense country with immense needs, coupled with equally immense promise for the future - China truly has an appointment with destiny!
Written by:
BGU Professor of Record |
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Bakke Graduate University (BGU) is the educational arm of a network assembled over a span of 30 years, around the values and practice of the whole church engaging the whole of culture with the whole gospel. Participants include church, business, government and non-profit leaders in 250 of the world's largest cities. BGU conducts city consultations and training programs, as well as offering accredited doctoral and masters degrees in theology. GlobalScape is an expression of this network.
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