Over the past few days, I finished reading the book “Jesus in Beijing” by David Aikman. The cool part is that I am in Beijing. There are even parts of the book where he talks about the district that I am currently staying in. Besides the romanticism of reading a book about Christianity in China while living in an apartment in the capital of China, I really enjoyed the book. I thought the book helped piece together many things that I have heard and researched myself. It also helped me understand and taught me many things as well.
The book is definitely best when the author is reporting the stories and not giving his commentary. He does tend to take one situation and apply it across the board, painting everyone with one stroke. Though he makes some wide assumptions and draws conclusion that I wouldn’t, I thoroughly enjoyed him reporting the history of Christianity in China via the lives of those who lived it. For the most part he gives real names and even pictures of those that he reports on. (Also, the back of the book includes translations of important documents.)
The book inspired me, challenged me, and made me think about the current situation in China. It made me respect those who went through so much for the name of Christ, helped me understand better how the government responds to things, and also made me wonder about what more we could be doing today.
I recommend this book to any student of missions in China; it is a valuable resource and a must read. If you are just curious about Christianity in China or want to hear the history of her story, then this is also a great book for you to read.
January 11th, 2012 at 3:01 pm
I shall read it. God bless you all.
January 30th, 2012 at 7:47 pm
Great. Let me know what you think.