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Safely Home

by Randy Alcorn (Goodreads Author)

4.44 of 5 stars 4.44 · rating details · 3,074 ratings · 388 reviews

2002 Gold Medallion Award winner
Fans of Randy Alcorn will applaud this soul-stirring story of two college friends who reconnect after twenty years. One is living life apart from God in comfortable corporate America while the other is living for Christ under intense persecution in China. This stunning page-turner will convict the hearts of readers to live in the light of e...more

Hardcover, 416 pages

Published July 13th 2001 by Tyndale House Publishers (first published 2001)

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Jan 07, 2009 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Quite a powerful book and very eye opening. I kept wondering if these things are still going on today in China and other countries. It is one of those books that makes you want to take some time to look at yourself, assess your relationship with God, and make some changes.

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 18, 2007 Josh Crews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: christians, learning about persecuted church

Fiction, a story of two Harvard roommates; one American, one Chinese re-united to let Randy Alcorn spin out all this wonderful information about what God is doing in the Chinese Church (which seems to be more healthy that the American church).

I found myself refering to Jesus as "Yesu" (his Chinese name) after reading this book out of my love and awe for the Lord of the Chinese church. I wanted to follow this wonderful master after reading about his faithfulness to Chinese saints.

My copy loaned f...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Elaine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Boxer Rebellion (1900): Beginning in 1898, groups of peasants in northern China began to band together into a secret society known as I-ho ch'üan ("Righteous and Harmonious Fists"), called the "Boxers" by Western press. Members of the secret society practiced boxing and calisthenic rituals (hence the nickname, the "Boxers") which they believed would make them impervious to bullets.
At first, the Boxers wanted to destroy the Ch'ing dynasty (which had ruled China for over 250 years) and wanted to...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Randy Ehrler rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have picked this book up on several occasions times at the library, yet had never read it. Like so many books that "you are simply meant to read", this title has continued to "pop out" from the shelves as I searched for something to read over the past several years, and finally hooked me this past week. What a week it has been! I am a Christian who often struggles to truly live as a Christian in a very materialistic and secular world. This book is an inspiration to me. It provides a model in t...more

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Aug 19, 2011 Cathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Is today the day that I will die? That is the question Li Quan asks himself daily. As a Christian in Communist China, this assistant locksmith never knows if today will be his last day here on Earth.

Across the globe in America, his old college roommate, Ben Fielding, is caught up in the world of corporate finance and grooming himself to be the next CEO of his company, Getz, International.

As part of a marketing strategy, Ben is sent to the newly open, capitalist-friendly China to live for 6 weeks...more Is today the day that I will die? That is the question Li Quan asks himself daily. As a Christian in Communist China, this assistant locksmith never knows if today will be his last day here on Earth.

Across the globe in America, his old college roommate, Ben Fielding, is caught up in the world of corporate finance and grooming himself to be the next CEO of his company, Getz, International.

As part of a marketing strategy, Ben is sent to the newly open, capitalist-friendly China to live for 6 weeks with his old roommate. Will his view of faith be changed?

My Thoughts:

I have such mixed emotions about this book. I can honestly say I didn't really know what it was about when I picked it to review. It's definitely an eye-opener. The book was first published 10 years ago and this is the anniversary edition of it. However, as the author states in an opening forward, persecution of Christians in China and around the world is still just as real as it was 10 years ago when he wrote it. It is current. China may have opened up to capitalism, but Communism still reigns there and Communism is founded on the belief that there is no God.

In some ways, I dreaded opening up this book and reading it. It's convicting to see real faith lived out by people who are imprisoned, beaten and killed all because they acknowledge God as the Creator and Jesus as their Savior. Our cushy, American lives don't force us to really live out our faith. We don't have to worship in secret. We have plenty of Bibles to read. We have it all, but really we have too much. Too much to need God most of the time.

So, the question remains, did I like the book? Do I recommend it? In terms of subject matter, yes, I think it's great for everyone to have their eyes opened to the persecution that Christians face around the world.

In terms of how it's written, I would downgrade my praise a little bit. It seems a little long and drawn out to me. There are a few places in there that I thought the author put in things that weren't necessary or that didn't go along with the book. For instance, all throughout the book, you see glimpses of heaven and martyrs who are in heaven interceding for those on Earth. But then for one page only, you see a glimpse of hell. Not that I think his portrayal of hell was inaccurate, it just didn't seem to fit.

In light of my few annoyances,

I will give the book 4 out of 5 stars.

A complimentary version of this book was provided for review by Tyndale House Publishers.(less)

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Aug 15, 2011 Pastoralmusings rated it 5 of 5 stars

Whether it is fiction or non-fiction, Randy Alcorn's passion for Christ shines in his writing.

Safely Home is the story of a wealthy, up-and-coming, American executive named Ben Fielding who goes to China to work on increasing business for his employers. As he is there he finds himself challenged by the life and faith of his former roommate who is a Chinese Christian.

The longer Fielding stays in China the more he finds that he has abandoned the faith he once professed. He sees persecution and mis...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 10, 2011 Mandy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favs, blog-reviews, i-own, mandys-reads, read-in-2011, fiction

MY REVIEW

Never did I think I would say "You HAVE to read this!" about a fictional book...but neither had I read Safely Home. This book is about two men who were roommates and friends in college but now are two worlds apart and haven't been in-touch for twenty years. When their paths finally cross once again they realize that they are two worlds apart spiritually speaking. As the story unfolds you find your self face-to-face with the persecuted church of China and the amazing love of a Savior and...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Steve Curll rated it 4 of 5 stars

Write a review...AN excellent picture of the persecuted church, especially in China. All profits from this book go to help the persecuted church. Alcorn continues to write novels and non-fiction that are hard to put down and extremely well written. Of special note in this book are some quotes to ponder:'An obedient man is free when in prison. A disobedient man is imprisoned when free. Whoa. Tell that to the inmates in the college courses I teach at the prison. There is also one passage where the...more

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Aug 03, 2011 James Korsmo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ben Fielding is a successful American businessman, working high up in a multinational corporation that does a lot of business in China. As a publicity stunt, his corporation sends him to China to live with a normal chinese family for six weeks, and the family they choose is the family of his former friend and roommate from college, Li Quan. Ben remembers Quan as a brilliant historian, and assumes he has gone back to China and become a respected professor, but when he arrives, he finds a differen...more Ben Fielding is a successful American businessman, working high up in a multinational corporation that does a lot of business in China. As a publicity stunt, his corporation sends him to China to live with a normal chinese family for six weeks, and the family they choose is the family of his former friend and roommate from college, Li Quan. Ben remembers Quan as a brilliant historian, and assumes he has gone back to China and become a respected professor, but when he arrives, he finds a different story. Quan, a Christian, was never allowed a teaching post because of his faith, and thus his lack of allegiance to the communist government and its values. So he is now a locksmith. As Ben spends time with the family, he comes to understand their underground life, attending church in the middle of the night in a near-by home, and the risk that comes with being a Christian, even in the new "open" China. Ben has assumed that all he has been hearing form the Chinese government about religious tollerance is true, but he comes to see the full picture, of government limits on what sanctioned churches can preach, where they can meet, and who can be a pastor. These limits are such that Christians are still forced to go underground, a move which makes them enemies of the state. Quan has been in prison many times, as had his father and his father's father, and endured much persecution, abuse, and harrassment.

Ben had turned from his faith, as his own life and its success took center stage. But as he is confronted with the depth of the Li family's faith, he slowly realizes his own need. Quan returns to prison, and is held for many months. Ben does all he can to get him released, but all he can successfully do is arrange a few visits. But he continues to stay with the family, and to keep working on Quan's behalf. During this time, he continues to learn more about the underground church, and the missionaries that work around China spreading God's word to a people who is hungry for it. Through all of this, he comes to realize that he has been turning his back on God, and cherishing his own view and perception of reality, and he comes to believe again and anew in God.

Despite Ben's best efforts, Quan's time in jail, though it has been fruitful in that he has been able to minister to others, finally ends in death. For him, this means joyful reunion with his family and with his Lord, and for Ben this means a return to the States, where he reenters his life with renewed vigor, working toward reconciliation with his former wife and his kids, and seeking to reenter his career with a new focus and outlook. No longer is his own advancement the goal, but instead, he works toward making their company a force of reform especially in China.

The book ends with a glimpse of heaven and with the final victory of heaven and the King over all the earth, the time when there will be no more martyrs, when God no longer stands by, but when all things are made new.

Safely Home is a worthwile story about the persecuted church in China. It gives the reader a glimpse of what faith can cost, and of what it means to stand up for Jesus in the face of opposition. In America and the West, faith is often a relatively easy road, but taking a close look at a place where that isn't the case is a powerful call to revisit our own faith, and see where it will take us. I have been encouraged and also challenged to think more about persecuted Christians around the world. It is a source of sorrow that people must endure such things for their faith, but also a source of joy that people do. It is a worthwhile endeavor for us to "borrow" their faith, in a sense, to draw strength and encouragement from it, and to hope that that same faith emerges more and more within us.(less)

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Apr 10, 2011 Freda Whaley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I couldn't put it down. Here is what the back of the book says...

Executive Ben Fielding hits upon a perfect plan: he will make his company millions of dollars by using Chinese labor to manufacture its electronic components. To kickstart his plan, he visits China, where he stays with college roommate Li Quan, whom he hasn't seen in over 20 years. From Li, Ben learns that his initial impressions of China from his research and from visits over the years are false, but Ben doesn't believe Li's stori...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book does help to give one a heart for the persecuted church in China, and I loved the characters of the Li family. I also really enjoyed Alcorn's perspective on heaven. HOWEVER, the character of Ben Fielding really bothered me. For example, how could someone who was fluent in Chinese but not a Christian, not know who Confucius was in Chinese but know all 12 disciple names in Chinese?? Alcorn used Fielding's conversations and questions in order to inform the reader of Chinese culture and of...more

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Apr 07, 2009 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I will admit that this book majorly opened my eyes to the persecution of Christians in China (and other places.) I always knew in the back of my mind that this type of persecution existed in the world, but since America is so tolerant, I never truly realized that there are Christians out there who are really dying to self each and every day as they walk their walk with Jesus. The book has given me a heart to pray for them, and also changed my perspective as I thank God for the many blessings he...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Hannah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow. This book was absolutely wonderful, and very easily one of the best "serious" fiction books I have read in a while.

I'm not going to give a whole overview because I don't want to spoil it.

While I could see some of the plot twists coming, there were others that I didn't see. The central characters were all well-rounded, and China, the government, etc. all felt very real. The contrast between the American, Ben, and the Chinese, Quan, was quite marked in mannerisms and such. I liked the contr...more

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Nov 20, 2008 Alice rated it 5 of 5 stars

Did you wonder, during the Beijing Olympics, if the image that China was projecting to the world was just an illusion? If perhaps the truth was that human rights violations and persecution of religious groups exists but is being air-brushed away? Then you may be interested in this novel, which the author claims to be based on true incidents.

It's an intriguing situation: An American college student befriends a brilliant Chinese student and casually invites him to campus chapel. The Chinese studen...more

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Jun 01, 2010 Shelley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Hmm... not quite sure what to make of this book. It was about the persecuted Christians in China. Since I served as a missionary among the Chinese in Hong Kong, I thought it would be interesting. A few qualms I had with it: it was written in very "born-again" type writing. Everything was Lord Jesus this and Lord Jesus that. Just not my way of speaking about religious things, so it was weird. All the Bible "quotes" were passages out of the new translation, so it only somewhat resembled the passag...more

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Jan 21, 2008 Dorothy Tolman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Thank you Jamie for this book. I loved it. It was very well written and the message was beautiful. As Christians we know that in the days prior to the Second Coming of the Savior that there will be persecutions of the righteous. It helps us remember that the fight against Satan is real and that we need to be spiritually prepared for the battle as well as ready and willing to take Missionary work to all nations despite the costs.

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Jul 09, 2012 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although this is a fictional novel, Randy Alcorn has done a great job of portraying the persecution that Christians face in China. I read the book when it first came out in 2001, and I loved it. It was one of those books that pulled me in and I became completely engrossed in the story. Even though it has been eleven years since I read the book, I still remember how much I enjoyed it, and how it helped open my eyes to the persecution Christians are going through around the world.

Some say Randy Al...more

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Jul 28, 2008 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: adults

Recommended to Kathy by: Carol

The contrasting life-paths of two adults, once college roommates, is set up well in the opening chapters of the book. You come to know each man, in particular what motivates their choices. Though there were some parts of the book that seemed unrealistic, I none-the-less enjoyed the story. Alcorn's sub-story that takes place in heaven was intriguing and opened the imagination for what that life into eternity will be like.

1 like · like · see review

Feb 16, 2011 Bernie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Safely Home, by Randy Alcorn is a book that the Pastor of our church recommended one Sunday. He had a couple of copies for sale at our church bookstore and I bought one. It’s a great story that I’d highly recommend, and I will try to pass my copy around. Alcorn’s story of China’s Li Quan and his former college roommate, American, Ben Fielding, as they encountered persecution for the cause of Christ in China was a revelation to me. It made me re-evaluate my own walk in faith. Am I frightened only...more

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Mar 24, 2011 Cheryl Olson rated it 5 of 5 stars

To be honest most of the time I am reading a book for pure entertainment purposes. However, sometimes I come across a book that reaches beyond the "entertainment factor" and crosses into the eye opening and life changing mode. "Safely Home" by Randy Alcorn was that for me. This book follows the lives of two former Harvard roomates one- Li Quan a chinese student in America for an education, and his American counterpart Ben Fielding. The story picks up on their friendship 20 years later and how th...more

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Nov 21, 2010 Stacy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-fiction, kindle

This was my first book by Randy Alcorn and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was free on Amazon for my Kindle and I'm glad I grabbed it. It is about two college roommates from Harvard years ago, one an ultra-successful US businessman and the other a professor from China. The businessman has lost his faith in God, is divorced from his wife and estranged from his children, on his track to the CEO of his global company. The Chinese man is living in a rural area in China with his wife and son, not able to...more

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Jul 10, 2010 Charlie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: spiritual, fiction

I rarely read fiction, except for Frank Perreti books, Alcorn's book, DEADLINE, THE SHACK and this book. SAFELY HOME was very meaningful to me because I have some friends who have actually smuggled American "greenbacks" into China in money belts to help house church families whose husbands and fathers are in prison and I have heard many stories from them of the persecution of saints in China. Also, I had spent time in the military in Asia and knew of martyrs and homeless families due to Christia...more

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Nov 06, 2008 Joanne added it · review of another edition

This book Safely Home is an eye opener of what is going on with Christians in China!! Many have been and still are in prison for over 20 years, simply because they will not deny their faith in Jesus Christ. The treatment they receive is beyond belief...this book will change your life.

1 like · like · see review

Nov 02, 2011 Jaclynn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

This book gets 5 stars from me, I recommend everyone read this book. It is so captivating and convicting. The story of 2 friends, a man from America lost in his selfish high corporate life and a simple man from China. Once roommates in college, separated by many years and now meeting again, they are shocked by the differences in their lives, and in their faith which was once more relatable. Despite the constant danger of losing it, Quan's lives a life serving God, and Ben must grapple with some...more

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Jul 21, 2009 Tracy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow! This book is awesome in a sickening way! It shows us how severe and threatening spiritual persecution in China is, and makes one realize how easy it is to take our salvation for granted in a country where we do not have to work hard to practice our faith. Makes me feel like I am a "baby" Christian, since I don't know if I'd be strong enough to stand up to torture, the inability to get more than a menial job in spite of a quality education, losing my home, and threats of death to myself and...more

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Jan 25, 2008 Jennifer Hurst rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book a few years ago on the metro each night -- crying a lot of the time...people must have thought I was crazy. You can't put it down once you start.

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Aug 21, 2008 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is absolutely life changing! One you have to read before you leave this earth. It will change the way you see things. ...more

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Feb 18, 2011 Lindsey rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really liked learning about the Chinese culture and the front the government puts on for the western world to convince them they are just and fair. I also enjoyed the relationship between Ben and Quan, and the dichotomy presented between their two worlds. I thought Ben was a little naive when it came to the Chinese government and their control over business and religion. The reason I can only give this two stars is because the religious stuff was overwhelming. Not being a religious person, I a...more

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Jun 02, 2008 Patti Bethea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book will give you a heart for the persecuted church everywhere. Warning - you won't be able to put this book down!

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Jul 25, 2012 Honeybee rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of the best books I've ever heard of that tells the plight of believers in Communist China. This very true-to-life novel takes a jaded, worldly American into the challenging world of His Christian friend in China. The American reconnects with God and his estranged family, after seeing the faith and personal sacrifice of his friend in action. My husband and I listened to the audio version on a road trip and were riveted to our seats, wondering what would happen next. It made us realized how g...more

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About Randy Alcorn

Randy Alcorn is the founder of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching biblical truth and drawing attention to the needy and how to help them. EPM exists to meet the needs of the unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled and unsupported people around the world.

"My ministry focus is communicating the strategic importance of using our earthly tim...more

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“Real gold fears no fire.” — 8 people liked it

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