Thanks to my colleague and friend Luke for writing some articles for Christian Reflections. Luke will be talking about his ministry at FOCUS UTAS:
Most of our international students are Chinese. When you have a majority of mainland Chinese they slowly but surely drive the other nationalities away. We call ourselves International and we want to be… but in reality… we’re Chinese with a few other countries thrown in…
Over the past seven years I’ve slowly come to realise:
- They aren’t atheists: Confucius said things like “Respect gods and keep away from them.”and…..”If we cannot understand life and how to live, how can we know what happens after life?” While they wouldn't say they got it from Confucius Ive heard them speak in similar ways.
- They’re modernists: this is quite fun and makes my ministry much less complicated; things are black and white; how can I believe in God?: can science and God co-exist?; what about other religions? what about my ancestors?
- They don’t have community events: I’m led to believe they just don’t have them back in China. Well, Ive heard of ball room dancing for the elderly and such, but events for young people are rare if nonexistent.
- They’re all on a production line: study accounting (thats the best way to get a job, PR and money) get a job, make money, send money back to mum and dad, move back to China, get a job, married, get kids, send kids to Tasmania to study…. This means it can be hard to get them to look up and around themselves. Where does God fit into things? Why should I care? I know what I’m here for and I’ve just got to get it done.
- To speak Mandarin or employ a Mandarin version of myself.
- A Chinese church of mainland Chinese to have a close relationship with us without compromising the precious relationship I have with churches around Tasmania and Sydney.
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