isabel ong
banner
isabelong.bsky.social
isabel ong
@isabelong.bsky.social
asia editor at christianity today. opinions are mine
🇸🇬 in 🇨🇦
Reposted by isabel ong
Absent from protests, some Twin Cities churches are nonetheless mobilizing quietly to help foreign-born neighbors—delivering food, driving kids to and from school, committing to assume parental rights if the worst happens. Great dispatch from my colleague @emilybelz.bsky.social
In a Tense Minnesota, Christians Help Immigrant Neighbors - Christianity Today
As the Twin Cities reel from ICE arrests and the killing of Alex Pretti, churchgoers drive immigrants to work and doctor’s appointments.
www.christianitytoday.com
January 26, 2026 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by isabel ong
“It’s amazing what cutting a bad sentence will do. Or taking out a bad paragraph. Cutting is essentially a kind of sculpture. It reveals the face inside the piece of rock.” - James Magnuson

tumblr.austinkleon.com/post/8064561...
Austin Kleon
Five years ago, a reader emailed me this November 2005 Texas Monthly profile of Austin writer James Magnuson and said he had it taped above his desk. Magnuson died this week.
tumblr.austinkleon.com
January 23, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by isabel ong
"If you tell your companion that you are feeling sad, it will pray for you." Smart challenging questions here from @bonniekristian.bsky.social: www.christianitytoday.com/2026/01/cree...
‘Think of It As a Best Friend and Youth Pastor in Your Pocket’ - Christianity Today
A Q&A with the CEO of a Duolingo-style “Christian AI” app aimed at Gen Z.
www.christianitytoday.com
January 20, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Has KPop Demon Hunters' popularity fueled cross-cultural missions or galvanized the production of more Christian K-pop music?

Find out in our @christianitytoday.com story:

www.christianitytoday.com/2026/01/kpop...
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Helped a Missionary Talk About Jesus - Christianity Today
But some believers remain wary of adapting the popular music genre for worship, so Christian K-pop isn't going up, up, up.
www.christianitytoday.com
January 15, 2026 at 6:56 PM
More evangelicals from China and Taiwan are finding Eastern Orthodoxy appealing. One researcher sought to uncover why.

New @christianitytoday.com:

www.christianitytoday.com/2026/01/chin...
The Chinese Evangelicals Turning to Orthodoxy - Christianity Today
More believers from China and Taiwan are finding Eastern Christianity appealing. I sought to uncover why.
www.christianitytoday.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:02 AM
Happy new year! Don't miss our editors' picks of stories about the vibrant global church in 2025 @christianitytoday.com:

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/12/glob...
15 Stories About the Vibrant Global Church in 2025 - Christianity Today
A doctor caring for Congo rape victims, pastors shepherding a Ukrainian youth group in wartime, and leaders serving faithfully in Christian-minority Japan.
www.christianitytoday.com
January 2, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Meet Lu Xiaomin, a prolific hymn writer with no formal music training who is a household name in Chinese Christian communities @christianitytoday.com:

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/12/lu-x...
The Chinese Christian Behind 2,000 Hymns - Christianity Today
Lü Xiaomin never received formal music training. But her worship songs have made her a household name in China’s churches.
www.christianitytoday.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Indian Christmas traditions are delectable--and also inspiring. Read how Christian believers open their homes to people of other faiths amid rising persecution @christianitytoday.com:

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/12/indi...
Celebrating Christmas with Hot Chai and Crispy Murukku - Christianity Today
Amid rising persecution, Indian Christians share Jesus’ love with friends and neighbors through delectable dishes.
www.christianitytoday.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:15 AM
As we begin Advent, here's a piece I wrote a few years ago @christianitytoday.com on popular misconceptions about this season that Majority World Christians often encounter:

www.christianitytoday.com/2022/11/adve...
3 Popular Misconceptions About Advent - Christianity Today
Christian leaders from Brazil, Colombia, France, and the Philippines weigh in on mistaken beliefs about the season.
www.christianitytoday.com
December 2, 2025 at 12:23 AM
How do Bible verses talking about prayer as incense shape and inform our understanding of this spiritual practice?

Prayer is "a sacred entreaty to God that rises toward him with the fullness of what we carry," Bohye Kim writes @christianitytoday.com:

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/11/pray...
Our Prayers Don’t Disappear into Thin Air - Christianity Today
Why Scripture talks of our entreaties to God as rising like incense.
www.christianitytoday.com
December 1, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Reposted by isabel ong
The evangelical theologian who founded Regent College didn't halt ministry as he aged—he just moved it into the nursing home.

@christianitytoday.com profiles Jim Houston, who turns 103 today:
www.christianitytoday.com/2025/11/jim-...
What Do a 103-Year-Old Theologian’s Prayers Sound Like? - Christianity Today
Jim Houston’s scholarship centered on communion with God. His life in a Canadian care home continues to reflect this pursuit.
www.christianitytoday.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:05 PM
British-born Canadian evangelical Jim Houston turns 103 today. For this @christianitytoday.com story, I got to ask him questions like: What will you say to Jesus when you get to meet him? What do you want to share with CT readers?

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/11/jim-...
What Do a 103-Year-Old Theologian’s Prayers Sound Like? - Christianity Today
Jim Houston’s scholarship centered on communion with God. His life in a Canadian care home continues to reflect this pursuit.
www.christianitytoday.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:54 PM
"Reorienting a church’s musical culture toward grassroots songwriting and local eclecticism could be one sign of our upside-down kingdom." -- @kkramermcginnis.bsky.social

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/11/god-...
God Loves Our Middling Worship Music - Christianity Today
Songwriting might be the community-building project your church needs right now.
www.christianitytoday.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Reposted by isabel ong
The Christianity Today Board of Directors has unanimously elected Dr. Nicole Massie Martin as its next President and CEO.

Read more: chrst.today/3LLtTER
November 19, 2025 at 3:32 PM
The high court concluded that Malaysian pastor Raymond Koh’s kidnappers acted in a “sophisticated manner” that suggested institutional involvement and ordered the state to reopen the investigation.

New on @christianitytoday.com:

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/11/mala...
Malaysian Court Vindicates Family of Abducted Pastor - Christianity Today
A judge finds authorities complicit in Raymond Koh’s disappearance, granting millions in damages and ordering a new investigation.
www.christianitytoday.com
November 8, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Adoption fraud in South Korea is a “state-driven act—an actual crime,” Kim Do-hyun of Christian nonprofit KoRoot said. “These false records erased the truth of [a person’s] birth and enabled abuse, alienation, and despair." More in @christianitytoday.com:

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/10/sout...
‘Every Adoptee’s Worst Nightmare’ - Christianity Today
The horrifying history of adoption fraud in South Korea has spurred Christians to finally care for orphans in their own country.
www.christianitytoday.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:10 PM
NEW: In interviews with @christianitytoday.com, adoptees and advocates from South Korea grieved the recent adoption-fraud findings, which have spurred Christians in the country to reevaluate the church’s role in adoption.

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/10/sout...
‘Every Adoptee’s Worst Nightmare’ - Christianity Today
The horrifying history of adoption fraud in South Korea has spurred Christians to finally care for orphans in their own country.
www.christianitytoday.com
October 29, 2025 at 11:30 PM
I first pitched this story idea to my colleague Kara Bettis Carvalho in 2023. This month, I finally put words to my experience of miscarriage, shame, and how Eli and Hannah's conversation in Scripture can shape ours @christianitytoday.com:

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/10/ther...
There’s No Shame in Talking About Pregnancy Loss   - Christianity Today
Eli and Hannah’s conversation in 1 Samuel holds wisdom for Christians on how to care for people who have lost babies or experience infertility.
www.christianitytoday.com
October 22, 2025 at 4:03 PM
You can now read and share @christianitytoday.com's
story on China detaining Zion Church's pastor Jin "Ezra" Mingri in Chinese (simplified & traditional), Spanish, and French.

Chinese:

zh.christianitytoday.com/2025/10/ezra...

zh-tw.christianitytoday.com/2025/10/ezra...
中国政府拘捕具影响力的家庭教会牧师 - 《今日基督教》简体中文 | Christianity Today | 今日基督教
锡安教会的金明日牧师,以及数十位教会领袖在一次有组织的全国性突袭中被捕。
zh.christianitytoday.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:52 PM
On October 8, Singapore hanged Pannir Selvam Pranthaman.

More @christianitytoday.com:

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/09/sing...
October 11, 2025 at 1:36 AM
In honor of International Translation Day yesterday: Check out
@christianitytoday.com's multilingual efforts in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, French, Indonesian, and more! christianitytoday.com/translations/
CT Translations - Christianity Today
Christianity Today provides thoughtful, biblical perspectives on theology, church, ministry, and culture on the official site of Christianity Today Magazine.
christianitytoday.com
October 1, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Yoichi Fujiyabu has spent three decades sharing God’s love to people who want to end their lives.

From Kazusa Okaya in Shirahama, Japan:

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/09/japa...
The Pastor Who Rescues People from Japan’s ‘Suicide Cliff’ - Christianity Today
Yoichi Fujiyabu has spent three decades sharing God’s love with people who want to end their lives.
www.christianitytoday.com
September 29, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Out on @christianitytoday.com this month: A personal essay by writer Ann Harikeerthan on growing up at a leprosy hospital in Vellore, India, and what that taught her about communal healing and restoration:

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/09/lepr...
What I Learned Living Among Leprosy - Christianity Today
My 16 years at a rural hospital in India showed me what healing and restoration in Christian community look like.
www.christianitytoday.com
September 24, 2025 at 3:52 PM
“The largest obstacle to evangelism in Japan may be a deeply internalized identity of ‘Japaneseness,’ which is inevitably entangled with a Shinto worldview,” evangelical scholar Yoichi Yamaguchi says.

More @christianitytoday.com:

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/08/shin...
Missions and Evangelism in a Shinto-influenced Culture - Christianity Today
"We must avoid both excessive fear and uncritical sentimentalism of Shinto," evangelical scholar Yoichi Yamaguchi argues.
www.christianitytoday.com
September 3, 2025 at 12:15 AM