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God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China
When journalist Liao Yiwu first stumbled upon a vibrant Christian community in the officially secular China, he knew little about Christianity. In fact, hed been taught that religion was evil, and that those who believed in it were deluded, cultists, or imperialist spies. But as a writer whose work has been banned in China and has even landed him in jail, Liao felt a kins
...moreHardcover, 256 pages
Published
September 13th 2011
by HarperOne
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Wow! Powerful stuff, here.
Liao is not a Christian, he’s a Chinese rebel. That is, he’s a critic of the Chinese regime, for which he has been imprisoned and his works have been banned. Says Liao, “I will continue to write and document the sufferings of people living at the bottom rung of society, even though the Communist Party is not pleased with my writing. I have the responsibility to help the world understand the true spirit of China, which will outlast the current totalitarian government.”
So...more
Liao is not a Christian, he’s a Chinese rebel. That is, he’s a critic of the Chinese regime, for which he has been imprisoned and his works have been banned. Says Liao, “I will continue to write and document the sufferings of people living at the bottom rung of society, even though the Communist Party is not pleased with my writing. I have the responsibility to help the world understand the true spirit of China, which will outlast the current totalitarian government.”
So...more
It is not a comprehensive book relating the history of Chinese Christianity, instead it is a personal and journalistic book as Chinese dissident Liao Yiwu comes to meet and know various Christians, both in rural China (especially Yunnan Province) and around Beijing and Chengdu. Seeking out elders he hears the stories of Western missionaries and their positive influence and the enormous suffering individuals experienced through the years of Communism (and the repression even to today). Protestant...more
If only more people were as open and respectful of others and their beliefs as Liao Yiwu. After spending time in a Chinese prison for his beliefs, Liao wants to learn more about Chinese Christians and their willingness to be imprisoned for their beliefs. In this book he relates what he has learned through talking to many different Chinese Christians. He asks good questions and records their stories, stories that must have been difficult to relate and live through. Christians in China suffered gr...more
This is a compelling read for Christians and non-Christians alike. I appreciated the author, a non-believer, kept an objective and respectful stance.
I was moved by the testimonies of the many faithful Christians who persevered through extreme persecution for the sake of the gospel. I was most moved by those who endured until the end; still fighting, still working, still faithfully serving. They are choice examples of Christians who ran and finished the race well. I can only hope to be as single...more
I was moved by the testimonies of the many faithful Christians who persevered through extreme persecution for the sake of the gospel. I was most moved by those who endured until the end; still fighting, still working, still faithfully serving. They are choice examples of Christians who ran and finished the race well. I can only hope to be as single...more
These stories and the many others like them are the kind that need to be read by all Christians, but particularly those of us in twenty-first century, middle class America where we do not have the perspective on what it really means to be persecuted, to not be able to worship our Lord and Savior freely, without the threat of death. The wonder and amazement they have, the passion, is something we should all take hold of, that we could use more of in our daily lives. Now, as for 2 star rating, it'...more
A great overview of the history (and present state) of Christianity in China, told through the stories of individuals believers collected by Lioa Yiwo. Liao is a journalist in China who has been in and out of jail for his writings critical of the government. When he became aware of the the struggles and lives and stories of believers in his country, he saw parallels in their perseverance with his own fight for freedom to write and travel and was moved by the power of their faith. He was moved to...more
If you feel sorry for yourself, read this book. If you think American politics are bad, read this book. If you need some inspiration for your faith, read this book.
Liao Yiwu mostly lets the people he interviews speak for themselves (offering some rather poetic introductions and descriptions along the way) in this fascinating look at the people who gave everything they had to help grow the Christian church in China.
It focuses mostly on rural areas and the villages that embraced the Christian fait...more
Liao Yiwu mostly lets the people he interviews speak for themselves (offering some rather poetic introductions and descriptions along the way) in this fascinating look at the people who gave everything they had to help grow the Christian church in China.
It focuses mostly on rural areas and the villages that embraced the Christian fait...more
Books & Culture's Book of the Year
"Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave."--G.K. Chesterton
"Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave."--G.K. Chesterton
Written by of the most subversive writers in China, Liao Yiwu, this book on Christians in contemporary China was a thought-provoking read most of the way through. What I liked most was that the author, an atheist, was able to keep his own system of beliefs out of the people’s stories. Truly. He did. And in doing so, he let these courageous and controversial people speak for themselves without interpretation. The stories of these persecuted Christians were shocking and awe-inspiring. I felt both...more
Liao Yiwu is one of the foremost banned writers of China. Perry Link, professor emeritus, East Asian Studies at Princeton University said it best: "No writer does better than Liao Yiwu in revealing the texture of daily life for ordinary people in China. His characters walk off the page and into your heart. God is Red is about Christians, but their stories reveal much broader issues of how ordinary people in China need to cope with authoritarian rule and its tools of repression, violence, and men...more
I really enjoyed this book. It was written by a non-believing Chinese dissident writer who wanted to learn about Christianity in China. The book is structured around a series of stories based on interviews with various Catholic and Protestant Chinese Christians. As a result it is very light reading in terms of style, as each chapter can be easily read in a single sitting. On the other hand much of the content is anything but light reading. The book discusses persecution, famine, and other grizzl...more
Yiwu's book is an intriguing look at Christianity in China through the pre-Communist days until the present. He takes up each chapter with a consideration of some current figure who is interviewed by Yiwu. The stories cover a broad swathe of Christianity and the stories are startling at times. The intense suffering of Christians in the past is a testament to the courage and faithfulness of the Chinese church down through the years. I felt though, that the book could have been linked together bet...more
A collection of essays by a Chinese dissident who is not a believer, yet was curious about how faith in God survived and thrived through WWI, the Cultural Revolution, and Communism. I found these essays fascinating and full of interesting personal stories. I learned a lot about the cultural revolution, Mao, and the rise of the Three Self movement. These essays cover Catholism, Protestants, state and house churches plus moving testimonies of commitment and survival. I imagine there is so much mor...more
Every Christian should read at least a couple books on Christianity in China for a couple reasons. First, there's a striking parallel between Christianity in China and the early church in the Roman Empire. Second, it will help us appreciate our hubristic Anglo-American interpretation of our faith. This is not the best book on the subject, but it does offer several intriguing interviews from a diversity of Chinese Christians. The author is an intrigued unbeliever, and for that reason he's not alw...more
I bought the book expecting to read an analysis of how the church in China survived. What I got was a compilation of stories of 18 individuals, all but one a devout Christian, who lived through the Japanese occupation, the civil war, and the persecutions brought on my the communist regime. The author, who is not a Christian, but deeply respectful of them, personally interviewed all of the individuals or where that was impossible, those most closely associated with them. The stories are told simp...more
I liked these interviews with Chinese Christians, though really wish that Liao Yiwu had taken the time to pull them together in some coherent way, especially at the end, where the book just peters out. I was looking for some kind of summary chapter, I suppose.
We read this in a book group, and one of our questions was how much Liao might have missed, given his unfamiliarity with Christianity, about the differences among Christians that he was interviewing, or the diferences among their churches....more
We read this in a book group, and one of our questions was how much Liao might have missed, given his unfamiliarity with Christianity, about the differences among Christians that he was interviewing, or the diferences among their churches....more
for me this book peaked in the middle then steadily went downhill, like it was rushed or the author really just ran out of stories but had to add more to make it so many words or something. Not that I don't like the author's writing, I do. A lot in fact. I love the down to earth stories told by everyday people. I found the history fascinating, I mean who would have thought there was a history of Christian churches in China? In the end the author is again on the run from the law for speaking the...more
I was fastinated by this book. It's a series of interviews with various Chinese citizens ( most of them Christians). Christians of Catholic, Evangelical, and Episcopal denominations are interviewed. Some are members of the illegal house churches, and some are members of the state run church. There are some amazing stories of heroism. I've always been interested in the underground church in China.
I had to read this book for a class so I bought it for my husband as a Father's Day present. Each chapter is a separate story that explains stories from history of christians who survived the various revolutions. Such a beautiful and inspiring book written by a, not-yet-redeemed journalist. Opened my understanding about the Cultural Revolution. Incredible what these Christians lived through.
I was really captivated by this book largely made up of interviews with Chinese Christians. What I had known generally about the history of Christianity in China and the lack of religious freedom under the communist government, this book helped me understand more specifically. I am amazed by the faith of both missionaries and Chinese believers under extreme persecution.
Very well written and very well translated. A joy to read even though it wasn't quite what I expected. A lot of the book deals with Catholics in China and only a small part has to do with the underground church. The chapters generally begin with a beautifully painted scene to set the context of the interview that follows. Does contain a little bit of language. On the whole, a good book.
Chinese dissident author Liao Yiwu—the once lauded, later imprisoned, and now celebrated author of The Corpse Walker—profiles the extraordinary lives of dozens of Chinese Christians, providing a rare glimpse into the burgeoning underground world of belief that is taking hold within the officially atheistic state of Communist China.
This was a very interesting read, with both weighty and humorous passages. Each chapter contains a bit of history and also an interview with a professing Chinese Christian. Liao also gives a brief history of some of the horrors of communist China as he tells the people's tales. My eyes were opened to the massive hardships Chinese missionaries and Chinese Christians faced under the Cultural Revolution. Highly recommended.
This book is composed of different people the author met and is written mostly in interview style. It is about Christians in China, but it is an interesting perspective, as the author himself is not a Christian, though he is interested in human rights and the right of free expression in China.
The title suggests grander things, but in fact it's a collection of interviews with a small cross section of Christians in China. The unique thing about the book is that the author is not a Christian. He is a Chinese activist who got interested in Christianity.
If I was I cynical person, I'd say this book is perfectly pitched especially for the American Evangelical audience for whom the story of Christians fighting the Godless Commies is one the last martyr narratives available in the modern world. But because I'm not, I'll just say that it's a sensational and sentimental bricolage of interviews. The atrocities of the authorities are well known, no denying that, but there is zero attempt at contextualising the stories, which makes this 'inspirational'...more
A series of interviews with Christians in China. It is full of sad and depressing stories of torture and arrests. It is interesting to hear how the early Missionaries made such an impression of the Chinese and how long lasting their work has been.
In interesting account of a non-believing Chinese person's quest to learn how Christianity survived in Yunan Province, China by interviewing many older Chinese Christians.
Chinese rebel writes about Christianity in 20th/21st century China via interviews with key Chinese Christians. Author claims he is not Christian, just fascinated. Powerful read
This book isn't one story but many stories of a variety of christians all over China. It does a great job of showing their unique perspectives and struggles.
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Liao is a Chinese author, reporter, musician and poet. He is a critic of the Chinese regime, for which he has been imprisoned, and the majority of his writings are banned in China. He is the recipient of a Freedom to Write Award from the Independent Chinese PEN Center.
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“In these remote corners, I have discovered a center point, where East met West, and although there has been a collision of cultures, there is now a new Christian identity that is distinctly Chinese.
The circuitous mountain path in Yunnan province is red because over many years it has been soaked with blood.”
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The circuitous mountain path in Yunnan province is red because over many years it has been soaked with blood.”
Dec 31, 2011 06:46pm