China Compass

China Compass
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Semiweekly

With more than two decades of experience in the Middle Kingdom, Ben tackles China’s toughest questions while telling captivating stories and challenging Christians to intercede for revival and reformation. Each weekend episode takes on Chinese current events with wisdom and a wealth of experience (ie, lots of stories), while the midweek podcast (aka, The Prison Pulpit) gives persecuted believers a voice, challenging Christians to pray for those in chains "as bound with them." (Heb. 13:3) Follow to stay informed on current events and evangelism efforts, missionary history, and the ongoing persecution of Christians in China.

  1. 5h ago

    Is Persecution Good or Bad for the Chinese Church? (w/ Andrew Rappaport)│Prison Pulpit #100

    On this 100th episode of the Prison Pulpit, Andrew and I have an in-depth discussion about the spiritual state of the modern Chinese church and why the revivals of the past generation may be waning.   Welcome to the China Compass podcast! I'm your China travel guide in exile, Missionary Ben. Follow me on Twitter/X (@chinaadventures) where I share a new Chinese city to pray for every single day. Email me with any questions, comments, or complaints: bfwesten AT gmail dot com. Finally, check out my personal landing page PrayGiveGo.us for everything else, including our missions website, substack, and books.   Why the Prison Pulpit?  The goal is to remind people to pray for persecuted believers as Hebrews 13:3 teaches: “Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them”    China Compass on the Christian Podcast Community https://strivingforeternity.org/show/china-compass/ The Rapp Report with Andrew Rappaport https://strivingforeternity.org/show/the-rapp-report/   Help Equip and Encourage China’s Persecuted Church Last Chance: if you (or your family or organization ) would like to “sponsor” a Chinese church leader, I can personally provide you with the name (or secure nickname) of the particular pastor/leader who you sponsor, and for whom you can continue to pray for going forward. Sponsor a Chinese Pastor/Evangelist for $1000!  Contact me (bfwesten AT gmail dot com) or donate directly at: MCI3.org    Pray for China Cities of the Week (Sep 14-20): https://chinacall.substack.com/p/pray-for-china-sep-14-20-2026   Free Ebook: Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret https://anekopress.com/product/hudson-taylors-spiritual-secret/   Follow China Compass Thank you for listening! Subscribe & leave a review on your preferred podcast platform! And don’t forget to visit PrayGiveGo.us for books + Heb. 13:3: Remember those who are in prison, “as bound with them”!

  2. 4d ago

    Charlie Kirk’s China Warning: “America Must Shape Up, or China Wins”

    I'm your China travel guide, Missionary Ben. Follow me (@chinaadventures) on X, email any questions/comments (bfwesten at gmail dot com), and find verything else at PrayGiveGo.us! In honor of the anniversary of the martyrdom of Charlie Kirk, I’m re-sharing a lightly edited version of the episode from this time last year when I let him "take the mike", as he discussed many of his thoughts on China in detail on his own show just a week before he was killed.  After a lengthier-than-expected introduction, we work through Kirk’s China takes one by one, commenting along the way. It's obvious that Charlie understood China much better than most. I learned a few things myself, especially from the second-to-last clip. Note: Don’t miss the Man Rampant intro/outro, and the final sad segment!   Borden of Yale: The Millionaire Missionary No Reserve, No Retreat, No Regrets www.BordenofYale.com    Pray for China places of the week (Or, follow @chinaadventures daily…) https://chinacall.substack.com/   Bonus: Here are the Timestamps from Charlie Kirk’s “China” Podcast… America Must Shape Up, or China Wins (Sept 3, 2025) https://www.podbean.com/media/share/dir-d8vyq-274dd443 2:42-3:28 - Audience of One (Who?) 3:28-3:35 - Not Xi, but Trump!? 3:35-4:31 - Comparing China and America’s military expenses (and size) 4:58-5:34 - What is China? Rival? Enemy? Internationalist ambitions. 5:34-6:08 - Chinese “Friendly” Neighbors. Kirk Meets China’s Vice. 6:09-6:48 - Tougher than the Cold War. China is far more pragmatic. 7:06-8:36 - China’s Moment in Empire vs America’s 8:37-9:09 - Trump Criticizes China (and comparing military $ again) 9:09-10:13 - Who is going to win the 21st Century? Installing a gate in the USA. 10:13-10:42 - US Department of Interior selling Made in China 11:44-13:40 - “The End of History and the Last Man” (Peak Neo-Liberal Ignorance) 13:40-15:49  - Bill Clinton celebrated China’s entrance to the WTO 15:50-17:15  - We are facing the consequences of 1990s pride and cockiness 18:40-21:23 - Charlie talking with Senator Mike Lee about his upcoming visit to Utah   Subscribe to China Compass and leave a review on your preferred podcast platform.  Follow us on Twitter/X (@chinaadventures), and find much more @ PrayGiveGo.us Luke 10, verse 2, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Talk again soon!

  3. Sep 10

    On Praying for China + Equipping the Chinese Church (w/ Andrew Rappaport) │Prison Pulpit #99

    On this week’s Prison Pulpit I am joined by Andrew Rappaport, host of the Rapp Report podcast (among other things) to discuss praying for China and equipping the Chinese church. This segment is part of a longer conversation Andrew and I had the other day. You can listen to the rest on his podcast (see the link below) or on my podcast during subsequent episodes. I’m off to Manila for a few days. God bless! Welcome to the China Compass podcast! I'm your China travel guide in exile, Missionary Ben. Follow me on Twitter/X (@chinaadventures) where I share a new Chinese city to pray for every single day. Email me with any questions, comments, or complaints: bfwesten AT gmail dot com. Finally, check out my personal landing page PrayGiveGo.us for everything else, including our missions website, substack, and books. Why the Prison Pulpit? The goal is to remind folks to pray for the persecuted as Hebrews 13:3 teaches: “Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them”    China Compass on the Christian Podcast Community https://strivingforeternity.org/show/china-compass/ The Rapp Report with Andrew Rappaport https://strivingforeternity.org/show/the-rapp-report/   Help Equip and Encourage China’s Persecuted Church Last Chance: if you (or your family or organization ) would like to “sponsor” a Chinese church leader, I can personally provide you with the name (or secure nickname) of the particular pastor/leader who you sponsor, and for whom you can continue to pray for going forward. Sponsor a Chinese Pastor/Evangelist for $1000!  Contact me (bfwesten AT gmail dot com) or donate directly at: MCI3.org    Pray for China Cities of the Week (Sep 7-13): https://chinacall.substack.com/p/pray-for-china-sep-7-13-2026 Wed, Sep 9 - Pray for Qingshanhu (Clear Mtn Lake) District in Nanchang, the capital of SE China’s Jiangxi Province: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qingshanhu,_Nanchang Jiangxi is paired with Georgia for prayer. For more about Jiangxi (incl. my podcast, where I discuss my first visit in Aug, 2002): https://prayforchina.us/index.php/Jiangxi/   Free Ebook: Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret https://anekopress.com/product/hudson-taylors-spiritual-secret/ Follow China Compass Thank you for listening! Subscribe & leave a review on your preferred podcast platform! And don’t forget to visit PrayGiveGo.us for books + Heb. 13:3: Remember those who are in prison, “as bound with them”!

  4. Sep 5

    China’s Visa-FREE Boom, Beware the Banned VPNs, Tibetan Internet Blockade

    On today’s China Compass podcast, we work our way through three inter-related articles that flow together, starting with China’s relatively open borders, its banning of many VPN services, and its long-time blockade of Tibet, both physically and virtually. Last, we look at all the Pray for China cities of the week. Welcome to China Compass on the Fight Laugh Feast Network! I'm your China travel guide, Missionary Ben. Follow me (@chinaadventures) on Twitter/X where I post new Chinese city prayer profiles every single day, including amazing pics and links to more China resources.You can also also email me (bfwesten at gmail dot com) and find everything else at PrayGiveGo.us!   Help Us Equip and Encourage China’s Persecuted Church Sponsor a Chinese Pastor/Evangelist for $1000!  Contact me (bfwesten AT gmail dot com) Or donate directly at: MCI3.org    Unbeaten: My Arrest, Interrogation, and Deportation from China Unbeaten.vip   China’s Visa Free Boom https://asiatimes.com/2026/08/chinas-visa-free-boom-is-rewriting-inbound-tourism/ China Cracks Down on VPN Usage https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/its-becoming-more-difficult-finding-stable-vpns-china-increases-crackdown-on-vpn-usage China’s Tibet Censorship Explained https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/china-nepal-tibet-censorship-explained/eo8qkzx0i   Pray for China Weekly (Sep 7-13): https://chinacall.substack.com/p/pray-for-china-sep-7-13-2026   Follow or subscribe to China Compass and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.  Don’t forget: Follow @chinaadventures on X, and find everything else @ PrayGiveGo.us.  Luke 10, verse 2, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few!

  5. Sep 3

    Dr. James White on Hebrews 13:3 + Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret│Prison Pulpit #98

    On this week’s Prison Pulpit we start out by looking at some helpful thoughts from James White’s 12 year old sermon on Hebrews 13:3, the timeless passage on which this podcast is based. Then after talking a bit about the uniquely difficult situation in India, we briefly open up the latest edition of the missionary classic, Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, and try to learn and apply a lesson from Taylor’s experiences. I'm your China travel guide in exile, Missionary Ben. Follow me on Twitter/X (@chinaadventures) where I share a new Chinese city to pray for every single day. Email me with any questions, comments, or complaints: bfwesten AT gmail dot com. Finally, check out my personal landing page PrayGiveGo.us for everything else, including our missions website, substack, and books.   Why the Prison Pulpit?  The goal is to remind people to pray for persecuted believers as Hebrews 13:3 teaches.  The ESV reads: “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them”    James White comments on Hebrews 13:3 (in a sermon preached on June 22, 2014 in Arizona):  Remember those who are in prison: “The ones bound, the ones who are in chains” As though in prison with them:  “As if you yourself were chained together with them” “There are brothers, there are sisters, who some day in the glory of heaven, you will be closer to than anyone on this earth right now, who are suffering in the name of Christ. And in our day we probably have more information and more knowledge of this than any preceding generation has ever had.”   Joy as Seven Pastors Freed From Jail in India https://www.barnabasaid.org/gb/news/joy-as-seven-pastors-freed-from-jail-in-india/ FREE EBOOK: Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret https://anekopress.com/product/hudson-taylors-spiritual-secret/ Pray for China Cities of the Week (Sep 1-6): https://chinacall.substack.com/p/pray-for-china-sep-1-7-2026   If you would like to “sponsor” a Chinese church leader at one of our upcoming strategic China training gatherings, I can personally provide you with the name (or secure nickname) of the particular pastor/leader who you sponsor, and for whom you can continue to pray for going forward. Help Us Equip and Encourage China’s Persecuted Church Sponsor a Chinese Pastor/Evangelist for $1000!  Contact me (bfwesten AT gmail dot com) Or donate directly at: MCI3.org    Follow China Compass Thank you for listening! Subscribe & leave a review on your preferred podcast platform! And don’t forget to visit PrayGiveGo.us for books + Heb. 13:3: Remember those who are in prison, “as bound with them”!

  6. Aug 29

    How the World Sees the US vs China + Missionary Converted BY Amazon Tribe (Bonus: Blessing Nepali Christians)

    On today’s China Compass podcast, we begin by looking at the best way to bless suffering Christians after the devastating Tibet-Nepal landslide/flood, followed by some thoughts on the China-Indian border region and how the world perceives both the US and China. Then we look at a few recent China headlines, before taking a detour into a tragic "deconversion" story in the Amazon. Finally, we hit a few of the places to pray for in China in the upcoming days.  Welcome to China Compass on the Fight Laugh Feast Network! I'm your China travel guide, Missionary Ben. Follow me (@chinaadventures) on Twitter/X where I post new Chinese city prayer profiles every single day, including amazing pics and links to more China resources.You can also also email me (bfwesten at gmail dot com) and find everything else at PrayGiveGo.us!   Asia Harvest’s Critical Response to the Nepal-Tibet Flood Disaster https://www.asiaharvest.org/nepal-flood-disaster   How the World Sees China and The US in 2026 https://www.visualcapitalist.com/how-the-world-sees-china-and-the-us-in-2026/   Daniel Everett: Amazonian Missionary to Apostate Linguist https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/10/daniel-everett-amazon   Podbean: Joe Rogan Experience #2547 (Relevant Clips @ 1:06:56 & 1:34:45) https://www.podbean.com/ea/dir-twu2b-309de979    The Autobiography of John G. Paton (Recommended as an antidote to the podcast above!) JohnGPaton.com   Pray for China Weekly (Aug 29-31): https://chinacall.substack.com/p/pray-for-china-aug-24-31-2026   Follow or subscribe to China Compass and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.  Don’t forget: Follow @chinaadventures on X, and find everything else @ PrayGiveGo.us.  Luke 10, verse 2, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few!

  7. Aug 26

    Thoughts from Thessalonica + Tortured in the Tower of London│Prison Pulpit #97

    This week’s Prison Pulpit was recorded on location in Thessalonica, where I am spending a day or two en route to Istanbul. Join me today in studying some of 2 Thess, and talking about a few specific prayer needs, and then looking at a few folks who were tortured and/or martyred in the Tower of London I'm your China travel guide in exile, Missionary Ben. Follow me on Twitter/X (@chinaadventures) where I share a new Chinese city to pray for every single day. Email me with any questions, comments, or complaints: bfwesten AT gmail dot com. Finally, check out my personal landing page PrayGiveGo.us for everything else, including our missions website, substack, and books.   Why the Prison Pulpit?  The goal is to remind people to pray for persecuted believers as Hebrews 13:3 teaches: “Remember those who are in prison, as bound with them.” We’ve looked at Wang Yi and Early Rain Church’s writings in the aftermath of their arrest and attack in 2018, but I’ve also regularly turned to other persecuted ministers who have gone before, such as Richard Wurmbrand, to give us a voice literally from prison. (Here you’ll find some free PDF books by Richard Wurmbrand: https://richardwurmbrandfoundation.org/)   Pakistan Raid Forces Digital Gospel Worker Into Hiding https://www.mnnonline.org/news/pakistan-raid-forces-gospel-worker-into-hiding/ Accounts of Persecution in Great Britain & Ireland, Prior to the Reign of Queen Mary I (Fox Ch. 14) https://www.berbc.org/book-of-martyrs-chapter-xiv Anne Askew: Tortured in the Tower of London https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Askew Pray for China Cities of the Week (Aug 24-31): https://chinacall.substack.com/p/pray-for-china-aug-24-31-2026   Help Us Equip and Encourage China’s Persecuted Church If you (or your church or organization) would like to “sponsor” a Chinese church leader, I can personally provide you with the name (or secure nickname) of the particular pastor/leader who you sponsor, and for whom you can continue to pray for going forward. Sponsor a Chinese Pastor/Evangelist for $1000!  Contact me (bfwesten AT gmail dot com) Or donate directly at: MCI3.org    Follow China Compass Thank you for listening! Subscribe & leave a review on your preferred podcast platform! And don’t forget to visit PrayGiveGo.us for books + Heb. 13:3: Remember those who are in prison, “as bound with them”!

  8. Aug 22

    Was Tim Walz a China Asset? + Tales from Black Dragon River (Flashback: 3rd Most Downloaded Episode, 2 Yrs Ago This Week)

    Welcome to the China Compass podcast on the Fight Laugh Feast Network! You can follow me on Twitter, @chinaadventures, where I post daily reminders to pray for China (PrayforChina.us). You can also email me any questions or comments @ bfwesten at gmail dot com… And if you want to learn more about our missions projects or get one of my books, visit PrayGiveGo.us. Here's the link to the interview I did with NSA Professor, Mr. Pinkall, the week before this podcast went live (August 17, 2024):  https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/tabs/audio/podcasts/30293/episodes/19   We start out the actual podcast by discussing Tim Walz' ties to China, as seen in two different articles... Seven Troubling Tim Walz Connections to Communist China https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/08/08/exclusive-seamus-bruner-seven-troubling-tim-walz-connections-to-communist-china/ Tim Walz’s Long Relationship With China Defies Easy Stereotypes https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/11/us/tim-walz-china.html   Next we talk about our primary sponsor, Pray for China, where we encourage Christians from every US state to pray for every Chinese province. Today in “honor”  of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, we are looking at the Chinese province of Heilongjiang (Black Dragon River), which is paired up with the state of Minnesota for prayer in our Pray for China intercession scheme. Heilongjiang translates literally as Black Dragon River, and is located in far northern China just south of the Black Dragon River, which separates it from Siberia to the north. Black Dragon River is known for its pine forests, rivers, lakes, and frigid winter weather (sound familiar?). It makes a natural fit for Minnesota.  The capital of Black Dragon River is Harbin, but that same trip I also visited the towns of Suihua, Hegang, Yichun, Jiamusi, Shuangyashan, Jixi, Qiezihe, Qitaihe, Mishan, Hulin, and more. I tell a few stories in the time that remains… 4am Conversation with a Homeless Man https://open.substack.com/pub/chinacall/p/4am-conversation-with-a-homeless Double Duck Mountain Orphanage Thinking in Chinese for the 1st Time More fun town names: Eggplant River, Western Chicken, Tiger Forest One final story. It was in one of these cities where I ate dog for the first time. And can you guess the one and only place I've eaten camel (burgers)? Thank you for listening! Subscribe to my blog/substack @ ChinaCall.Substack.com and find everything else at PrayGiveGo.us!

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About

With more than two decades of experience in the Middle Kingdom, Ben tackles China’s toughest questions while telling captivating stories and challenging Christians to intercede for revival and reformation. Each weekend episode takes on Chinese current events with wisdom and a wealth of experience (ie, lots of stories), while the midweek podcast (aka, The Prison Pulpit) gives persecuted believers a voice, challenging Christians to pray for those in chains "as bound with them." (Heb. 13:3) Follow to stay informed on current events and evangelism efforts, missionary history, and the ongoing persecution of Christians in China.

Information

  • Creator
    China Compass
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    232
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    China Compass

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