Long before England became a Christian nation, long before many of Europe's great churches were built, the Gospel had already travelled east along the Silk Road and found a home in China.

Pastor Benjamin Lee Faircloth (1968–2026) was an American pastor and mission leader who served for many years as senior pastor of Ignited Church in Lavonia, Georgia, United States, and founded World Outreach Ministries International (WOMI), a ministry engaged in evangelistic outreach and humanitarian assistance.

While the Chinese winter solstice and the Christian Christmas stem from different traditions, comparing them offers profound insight into how we understand time and light.

The digital transformation of ministry is no longer just about toggling between "online" and "offline" modes. Instead, it represents a profound reconstruction of how pastors connect with their flock, who is no longer defined solely by familiar faces in pews, but by fluid, fragmented, yet vividly real lives behind the screen.

In reality, to leave the church is to detach oneself from the body of Christ; to distance oneself from fellow believers is to distance oneself from God's blessings. If believers are unwilling to walk with the church, prayers about "serving the Lord" become nothing more than empty words.

By reaffirming the core principle of Christ-centeredness—allowing truth to guide judgment and serve as the bridge of communication—churches can replace blind following with rational reflection and sincere dialogue, thus mitigating the dangers inherent in the "double-edged sword" of personal charisma.

In China, where the body of Christ has grown remarkably despite challenges, there is an urgent need for spiritual leadership to take over from human leadership if the church is to get it right, like the biblical church.

For Chinese readers, Dr. Dobson's legacy represents an alternative vision of education. In the midst of tensions between tradition and modernity, and between utilitarianism and faith, he offered a different path: the family is established by God, and the mission of parents is not only to raise children but also to guide them toward truth and help them grow into independent individuals.

We live in a world overflowing with information and distractions, but our hearts do not belong here, but in heaven. So next time you feel the urge to lower your head to check your phone in the church, pause for a second and ask yourself: “Right now, am I connecting with God, or connecting with the latest trend?”

In times of crisis, dangers, breakdowns, or laws and orders, governments declare a state of emergency, which is a temporary suspension of normal operations to address threats and, if possible, restore normalcy. But what if God were to do the same because of what is happening in our churches today? Would we be surprised, or would we celebrate it because it is long overdue?