Praise the Lord! After nearly a year of preparation, the inaugural issue of Gospel! Culture! Kingdom! has finally been published, thanks to the tireless efforts of our colleagues at the US office of China Ministries International (CMI-US).

In this issue, Dr. Samuel H. Chao, President of CMI-US, elaborates on the vision and mission of this new quarterly journal in his featured article “Foreword to the Inaugural Issue.” In essence, globalization continues to drive paradigm shifts in the political and economic landscapes of both China and across the world. CMI-US recognizes our responsibility to prayerfully discern how God’s sovereignty is at work in this generation and to faithfully follow Christ’s call for our organization.

After over 40 years of intensive mission work in China, we envision this quarterly journal as a platform of direct communication between Chinese churches and the universal church by offering reflections on Dr. Chao’s “threefold vision” of “Evangelization of Nation, Kingdomization of Church, and Christianization of Culture.” Likewise, our goal is threefold: to bridge churches in China with the universal Church, to shape missions in China and around the world with a global perspective, and to instill a vivid awareness of Christ’s second coming.

However, embracing a new mission in a new era does not negate the past’s sacrificial work of our brothers and sisters, nor does it demand the abandonment of the old for the new. In fact, every step we take into the future is firmly rooted in the rich soil of the prayers, tears, and toil of our predecessors. Therefore, “Legacy” is the theme for the first issue of Gospel! Culture! Kingdom! Our first issue features four insightful articles:

  1. “The Origin and Explanation of the ‘Threefold Vision’: Theology and Practice ‘for the Sake of the Gospel’” by Ying Shan introduces the “Threefold Vision”.
  2. “A Faithful Chinese Indigenous Preacher” by Abraham Lai testifies to the spirit of the Chinese church in bearing the cross for the Lord.
  3. “The Imperative to Transform Emotions and Friendships: An Interview with Dr. James Houston, Founding President of Regent College in Vancouver” by Faith Ho showcases the saints’ passionate love for the Triune God throughout history.
  4. “Open Heart Open Home: Stories of A Cross-Cultural Missionary” by Rose Marie Miller. Approaching the age of 100, she embodies the spirit of Western missionaries who have generously dedicated themselves to spreading the Gospel to people of different cultures and ethnicities.

“Legacy” is not about holding onto the past, but about humbly gaining wisdom from it to advance into an ever-evolving future, with Christ as our foundation. As Dr. Houston points out in his interview, “as the Church in the sixteenth century required the Reformation to reform people’s thinking, Christians today require a further reformation of our feelings. That is, experiencing God’s love in the heart, will lead to the transformation of our emotions, especially to the deep gratitude from the heart.” May these words from this esteemed theologian and spiritual mentor encourage us to gratefully inherit the spiritual legacy passed down by the saints while exercising biblical wisdom in discerning God’s work for these rapidly changing times. Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to constantly renew our hearts and minds, deepen our love for God, and empower us to live out the gospel so that we may become genuine and effective witnesses of Jesus Christ to the present generation.