Read the Weekly Roundup: April 6

By Justin D. Long, ed.

Perspective, Insight, Context, Analysis

Don’t Miss

Come to Beyond’s upcoming nugget training to hear one of our missionaries share stories from a movement, now with disciples who have made disciples to the 22nd generation, and over 17,000 churches have been planted. Our worker will discuss her journey as she learned to give up good things for great things in order to become more effective for the Kingdom. Register Link

Jon Hirst (Generous Mind, GMI) is hosting an Innovation Event (online, live, free): Most organizations value innovation and desire to see its rewards. But few are able to make innovation part of their culture. Now you can learn about how to bring a culture of innovation to your ministry with a free live web event on April 20th at 10:00 a.m. Mountain Time. Register at http://www.innovationinmission.com

My blog posts

Success and failure bars. Link

Events

Life inside China’s social credit laboratory. FP

… ‘allow the trustworthy to roam everywhere under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step’…

China tightens grip on religion in bureaucratic overhaul. UCA News

… dissolving its longstanding State Administration for Religious Affairs bureau and handing its functions to the party’s feared United Front Work Department…

China insists on control of religion, dimming hopes on Vatican deal. NYT

China governmental white paper on “protecting religious belief.” China Daily

China bans online Bible sales, tightening religious policy. NYT

… “The recent reorganization of China’s governmental agencies put a hard-line faction in charge of the Communist Party’s religious policy, and there are concerns that a broader crackdown may be looming.” …

Missionaries at China border spread Christianity to North Korea. AP

African students in China: a commentary on radicalized attitudes. CPI Analysis

India: Anti-Christian religious persecution rose markedly in March. BP

Bangladesh: Rohingya camps beginning to look permanent. WSJ

South Africa: Cape Town water usage stabilized. Link

US working to ease tensions with Turkey to get pastor released. WSJ

Rwanda closes thousands of churches in a bid for control. AP

Israel: new population figures, Arabs and Jews equal in population size in occupied territories. Al-Monitor

Senegal: City raises to move families as sea swallows homes. Saudi Gazette

… rising seas, coastal erosion, poor planning …

Raw Data

Pew: 1 in 5 Americans live in multigenerational households. Link

… considering implications for mission mobilization, disciple-making, mission sending…

These US cities attract the most H-1B visa talent (diasporas). Link

Analysis

A Saudi Prince’s Quest to remake the Middle East. New Yorker

A deepening dictatorship promises a grim future for China. East Asia Forum

Study: it takes 200 hours to make a friend. Phys.org

… implications for discipleship & DMM? …

Blogs & Opinions

“Web-worship is better than nothing on Tomb Sweeping Day.” Link

What is the Qingming (Tomb Sweeping) Festival? SupChina Video

You become your network. Build it wisely. Link

The religion no one talks about: my search for answers in an old Caribbean faith. Longreads

You only get 25,000 mornings as an adult. Don’t waste them. James Clear

… excellent self-disciplines for all of us …

Future, Tech

FB scans the photos, links you send via Messenger. Bloomberg

… flags inappropriate content …

Facial recognition in China is big business as government boosts surveillance. NPR

More to read

ChinaSource Ebook: 7 Trends: Why you need to pay attention. Link

Quotes

“A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.” ~Ruth Bell Graham

“The resurrection means the worst thing is not the last thing.” ~Frederick Buechner

“Christianity that operates as knowledge of the text naturally expresses itself in argument of ideas. Christianity that operates as obedience to Jesus expresses itself by sharing the Savior.” ~David Miller

“Don’t try to become a person of importance. Try to become a person of value.” ~Albert Einstein

“In our sickness we need a Saviour, in our wanderings a guide, in our blindness someone to show us the light … the whole world needs Jesus” ~Clement of Alexandria

“…what is left unexamined is also left unchallenged.” ~John Stonestreet

“It’s not our job to toughen up our children to face a cruel, and heartless world. It’s our job to teach children how to make the world a little less cruel and heartless.” ~L.R. Knost

“The most striking feature of Christianity at the end of the second millennium is that it [was] predominantly a non-Western religion.” ~Andrew Walls

“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.” ~Oswald Chambers

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