“The Most Beautiful Volunteer” Liao Zhi Talks about the Two Earthquakes She has Experienced

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most beautiful volunteerThe article below, translated from the mainland site Gospel Times, is about a young dancer named “Liao Zhi” who lost both of her legs in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. She has since been fitted with artificial legs and has returned to dancing. After the earthquake in Ya’an last month, she went to the area as a volunteer.

When the Wenchuan earthquake struck five years ago, she lost her legs, her mother-in-law, her ten-month old daughter, as well as her marriage. Five years later, when an earthquake hit Lushan County in the same province, she wore prosthetic legs and went to the stricken area immediately. Her name is Liao Zhi, and she is  known as “the most beautiful volunteer.” She said, ‘It is joy, not suffering that that allows people to go on.

Liao related what happened to her during the first earthquake, on May 12, 2008. When it struck, her grandma bent over to protect the baby in her arms, and Liao laid on top of them. The earthquake eventually caused the house to collapse, burying them. Gradually her daughter stopped crying, and her mother-in-law died also. Liao said at that moment she lost her will to live. When her father talked to her from outside, she responded weakly at first, but later, she gave up and stopped responding no matter how many people called out to her. Later on, spurred on by the cries of the people, which reminded her of her parents, she regained her will to live. She was the only child of her parents and she didn’t want them to suffer the same pain she had just experienced.

After she was rescued and taken to the hospital, she was told her legs needed to be amputated. At that time, her father was at home taking care of his mother-in-law as well as his daughter, and her mother was out of the province Her husband was also away, so the only relative she had nearby was a young cousin. The little boy was so distressed by the thought of Liao’s amputation that he kneeled down and grabbed the operating shelter vehicle, begging the doctors not to go. Finally, it was Liao herself who signed the permission form for surgery.

She said when she was little she watched a TV series named ‘Yi Lian You Meng’ which was written by Qiongyao (a famous Taiwanese writer). The heroine of the show was a dancer who lost her legs in an accident. Liao thought if it ever happened to her, she would kill herself at once. But when she did experience this in her real life, she found that it was not as simple as she thought and that ending her life was not the way to solve the problem.

“At least my daughter was a reason for me to survive since I was convinced that she can could what I was doing, and I thought if I give up, she would laugh at me and feel disappointed in her mom”, Liao said.

When she talks about the marriage she lost after the earthquake, Liao shared that the pain brought about by the stress in her marriage was worse then the earthquake itself. She blamed her husband for his absence when the earthquake struck. But every time when she blamed him, it hurt her husband even more; he just kept silent and cried. Now she is grateful to him since it was his absence that made her strong. If he had been there, she couldn’t be the person she is now.

Five years later, when the earthquake hit Ya’an, she was in Chongqing. Wearing her prostheses, she went to the stricken area at once. She said, ‘Since I had the experience of being rescued, as well as being small, I know how to dig holes and so knew I could help a lot’.

“The reason I said this is because when I was trapped in the debris, the rescue workers couldn’t get in; finally it was a little boy who got in and saved me. This is the reason that I can face the debris again, something that others have refused to do. I believe that my second chance at life was given by another. As a result, I believe that people should help selflessly.” She added.

It was also this time that she released on her micro-blog a photo of her sitting on top of some rubble.  The picture was re-posted 10,000 times as soon as it was released. Many people commented the she looks a lot like Cecilia Cheung (a famous star from Hong Kong, China), so she was given a name of “the most beautiful volunteer.” At the beginning, she thought all those comments were meaningless since didn’t have anything to do with the disaster-relief, but after a few days with the situation getting better, she felt relieved and thought about their comments and felt happy, “do I really look like Cecilia Cheung?”

As she looked back again, she said she is grateful for all that happened in her life and will enjoy every moment of her life. Most of all, she wants to thank God, since He is the one who gave her a second chance to share her experiences sincerely and openly.

Original Article: 最美志愿者廖智谈生命中的两次地震

More articles about Liao Zhi:

Video: Liao Zhi, Survivor (CCTV English report)

Chinese dancer, earthquake survivor thankful for faith and legs (Lubbock Avalance-Journal)

Thinking About Death

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cross3This is a translation of a long Weibo post by a leader in a Three-Self Church college fellowship. In it he relates a conversation he had recently with a friend regarding the deaths of so many people in the Wenchuan earthquake. In this post he is trying to help the readers understand some of what the Bible has to say about death. It is a good example of how Christians in China are using social media platforms to engage in evangelism.

I am a leader of a seeker’s group so I am frequently asked many questions.  Obviously, the question of death is an important one.  After the Wenchuan earthquake, a friend asked me, “Tens of thousands of people suddenly died in the earthquake, shouldn’t God…?”

I replied, “It was a very unfortunate disaster. But according to you, if those tens of thousands of people hadn’t died suddenly in the earthquake, but had died in a dispersed way — some in an accident today, some by sickness tomorrow, the types of deaths we see in funeral parlors every day — you think that is normal?”

My friend was a little touched, but continued asking, “But so many children and many students died in the earthquake!” I answered, “It is a very unfortunate disaster. But according to you, if all of them live to be 80 or 90, and then they die, not because of sickness nor disaster, do you think that is normal?” My friend replied, “I think I understand now.”

When sin entered the world, many things became abnormal. But now people consider them to be normal just because they are used to it being this way. All human societies have as their goal that people will die “normal/natural” deaths. “Abnormal/unnatural” deaths are to be prevented. But of course, “normal death” IS better than “abnormal death”.

What then did God do about death—the one thing that every person faces?

The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” God’s son Jesus Christ came to the world and died on the cross for man’s sin. What he experienced was an extremely humiliating “abnormal death.” But he rose from the dead on the third day, thereby conquering death and bringing life to mankind.

For anyone who trusts in Jesus Christ, his sins are forgiven and he has eternal life. When Jesus Christ comes again in his glory, the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and the living will be changed. This perishable body will be imperishable, and the mortal body will become immortal. Death will be completely eliminated.

Image source: wallpaper4god.com

A Xinjiang Pastor on How to Discern True and False Gods

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yuefeiThis article, posted on the mainland site Christian Times is a summary of an internet post by a pastor from Xinjiang Autonomous Region on how to discern true and false gods. The context of the article is resurgence of the Eastern Lightning cult last winter. The pastor reminds believers to focus on the attributes of God when discerning false teachings from true teachings. He then spells out five categories of false gods in Chinese culture.

Translation:

The religious cult Eastern Lightening, which now calls itself “The Church of the Almighty God” has been increasingly active of late, spreading doomsday rumors and harassing local churches and believers throughout China. In response to the cult’s disastrous influence on the church one pastor from Xinjiang has used the Internet as a means to help Christians understand “How to distinguish false gods from the one true God”.

Regarding those who deny the existence of God, the pastor believes that “persons who sincerely God  will eventually acknowledge that He exists.” This is a truth which the Bible clearly teaches: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20).

In order to enable Christians to better distinguish truth from lies when faced with temptation and rumors, he focused primarily on God’s attributes, why people cannot recognize the true God and the origins and characteristics of false gods.

I. Attributes of the True God

The following are essential attributes of the true God:
1. God is spirit. He not only has life but also person-hood.
2. God is infinite, unchanging from everlasting to everlasting and eternally existent.
3. God is complete in himself, faithful, and full of compassion, righteousness, holiness and peace.
4. All things originate and end in God, he is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent.

This is the true God we believe in. He is the source of creation, the maker of both the heavens and the earth. He is sovereign over all and the author of life as well as the giver of the Word of life. He has revealed himself to man and enabled man to understand his ways and become reconciled to him.

II. Why People Cannot Recognize the True God
The main reason that is that the enemy, Satan, has blinded the eyes of man, making it impossible to believe. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4 The devil will use any means possible to create false Gods and prevent man from recognizing the true Lord of heaven and earth.

III. The Origin of False Gods
Each country has numerous false gods, but here the discussion will focus only on those within China. They fall into five general categories:

1. Material Constructs
This category of false gods are those which have been molded into Buddhist idols or other images using materials such as clay, wood, rock, gold, silver, copper and iron. The most common include the Jade Emperor, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama and the Earth God. The prevailing belief is that these idols posses supernatural power and should not be treated casually. However, as a well-known proverb asserts they are “unable to even help themselves.” Idols should not be feared, yet we should be on guard against the evil spirits that lie behind them.

2. Mental Constructs
This category of false gods refers to those that have been conceived entirely in the imagination and which no person has ever actually seen. They are neither traditional heroes nor historical figures. Some examples include the Thunder God, the Dragon King of the Sea, the God of the Earth, the Kitchen God, and the God of Wealth.

3.Immortalized Figures
This group is composed of historical figures such as imperial officials, famous generals, sages, and other outstanding persons. These would include the Song dynasty general Yue Fei, Zhuge Liang, and Guangong. These individuals are revered and recognized for their great contributions to their fellow countrymen, but should in no way be considered gods.

4. Mythological Figures
These are false gods whose origin is found in myth and legend, but were unexpectedly elevated to a god-like status. Pangu, the mythological creator of the universe, the Queen Mother of the West, the Monkey King and the Eight Immortals are some well-known examples.

5. Feared Objects
This is a decidedly bizarre class of false gods, which produce both fear and fascination. For example, people fear tigers and ghosts, while at the same time they worship them.

When we reflect on the character of God, we will be able to easily distinguish between true and false gods. Our God is the savior of all – young and old, male and female, rich and poor, wise and ignorant. Faith in him is all that is needed for to receive the free gift of salvation and enjoy God’s love, righteousness, peace and happiness. He is the one, true God.

Original article: 新疆牧者评“东方闪电”猖獗：如何分辨真神与假神

Image source: People’s Daily

Christian Netizens React to the Ya’an Earthquake

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yaanOn April 20, 2013, a strong earthquake struck near the city of Ya’an, in China’s  Sichuan Province. Centered in a rural district called Lushan, the quake (magnitude 7.0) killed more than 196 people, and left tens of thousands injured and homeless. This was the first major natural disaster to hit China in the age of Weibo, which exploded with information, commentary, and words of sorrow and comfort.

Christian netizens once again joined the conversation, offering words of hope and comfort. In the posts translated below, some of the writers note that everywhere they turn there are people offering prayers for the victims. Who are they praying to, they wonder.

One post references a believer who lost her legs in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, and is now, with the use of her artificial legs, helping survivors of this earthquake.

Another post urges people to wake up, for the Lord’s return is near.

@幸福的小白白白
The following phrase is printed on the back of the buses: “Pray for blessings for Ya’an.”  But if there is no God, who is it that gives blessings? The media say, “May the victims rest in peace.” But if there is no soul, what is it that rests in peace? They hope the dead can enter heaven, but according to what is taught, there is neither heaven nor hell. Then where would the dead go?

@Candy_995：
The beautiful teacher who lost both her feet in the Wenchuan (5/12/08) earthquake is now a brave volunteer on the front lines in the Ya’an earthquake with her artificial legs. You have lived out Jesus. You have shown the love of Christ and have brought more people to know Christ and to know God. God bless you.

@拥抱幸福生活：
If there is no God, when we pray for our fellowman, to whom are we praying? If there is no spirit, why do we say, “comfort the dead?” If there is no heaven, where do they “rest in peace?” When everything is quiet and peaceful, you insist that there is nothing beyond, saying that death is the end; there is nothing more. But when disasters come, you hope there is a place in heaven for you. When things are going smoothly, you say that man’s fixed purpose is superior to Heaven. But when floods and earthquakes come, you pray that  Heaven will bless China. Oh, people who are praying for blessings, who are you praying to? And those who survived, who are you giving thanks to?

@天恩生料带：
During the Ya’an earthquake, I saw pictures of people who fled without even having time to put their clothes on. I thought, “my dear brothers and sisters, are you awake?”  Revelation 16:15 says, “See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and is clothed, not going about naked and exposed to shame.” The time of our Lord’s return is near; let us be awake!

A Conversation About Music in the Church

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2012120801010227Much has been written about the so-called “worship wars” in the west, as churches struggle to find the balance between traditional and contemporary forms of worship. In this article, published on the mainland site Christian Times, we read that this is a question that some churches in China are beginning to wrestle with.

A Conversation with Beijing Zion Church Senior Worship Leader: How to Blend Traditional and Contemporary Worship Music

A Baidu search for “contemporary praise and worship” and “traditional praise and worship” will generate numerous articles. Yet those approaching the subject from a conservative point of view occupy the search engine’s first few pages. In recent years, China’s urban church has been on the rise, as has its population of younger members; this begs the question: how should praise and worship within the church view “contemporary” and “traditional?” A Christian Times reporter recently invited Brother Jiang En, one of the main worship leaders from Beijing Zion Church, to share his thoughts.

Following his conversion, Brother Jiang En was called by God to work in the area of praise and worship, where he has now served for six years. A couple of years ago he accepted God’s call to give up a lucrative IT job, and commit wholeheartedly to serve the church. His dream is to eventually become a worship pastor where he can edify other believers, both musically and in their Christian life.

I have observed in the church the phenomenon that there are times when Christians are praising and worshiping God that they can easily become preoccupied with their own emotions. The purpose of worship should be to look to, honor, and glorify God; but instead lyrics become the source of comfort and worship becomes a time of self-pitying.

During the quiet time when we seek to commune with the Lord, we can reveal all of our emotions to Him. I have learned from experience that when the Lord accepts all of a person’s feelings, genuine worship and reverence toward God will follow. However, it is obvious that there is some difference between collective worship and individual worship as a spiritual discipline. Thus, the question is how should worshipers in a church handle such differences?

Brother Jiang En believes that Christians’ preoccupation with their own feelings during worship is perhaps related to the lyrics that tend to “emotionalize” the individual worship experience. He then directed the topic more specifically to the exploration of contemporary and traditional worship songs. He sees this fixation with personal feelings as one of the disadvantages brought about by the musical form and lyrical content of contemporary music, areas, which not surprisingly, have also received criticism from proponents of traditional worship music.

Brother Jiang En said that the subject in many songs is “I,” such as ” How am I and how do I feel?” In traditional four stanza hymns, however, most often the subject is God. There is richness to the lyrical content of each stanza; some hymns even traverse the Scriptures in their entirety from the book of Genesis all the way to the book of Revelation.

“If comparisons are made based on the richness of content and the ideas and deeper meanings contained within, contemporary worship falls short of traditional worship.” Yet Brother Jiang En feels that the two genres must compliment one another during worship.

What we currently refer to as so-called traditional music was, during the period of its inception, considered “contemporary music.” Those interested in upholding traditional music need to give today’s contemporary music space to develop and mature – to uncritically reject contemporary music would only serve to restrict the development of music that reflects the unique characteristics of this current generation.

For example, some traditional churches claim that drums should be forbidden during worship. They believe drums are an instrument of Satan. To show the faulty logic of such thinking, Brother Jiang En used the analogy of a knife. He explained that a knife cannot kill a person by itself, but rather requires a person to take up the knife. Drums, he feels, are the same. If they are used to create rock music that is dark and lifeless, the impact will be negative. If drums are used to praise God, then they can also glorify God.

Some have suggested that within worship the holy and pure instruments include the piano and the pipe organ. Brother Jiang En doesn’t completely agree. The Israelites never used these instruments in their worship of God. In the year the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and sang the first song of Moses, the tambourine used in worship was very possibly an Egyptian instrument given the significant acculturation Israel had experienced living in Egypt for more than 400 years.

This instrument, if looked at from a human perspective, a narrow perspective, certainly was not holy and pure, but the Israelites used it to worship God. Brother Jiang En shared his personal view: “The blame cannot be placed on the instrument itself, but should be placed on the person, how the person uses the instrument and the mind set when playing. This is very important.”

The Strong Points and Transformation of Contemporary Worship

Music plays a significant role in the process of transmitting the gospel. Leading young people to sing four stanza hymns will only put them to sleep and waste an opportunity to enter into dialogue with them. The question, then, is how should the church change, serve the younger generation, and encourage them to worship God? The answer is not, of course, to go to the other extreme and abandon traditional hymns altogether. Brother Jiang En’s current practice is to incorporate at least one traditional hymn into each Sunday service, which compliments the other more contemporary worship songs.

He believes that traditional hymns are a tremendous gift. If Christians do not inherit them, it will be a great loss. Furthermore, contemporary praise and worship can take the gift of traditional music, redevelop and reproduce in order to compose music afresh, “to create music using a form that won’t put people to sleep”.

Lyrics are the enduring quality of traditional music. Customarily, the ideas behind the music and lyrical implications are intended to place God at the center.  Listening to one piece of music is like listening to a sermon – the content provides much on which to contemplate. Furthermore, the church is made up of different age groups. The middle aged and the elderly resonate with this kind of music and often meet God in the music.

Consequently, the two styles need to complement one another. The strength of contemporary music is its versatility and varied musical form. It is full of energy, has a strong rhythm and can speak to the younger generation. Take Korea for example. Two years ago Brother Jiang En traveled to Korea to attend a conference for worship leaders. He discovered that in the 80′s and 90′s the Korean church experienced a large-scale revival that resulted in a significant influx of young churchgoers.  The reason? At least on the surface, research suggests that the 20-year period was a time of transformation for the church during which worship shifted from traditional to contemporary.

Brother Jiang commented, “This gives us something to reflect upon. The Chinese church is in a period of transformation and the question is how praise and worship should adapt.”  Therefore, what influence does Chinese worship have on the transformation of the Chinese church?

“The Koreans did a good job, but we can’t just simply copy what they did. For example, some young people like to listen to English songs that are popular in the West. Joshua band, a Taiwanese music group,  has translated many such songs. At times we also sing these songs. However, this also has its own inherent weakness.”

 ”Translated songs are definitely not true to the original. The lyrics are an art, which need to transmit their true message, achieve their intended purpose and do so with a measure of aesthetic beauty. Lyrics also need to have a rhyme scheme. If the rhyme scheme is broken, then the music also breaks down. Therefore, there is definitely something lost in translation. It just can’t be entirely natural, particularly when lyrics have been composed by a westerner in the context of their own culture, history, and life background. In our context the translated songs will undergo a certain degree of cultural adaptation.” Therefore, Brother Jiang En feels that China’s praise and worship needs to conform to Chinese culture.

“We need blending. We need to take elements from China’s own cultural heritage and build on the West’s musical foundation to create music that can be considered contemporary Chinese praise and worship.” In simpler terms, “Chinese praise and worship music needs to have a Chinese style.”

Praise and worship are an integral part of culture.  To improve the quality is not only a service to worship itself, but also a service to the culture. Music is an indispensable link to culture. Within Chinese culture, worship music should gradually begin to establish its own place, which perhaps is something that those producing praise and worship need to consider.

Original article and photo: 北京锡安教会敬拜主领谈：赞美中传统诗歌与现代诗歌如何配搭？

Christian Netizens React to the Boston Bombing

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llzAs news that a Chinese student had been killed in the Boston Marathon bombing broke in China, netizens took to Weibo to react and comment, and Christians joined the conversation. Some of the comments reference other tragic events in the news this week, such as the earthquake in Pakistan, the poisoning of a university student in Shanghai, and the spread of the H7N9 flu virus.

One noted that both the student who died in Shanghai and the one who died in Boston had either attended seeker Bible studies or attended church. They all either call for prayer for the victims families, or urge people to put their trust in Christ.

Here are translations of 8 posts from Weibo this week:

@张牧师-TumenChurch (@Pastor Zhang-TumenChurch)

The Boston Marathon bombing was a horrible and sorrowful sight. Many have died in the 7.8 magnitude quake near border of Iran and Pakistan.  A graduate student at Fudan Univeristy was poisoned to death by his roommate. All of these sad news reports remind us of our sacred responsibility—“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.” (1 Tim. 2:1-2)

(@冯昌颐 (@ Feng Changyi)

I have been following the news reports on the Fudan University poisoning and the Boston bombings over the past two days and am greatly grieved.  Dear Lord, it looks like Satan’s power is everywhere. We are so small, we don’t even know whether we’ll die drinking water or being bombed on the side of a road while watching a race.  The only thing we can do is to give ourselves fully to you and obtain peace in the Lord Jesus. Amen. Pray for the victims and those who have lost their loved ones.

@独孤龙雏 (@LonelyDragon)

“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Cor. 12:26-27) Pray for the people who lost their loved ones and pray for those who survived the Boston bombing. May the Lord comfort us.

@United-卡B (@United-Ka B)

I Just woke up and continue to follow the news from Boston. This tragedy is saddening.  So many people  are still living in the abyss of suffering; so many souls are seeking comfort. But still, many good people out of their good conscience produce good. Let us preserve the goodness that’s in us. Let us pray with hope. A hope that what we cannot achieve by our hands, prayer can achieve. #In the name of Lord Jesus Christ#

@冯伟牧师 (@PastorFengwei)

The student at Fudan University who was poisoned and the Chinese girl who was killed in the Boston bombing both attended Christian fellowships.  Huang Yang attended a seeker’s Bible study group, but the people in the fellowship are not sure if he had come to Christ. A sister from our church who is also studying in Boston told us that the Chinese girl was also a seeker and had many Christian friends, but that she had not yet come to the Lord. Life is short, do not miss it, come quickly to Christ!

@爱满神州 (@LoveinChina)

Terrible things have happened over the past two days. A student was poisoned at Fudan University. The Boston Marathon was bombed. A Hong Kong singer was in a car accident. H7N9 is spreading. This world is getting darker and darker. But I am not afraid because I have Jesus. Though I don’t know what will happen in the next second, I have Jesus and I have a hope. It is so good to know God!

 @复活里的馨香燔祭 (@FragrantOfferingInResurrection)

In Isaiah 40:1, the Lord says, “Comfort, O comfort my people.” Today, in the midst of the Boston bombing, we not only need to pray for peace for those who are victims in this attack, and their relatives and friends; we also need to pray for the people of that land, pray that they will know that the Lord Jesus is the one they should turn to in such a generation. “Besides him, there is no salvation.” May the Lord give peace to Boston, Amen.

@孙玉春长老 (@Elder Sun Yuchun)

We should pray for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. Christians should be doing something. We should preach the Gospel. Now war and terrorism are getting closer and closer to us. The world has never been peaceful. Christians should strive to practice the great mission Jesus gave to us. We should pray for our neighbors, learn to love our neighbors, and share with them the Gospel that brings people out of death. Let us be more alert and work harder!

For more information on the Chinese student who was killed:

Chinese student killed at Boston Marathon attended elite high school in gritty Chinese city (April 17, Washington Post

Grad student with eye on career in finance is mourned in China (April 17, 2013, The New York Times)

Chinese student killed in bombings had followed her passion to Boston (April 18, 2013, CNN)

Chinese pour out grief for student (April 19, The Wall Street Journal)

Image source: CNN

A Christian Actress Comments on Marriage

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luliping

Lu Liping is one of China’s most famous actresses. She and her husband, who is also a Christian, are  very open and public about their faith. Their blogs and microblogs have tens of thousands of followers.

This article in the Christian Times is about a Weibo post that Ms. Lu wrote with advice for Christian couples.

Chinese children have traditionally been taught that married couples should never argue. For most couples today, however, going an entire lifetime without arguing is simply impossible.

Married couples often argue over trivial matters. The devil likes to take advantage of these situations, prompting those involved to be reckless and thoughtless in their speech. As a result, arguing becomes like a dull knife, their unfiltered words causing harm to both parties involved.

According to a lifestyle survey, couples argue over matters as small as “Why was dinner so salty tonight?” or “I just cleaned that floor! Why did you go and make it dirty again?” They also argue about great matters such as “Who should control the household finances?” and “Which university should our child attend?” Everyday problems such as these can result in an endless string of disagreements.

In actuality, there are many kinds of arguments. Some are forgotten as soon as they’re over while others can result in the breakup of a relationship. The difference between the two lies in whether or not couples know how to argue. This is a pre-request course for every couple today.

The fairy-tale marriage of well-known Christian actors Lü Liping and Sun Haiying is an example of what many young Christians hope for in their own marriages. Yesterday, Lü posted on her Weibo account, “A must-read for Christian couples: What ten things shouldn’t you do when you argue? Here are the ‘10 Commandments’ for Christian couples when arguing: 1. Don’t argue in public; 2. Don’t argue in front of your children; 3. Don’t argue when your partner is angry; 4. Don’t bring up past arguments; 5. Don’t involve your spouse’s parents or other family members; 6. Don’t treat isolated situations like the norm; 7. Don’t talk about things that can’t be changed; 8. Don’t raise your voice; 9. Don’t strike your spouse; 10. Don’t ever bring up the possibility of divorce.”

These ‘10 commandments’ seem to be a much-needed lesson for this generation of couples, since they were shared on Weibo over 800 times. From the comments that were generated, it’s clear that both Christian and non-Christian Weibo users benefitted from Lü’s post. One non-Christian exclaimed, “All couples should refer to this!” while others added,  “I agree! I think it doesn’t matter what religion you are, spouses don’t need to argue. Reconciling peacefully is much better!” and,  “I’m not a Christian, but I need to do this in my own life. This is a good compass for couples.” Still another online user mentioned that disagreeing is an art form of its own: “Arguing well takes skill—only then can it benefit both sides. The more you get things off your chest, the better you feel.”

Some Christian Weibo users also agreed that they needed to repent of sin in this area of their lives. They hadn’t heard this kind of advice before, and claimed they’d inadvertently caused harm to their spouses and children while arguing.

Original article and photo: 吕丽萍：基督徒夫妻吵架必看哪十条不能做？