CHINA HORIZON
206 E. Las Tunas Dr., Ste. 2
San Gabriel, CA 91776

February 2000

Dear Friends of China Horizon: 

Globalization is here to stay.  One sign of it is Taiwan's announcement (February 8, 2000) that it will adopt the pinyin system of romanizing Chinese characters.  This is a giant step toward making names and terms uniform.  For example, China is now spelled Zhongguo, not Chung kuo; Christianity is jidujiao, no longer Chi tu chiao.  Some syllables will be more difficult to learn; for example, theology is shenxue (not shen hsueh).  Chinese Christians who have been used to the Wade-Giles system will need to learn the pinyin system.  

Globalization has come partly through information technology.  This is a welcome opportunity to expand our ministry.  This month China Horizon begins to teach systematic theology in Chinese, on-line.  This invitational course is a pilot project, an experiment to communicate our convictions through the internet, through materials written and compiled specifically for this purpose.  

Nine students have registered for this course.  Most of them have engaged in apologetics on-line; others have communicated their faith through the print media.  All have done so within a year after they became Christians.  Most of them were born in China.  

Please pray that this pilot project will be successful; that we will overcome the technical and communication difficulties.  As far as we know, we are the first ministry to teach theology, in Chinese, on-line.  Distance learning is here to stay; we have launched out in the implementation phase at this critical hour.  May God's grace and power be with us as we serve those who serve.  

Information technology is a tool through which we can dig deeper into God's Word, and respond to the intellectual challenges of the hour.  It has been our privilege to host a mainland Chinese scholar in July 1999, and another in January-February 2000, as they make contacts and explore issues in-depth with Christian leaders in North America.  

In this connection, I had the opportunity to address government leaders and think-tanks in Washington DC during a recent trip (with a mainland Chinese scholar) to attend the National Prayer Breakfast.  Research is hard, painstaking, slow; results are intangible, and the impact is long term and indirect.  Yet it is so necessary, for the nation and for the church.  It is heart-warming to see so many research think-tanks staffed by Christians in the USA.  

Thank you for your prayers.  It does make a difference; it is so encouraging to us.  

For Christ and Chinese minds,




Samuel D. Ling  
(in pinyin: Lin ci xin) 
President