For Christians and churches worldwide, Christmas is a season of celebration and a crucial time for evangelism. While methods vary globally—from cantatas to charity drives—churches in China have adopted a unique medium to share the gospel: the "Peace Apple."
To a Western observer, receiving a cellophane-wrapped apple on Christmas Eve might seem puzzling. There is no biblical precedent for apples in the nativity story, nor is it a tradition found in Western church history.
The custom is entirely homegrown, rooted in the Chinese love for homophonic puns, where words with similar sounds are linked to create auspicious meanings.
In Mandarin, Christmas Eve is translated as Ping An Ye (平安夜), meaning "The Night of Peace" (from "Silent Night"). The word for apple is Ping Guo (苹果). Because the first syllable of "apple" (Ping) sounds exactly like the first syllable of "peace" (Ping), the fruit has been culturally reimagined as the "Peace Apple" (Ping An Guo).
For the general public in China, eating or gifting an apple on Christmas Eve has become a secular symbol of wishing for safety and peace in the coming year.
Chinese churches have astutely adopted this secular trend, transforming it into a bridge for the gospel. The "Peace Apple" serves as a perfect icebreaker for believers, inviting non-believers to church.
Many churches prepare these "Peace Apples" in bulk. On Christmas Eve, they are given freely to everyone who enters the church doors—regardless of their background, age, or faith status. For many seekers, the apple is the initial attraction, a tangible gift that draws them into the sanctuary.
However, the church's mission does not stop at the fruit.
While the general public seeks the symbolic "peace" of the fruit, the church uses this opportunity to point to the source of true peace.
Pastors and believers use the gift to start a deeper conversation: The apple is merely a fruit that will eventually perish, but the peace Christ brings is eternal.
As written in 2 Timothy 4:2, believers are called to "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season." By redeeming a local linguistic custom, Chinese Christians have found a way to be "in season."
(The article was originally published by the Gospel Times, and the author is a minister in Jiangsu.)
- Edited by Katherine Guo
