The effects of Coronvirus on Chinese Christians and the rest of the world

While many of the people in China are frightened at the coronavirus, the Chinese Christians are showing their courage and faith in ways that are certain to change the entire landscape.

https://www.mercatornet.com/above/view/the-response-of-wuhan-christians-to-the-coronavirus-outbreak-puts-the-gover/23324

On February 11, the New York Times’ China correspondent Chris Buckley, who has been reporting on the ground in Wuhan since the lockdown and escalation of the outbreak, tweeted that despite the apocalyptic feel of a megacity in quarantine, he was surprised to encounter Christian evangelists handing out gospel leaflets packaged together with face masks….

A video which has generated 100,000 views on the Chinese social networking app WeChat shows that a group of Christians from Wuhan has been handing out masks and other protective gear their church received from donations across the world. Together with the masks, they slipped in the leaflets Mr. Buckley saw which quotes John 3:16 and calls for the salvation of souls.

A few days later, voice recordings and writings of the man behind the actions, a Wuhan-based missionary known as Preacher Luo, also started to circulate. In the recording, Luo stated that the street preaching and leaflet distribution has been happening for more than a decade. Not even the virus can stop them from preaching the Gospel, he declared, albeit with volunteers wearing protective gear.

Luo believes that now is an opportunity to demonstrate God’s love and the message of hope, as many Wuhan inhabitants suffer from trauma, despair and frustration….

One of the most widely shared videos calls for all Chinese Christians to engage in fasting and vigorous prayer for at least three days to seek divine intervention in the crisis….

As one of Wuhan’s largest house churches, despite all the repression and adversity it has faced since its founding, the Roots and Fruits Church has proved to be amazingly resilient.

Prior to the coronavirus crisis, it continued to grow and attract hundreds of professionals and families alike since its founding as a seven-member prayer group back in 2002.

Its organization contrasts with the chaos Wuhan saw in the early days of the outbreak, as the coronavirus paralysed the government and exposed the incompetence of the local authorities. Churches often delivered masks and protective gear accurately and efficiently in the early days of the outbreak, whilst the rest of China recoiled in horror as the government-sponsored Wuhan Red Cross failed to distribute much needed resources to the frontlines, leaving many medical staff exposed and frustrated….

Christians in Wuhan are living proof of the best qualities of humanity; they offer us a glimmer of hope in this world full of suffering and paranoia towards the epidemic. Their composure and efficiency, as well as their love and strength, stem from their faith.

The End of Babylonian Globalism

Soviet policy in the past century was to make all of their Socialist Republics interdependent upon each other economically. It was reasoned that this would bind them together and unify the diverse republics. So when the breakup came in the early 90’s, all of the newly independent republics had to scramble to become self-sufficient.

The Soviet model continued to be followed on a world-wide scale, known as globalism. Now with the coronavirus blooming, that model is collapsing rapidly. All the nations that have depended on China to supply them with pharmaceuticals, cleaners, gloves, and 60% of what Walmart sells, are suddenly finding their supplies cut off. I have read that the last ship from China to land at an American port will be on or about March 6.

There is little doubt that shortages will appear soon. Not only will China’s companies suffer, but so will America’s retailers. A gadget cannot be sold unless it has ALL of its parts, and if even one small part is built in China and cannot be shipped, the total product is useless.

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/comment/article-8044447/RUTH-SUNDERLAND-Coronavirus-game-changer-globalisation.html

Markets were still reeling yesterday following the turmoil on Monday due to fears over coronavirus, and we are not out of the woods, either in terms of the health crisis or as investors.

No one, not even the world's leading epidemiologists, knows how this is going to unravel.

What we do know is that coronavirus threatens the globalisation on which modern economies like the UK are predicated.

We take for granted that we live in a world where people, capital and goods can travel freely, though because of the inequalities and social tensions globalisation has created, it has come under serious challenge….

As the French finance minister Bruno Le Maire says, coronavirus is a 'game-changer' for globalisation. 

When bankruptcies reach a certain level, it will affect the banks. Only a finite number of banks can be bailed out, and when the first large bank is allowed to fail, it will trigger a cascade effect around the globe, because the banks are all tied together. Will governments be able to withstand the pressure? Will they print trillions of dollars to bail out the banks? We will see, but if they do, this too could be the start of hyperinflation, which is a different but related problem.

Donald Trump now has the legitimate right to say, “I told you so.” His policy of ending globalism and bringing back manufacturing to our country is paying off. Dozens of companies have relocated to American shores, and still more to countries other than China. Trump just completed a trip to India where he received an enormous welcome. He gave a speech in a huge stadium to 125,000 enthusiastic people.

This, I believe, signals companies to move their operations to India, if they do not want to move back to America. Trump does not want China and its brand of Communism and Socialism to set the example for the world in the 21^st century, even as America set the example in the 20^th century and Britain in the 19^th century.

The problem is that corporations do not move their operations overnight. It takes years, so Trump’s plan has only just begun to be felt. We are still very much dependent upon China as our supplier of goods. But I believe that China’s Communist system is staring into the abyss and will soon lose all credibility with the world and with its own people.

Meanwhile, the Christians are taking the lead. In spite of persecution, they are coming out of hiding to provide the solution, while party members cower in fear. Let’s watch what happens.