Church Life

Olympic Outreach

China’s restrictions force ministries to retool their efforts.

About 10,500 athletes from more than 200 nations will be in Beijing this summer for the 2008 Olympic Games. Unlike previous games, however, there won’t be a single foreign Christian missionary in the Olympic Village.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) won’t be sending chaplains to the games, because only Chinese chaplains approved by the government will be allowed into the village, where athletes live. Distribution of Christian literature and large-scale Christian gatherings will likely not be allowed, either.

However, these restrictions haven’t stopped FCA from planning an Olympic outreach campaign. The Kansas City, Missouri– based organization is encouraging Christian athletes at the games to minister to other athletes. It’s also enlisting former Olympic athletes, such as retired swimmer Josh Davis, who won three gold medals and two silver medals at the 1996 and 2000 games, to serve as unofficial, de facto chaplains.

“This is evangelism in its truest form, not the mass evangelism of counting heads that we’re used to in the Western world,” said Dan Britton, FCA’s senior vice president of ministries. “It’s not about huge rallies. It’s about a player praying with another player. These Olympics are forcing us to simplify.”

International evangelist Luis Palau encourages Christian athletes and those who attend the games to contact established Christian ministries, such as bookstores and house churches, while travelling in Beijing. Christian bookstores in China are stocked with Bibles and other evangelistic material, he said, pointing to his latest book as an example. A Friendly Dialogue Between an Atheist and a Christian, which recounts Palau’s conversations with a Chinese government official, has sold well in China.

“Young people in the university district of Beijing are very open to talking to foreigners,” Palau said.

He said Christians who share their beliefs in discreet discussions with others are unlikely to be arrested, deported, or otherwise punished while the world is watching. His hope, he said, is that the international spotlight shining on China during the games will open the country up politically, creating future opportunities for evangelism on a larger scale.

“That’s what happened in Mexico, in Spain,” Palau said. “My dream is to [someday] hold an open-air rally at Tiananmen Square.”

Copyright © 2008 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related elsewhere:

Evangelist Franklin Graham made headlines earlier this month by saying he “would not support any illegal activity” during the Olympics, including illegal evangelistic activity.

Our recent China coverage also includes:

Great Leap Forward | China is changing and so is its church. How new urban believers are shaping society in untold ways. (May 9, 2008)

Audio Slideshow: Changing China | The Chinese church is growing in size and influence (May 19, 2008)

Watching the Spirit Move | Some extraordinary moments in ordinary settings. (May 19, 2008)

Hungry for Jesus | A Chinese pastor on how he was ‘called out of Egypt’ to a thriving urban ministry. (May 9, 2008)

Inside CT: The China Paradox | ‘Embattled and thriving’ Christianity in China. (May 9, 2008)

From Mao to Moses | Artist He Qi, born again in China’s Cultural Revolution, is painting a new peaceful identity for the Chinese church. (April 25, 2008)

The Dragon in the Belly: Patriarchs, Judges, and Kings | The Old Testament meets Beijing Opera in He Qi’s art. (April 25, 2008)

A Friendly Dialogue Between an Atheist and a Christian is available from ChistianBook.com and other retailers.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Our Latest

News

UK Regulators Investigate Barnabas Aid over Reports of Misused Funds

The charity is under an โ€œunprecedented level of scrutiny on our financial processesโ€ after founders and top leaders were suspended.

News

Gaza War Strains Bible Scholarsโ€™ Model of Christian Conversation

How Hamasโ€™ October 7 terror attack and Israelโ€™s response exhausted a group of evangelical Bible professors pursuing unity on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Being Human

The Four Spaces of Anxiety with Lisa Cuss

Learning to identify reactivity in ourselves and others.

News

Gordon Students Count Cells, Hoping to Unlock Cancer Mysteries

Cutting-edge microscopy research could explain why some get sick while others donโ€™t.

News

Chinese Christians Want the Church to Adopt Children with Disabilities

After China banned international adoptions, some believers want the Chinese church to step up.

News

Global Methodist Bishops to Dance

The new denomination tussles over its authority structureโ€”but also finds surprising points of unity.ย 

Excerpt

The Chinese Christian Who Helped Overcome Illiteracy in Asia

Yan Yangchu taught thousands of peasants to read and write in the early 20th century.

The Bulletin

A Brief Word from Our Sponsor

The Bulletin recaps the 2024 vice presidential debate, discusses global religious persecution, and explores the dynamics of celebrity Christianity.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube