Yu Yang is a theology student at the University of Göttingen in Germany.
When did you trust Christ?
When I was 12, my mom became a Christian. After a short time of resisting, I decided to accept that there is only one God who reveals himself in the Bible. When I was 15, I was baptised. There are many stories after that. I can not tell a decisive event of following Jesus. Since I was a child, my mom prayed for every decision she made; later, I did it for myself. And God answered all the prayers actively. She also tried her best to live every detail of her life according to the teachings of the Bible and taught me to do so. And I have seen how God blesses her and the people around her through her obedience. I have also seen other Christians blessing others and churches through following Christ. I have also seen how hurtful it could be when one is not following the LORD wholly. After so many years, it has become unimaginable for me to live a life not following Jesus.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
My mother modeled living by the Bible, following Jesus, and praying for me. Later, as I prayed for myself, God actively answered my prayers. I have seen God bless the obedience of my mother and other Christ-followers. I have also seen the hurt of not wholly following Him. It has become unimaginable for me to live a life not following Jesus.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I want to learn how to respond to questions related to scientific apologetics while sharing the Gospel, as mentioned above. Also, get to know brothers and sisters serving the LORD in this field and being involved in the network that trains the next generation of faithful church leaders and scholars. As far as I see, there is an urgent need in Europe. There is an urgent need in Christian churches worldwide for people who can be bridges between the churches and different academic fields and who can conduct conversations between these two parts. Although my field might be theology and philosophy, I am still happy to know my brothers and sisters doing scientific apologetics. These two fields are connected -- in my opinion.
I heard about ELF from a friend in my Christian postgraduate group who I met via a "Friends of China" missionary. I want to attend the network on training the next generation of church leaders and scholars. I believe there is an urgent need in Europe and around the world for people who can bridge churches and various academic fields and foster conversations between them.
What is your ministry?
I am currently a theology student in Göttingen, Germany. I don't have any scientific background. I have a BA in journalism, an MA in critical theories, and a degree in cultural studies (I did this in Nottingham, UK). After I had worked for a couple of years in Beijing as a journalist, I was baptised when I was 15. When I was doing my bachelor's, I was also one of the leaders of a student group at my university. Later, when working in Beijing, I translated two books about bible studies for my church. I have been interested in scientific apologetics for a long time because I always come across related questions when trying to share the Gospel with people. As for the Future, I plan to be a theologian, specifically in systematic theology. Scientific apologetics does not seem so directly related to my topics (In some way, it does, depending on how people view it). However, it is always helpful to be equipped and prepared to respond to the questions one might encounter when sharing the Gospel.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
While completing my bachelor's degree in Beijing in 2014-15, I led a student group. Later, while working in Beijing, I translated two Bible study books for my church.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
I have completed a BA in journalism and an MA in critical theories and cultural studies (in Nottingham, UK). After that, I worked in Beijing as a journalist for two years and am now studying theology in Göttingen. In the future, I plan to be a theologian specialising in systematic theology. I believe theology research helps churches respond to current challenges from both a theoretical and practical perspective. In the network focused on church revival, I hope to be encouraged by peers and learn what I can contribute as a theologian.
