The Chinese Puzzle

With fresh statistics and two new chapters, author Mike Falkenstine is proud to present the second edition of his book, The Chinese Puzzle. Falkenstine has felt a direct leading to help you understand China and her Church. There is much confusion. Does persecution exist? Can Christians in China worship freely? As a Westerner, how may I most effectively pray for and engage in China? Many people are confused by these questions and issues. China is like a huge puzzle, with many pieces and moving parts; it’s hard to identify all that is happening today in China. China is experiencing some monumental, head-spinning changes, and even the most discerning China analyst may find it daunting to keep up. Information flows from multiple sources, and much of it seems contradictory; this doesn’t facilitate our understanding of China and her church. There are also some in the West who pose as ‘China Experts,’ even though they haven’t been to China in many years, they don’t speak the Chinese language, and they are therefore functioning with old paradigms which foster old stereotypes of China. In writing this book, Falkenstine hopes to give you many more pieces to the puzzle that may deepen your understanding of China and thereby Christianity in China. With many more pieces to the puzzle, he believes you will be able to pray more effectively for China, engage with what God is doing there, and see China from a much more balanced perspective. As we finish the first decade of the 21st century, the situation in China is ripe for increased Western engagement based on mutual understanding, and he hopes this book serves as a catalyst to strengthen and deepen that understanding. We hope that you may take the Foundations into your own organization, and use it as a discussion starter and a point of dialogue about most effective practices in China. It has proved to be an invaluable tool for many organizations and he’d recommend it to anyone or any organization just starting out in China.

Mike Falkenstine Mike Falkenstine is the Founder and CEO of China Resource Center, (www.ChinaResourceCenter.org) a Christian organization that exists to serve the rapid growth and development of the Church in China through rural Bible Distribution Events, Church Building and Theological Training. China Resource Center also has a heart to clarify Western perceptions of Christianity in China. Mike has over 20 years’ experience ministering to Chinese, including time living in his ‘second hometown’ of Tianjin. After years of China ministry, he is conversationally fluent in Chinese (Mandarin) and is a Chinese history, culture and food aficionado, with a deep heart for the Chinese people. Mike’s favorite thing about China, besides his Chinese friends, is the food and likes Taiyuan’s noodles and Tianjin’s ‘Goubuli’ dumplings the best. Married to Sherie for 15 years, Mike and his wife have 3 children and one Wheaton Terrier. They live in Douglas County, Colorado.