Author: Shalem John
On a recent overcast Sunday, a 70-year-old Taiwanese American man in a suit rose to his feet to worship in a high school auditorium in Torrance, California. Standing next to his wife, Cathy, and daughter, Alice, David Lin raised his arms and sang along with the young, casually dressed congregants of King’s Cross Church: “I’m gonna lift my hands / Till I can reach heaven.” Though they appeared like any other close Christian family, the image belied the hardships each of them had recently endured. From 2006 to 2024, the Chinese government detained David as he served a life sentence…
It’s hard to believe, but there are places on the globe where the realities that Brother Andrew was facing 70 years ago are very similar to the realities that Christians face today, where owning a Bible is strictly prohibited by law or carries dire, dire consequences. Bible distribution still remains a cornerstone of a lot of our work. These days, digital files can be very, very small and can also live alongside a lot of other digital files. Just the amount of digital information can be an ally, if you will, to keeping it hidden. But, you know, in many…
Hanna Massad keeps in close contact with his former neighbors and church members still living in Gaza. A friend from Gaza Baptist Church told him that “all the people in the churches are feeling dizzy and have started experiencing health issues” from the widespread food shortage. A Muslim friend said it’s difficult to find food to feed his family. To help Massad’s people, his nonprofit, Christian Mission to Gaza (CMG), distributes between 2,000 and 3,000 hot meals to Gazans each month. Under the umbrella of Gaza Baptist Church, which Massad previously pastored before moving to the US in 2008, CMG…