Starr’s work displays a mastery of an impressive array of Roman Catholic and Protestant writings, an ability to spot pivotal issues, and a remarkable balance and civility of tone.
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As a genuine “outsider,” the author has given us an unnecessarily truncated and distorted view of the missionary movement in China. Perhaps it is time for a critical “insider” to write the story.
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Fontana gives ample reasons for Ricci’s continued reputation as the “gold standard” for missionaries who want to earn the respect and affection of Chinese. She also sheds valuable light on this crucial first major cultural encounter between the civilizations of China and Europe.
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This comprehensive telling of the basic dynamics of U.S.-China relations is not only highly accurate but beautifully-written, with intriguing detail and photos and cartoons of key personalities and incidents. The excellent writing is delightful, if not surprising given the author’s career as a highly-respected journalist with both study and reporting from China as a Washington Post China correspondent and China editor.
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I highly recommend Missionary for education within and well beyond Christian circles. The central theme of God’s everlasting love for the Chinese people is a message relevant to all nations.
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I have nothing but praise for Kaiser’s achievement. This is missions history at its best – comprehensive, balanced, fair, accurate, nuanced, enlightening, and very edifying. Above all, he shows how, in the “rushing on of the purposes of God,” both foreigners and Chinese have contributed to the solid growth of a church that is finally fully Chinese, despite the government’s persistent attempts to label Christianity as a foreign religion.
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The history of Christianity in Shanxi deserves more recognition, says the author, as the setting of a number of notable incidents: the first Christian multi-agency international relief effort; the deaths of more expatriate and Chinese Christians during the Boxer turmoil; and especially fierce resistance to Japanese aggression, in which Chinese and foreign Christians were caught up.
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These trends, though they may slow in pace and decrease in intensity, do not seem to be in danger of stopping; if anything, they will continue to grow and to permeate more and more corners of Chinese culture and society.
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[These] articles and reviews span both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism from the sixteenth century to the present, and they touch upon history, theology, evangelism and social action, the impact of Christianity upon Chinese society, and challenges facing the Chinese church today. . . . The result is a rich sampling of voices on a wide variety of issues concerning Christianity in China, and it will be of interest to an equally broad range of readers.
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Andrew Song, himself from China, provides us with a careful description of the origins of Chinese Protestant Christianity, a powerful case study of how to mentor the next generation of Christian workers, and a model for effective cross-cultural missionary work.
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In the mid-19th century, both the Westerners and the Chinese viewed the other as a barbarians who expressed ideas, committed acts, and used expressions that offended good taste and acceptability. Their feelings of superiority cleared the path for the Second Opium War, when the “barbarians” met.
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This selection of thirty short excerpts from the letters, diaries, and writings of outstanding missionaries and leaders is meant to be read one at a time. “Readers are expected to linger over each quotation, perhaps reading only one quotation a day, and to spend time afterward in prayer, reflecting on them in light of their own experiences,” explains the author, a veteran Christian worker in China.
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