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Have We No Rights?
Mabel Ruth Williamson was an American missionary to China. She served under the auspices of the China Inland Mission, later known as the Overseas Missionary Fellowship. Have We No Rights? A frank discussion of the "rights" of missionaries is her best known work. Williamson shows the difference between suffering hardships and suffering the infringement of one's rights. She believes that as Christians we must be willing to give up the right to the comforts of life, physical health and safety, the privacy in business, friends, romance, family, and home.
82 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
December 16, 2022
First couple chapters were sort of meh. Then they gradually got better. Then came her chapter on giving up the right to a normal (or any) romance, geared toward single women. Her options for marriage are limited to single missionary men who may be on her field, or to coming off the field to have a marriage and family. Excuse me?! As if mature, believing nationals from your field of service are not an option for marriage? They don’t even get a mention? I get this book was written in the 50s, but I find that same prejudice prominent in todays missionaries as well and it honestly angers me. But I digress.
Her chapter on giving up the right to a normal home life was equally outrageous. She promotes the idea that we must give up even our immediate families for the sake of the work, and that home must never come first. What are our homes if not our primary ministries, no matter where we find ourselves? Whether you are a man or a woman, your spouse and your children come before all other ministry, and if they are simply “given up” for the Gospel? You’ve failed.
Her final three chapters, however, were very good. One was about White Superiority, the next was about letting nationals run things and training them to do for themselves, and the last was a poem about how our only right is a right to Christ. All three were well done, and the poem was simple but profound. That bumps my review up a star.
Some quotes:
“There is one thing that is essential and one alone— the impartation of the life of Christ. It does not matter how low, how ignorant, how degraded the person is, Christ is able to transform him into someone far superior to me; and it may be that that is just what He is going to do. Who am I, a poor redeemed sinner, to look down upon anyone else?”
“The only things that are essential to the Church of Christ are found in Christ and in the penitent and forgiven soul, no matter what his race or culture or economic status. The Church of Christ can function on any level at which men for whom Christ died are living.”
3 ⭐️
Her chapter on giving up the right to a normal home life was equally outrageous. She promotes the idea that we must give up even our immediate families for the sake of the work, and that home must never come first. What are our homes if not our primary ministries, no matter where we find ourselves? Whether you are a man or a woman, your spouse and your children come before all other ministry, and if they are simply “given up” for the Gospel? You’ve failed.
Her final three chapters, however, were very good. One was about White Superiority, the next was about letting nationals run things and training them to do for themselves, and the last was a poem about how our only right is a right to Christ. All three were well done, and the poem was simple but profound. That bumps my review up a star.
Some quotes:
“There is one thing that is essential and one alone— the impartation of the life of Christ. It does not matter how low, how ignorant, how degraded the person is, Christ is able to transform him into someone far superior to me; and it may be that that is just what He is going to do. Who am I, a poor redeemed sinner, to look down upon anyone else?”
“The only things that are essential to the Church of Christ are found in Christ and in the penitent and forgiven soul, no matter what his race or culture or economic status. The Church of Christ can function on any level at which men for whom Christ died are living.”
3 ⭐️
January 4, 2023
been trying to read this book for a literal year hahah (and its super short lol) but how timely the read and what a great reminder for the days ahead. May I relinquish my "rights" for the sake of choosing Christ.
"All that He takes I will give; All that He gives I will take; He, my only right! He, the one right before which all other rights fade into nothingness. I have full right to Him: Oh, may He have full right to me!"
"All that He takes I will give; All that He gives I will take; He, my only right! He, the one right before which all other rights fade into nothingness. I have full right to Him: Oh, may He have full right to me!"
August 1, 2022
plain & simple but I appreciated that- sometimes M books are too intense.
The book begins by distinguishing between suffering hardship from suffering the infringement of one’s “rights.” This was a clarifying distinction and personally insightful as to why some cultural things strike a nerve and others don’t. Each chapter focuses on a “loss” but ends with truth that it’s all rubbish compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. validating yet motivating.
Also just an organization of thoughts I’ve been having but haven’t wanted to take the time to articulate so it’s served as a good resource to justifiably succumb to my laziness. Would recommend to those entering this line of work… or those who are in it that need help processing… or those who aren’t in it but want to grow in empathy and support!
The book begins by distinguishing between suffering hardship from suffering the infringement of one’s “rights.” This was a clarifying distinction and personally insightful as to why some cultural things strike a nerve and others don’t. Each chapter focuses on a “loss” but ends with truth that it’s all rubbish compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. validating yet motivating.
Also just an organization of thoughts I’ve been having but haven’t wanted to take the time to articulate so it’s served as a good resource to justifiably succumb to my laziness. Would recommend to those entering this line of work… or those who are in it that need help processing… or those who aren’t in it but want to grow in empathy and support!
May 21, 2023
Seriously a great book about how our lives are to be lived out for Christ. The stories were super encouraging but I’m sorry I’m docking a star because it’s super outdated. I guess for the story itself at the time it was written is fine, but for the present time, I think it should be known that some things are just not relevant! Again, great book and I think everyone should read it. Our lives are His! Who are we to claim anything is ours? So good.
February 3, 2022
What a beautiful book. Especially in today’s culture of “demanding personal rights” - this book clearly identifies the rights of a servant.
May we learn to love and cling only to our right to Jesus because of what He’s done for us.
May we learn to love and cling only to our right to Jesus because of what He’s done for us.
March 12, 2024
While some of the scenarios provided are now outdated (the writer was a member of a mission board of old that would dictate the lives of missionaries) many valid points are made.
As modern day Americans, we believe we have many rights, but Jesus in His walk on this earth had no rights- why should His followers? Some ideas for discussion include the right to one's own time, to choose one's companions, to privacy, to what one considers a normal standard of living, etc.
Tiny read packed full of conversation starters for missionaries and anyone who truly wishes to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
As modern day Americans, we believe we have many rights, but Jesus in His walk on this earth had no rights- why should His followers? Some ideas for discussion include the right to one's own time, to choose one's companions, to privacy, to what one considers a normal standard of living, etc.
Tiny read packed full of conversation starters for missionaries and anyone who truly wishes to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
June 4, 2022
I found this fairly short book to be fascinating and thought-provoking, especially in our current culture where we seem to constantly argue over our "rights." The author, a missionary to China (not sure when but my copy was published in 1957), writes about how she had to learn to give up everything, including her rights to privacy, a normal home life, a normal standard of living, etc, for Christ. As a Christian in America, I certainly have strong opinions about my rights (as most Americans do), so this was a good challenge to my personal ideas and opinions.
July 1, 2025
I actually loved this book. It was not what I was expecting but turned out more fun than I was expecting. I loved hearing the missionary life in relation to having no rights. It helped me to compare with my own life even. The chapters each had a story with it in relation to how we have no rights and all in all Jesus laid down his rights for us so we can also lay down our lives. Praise God! This was a sweet book to read during my trip.
July 11, 2025
An essential for American Christians. We are born with certain inalienable rights and as Americans that idea is so deep in our very being we've never questioned how to plays out in our lives.
Mabel reminds us that when we follow Jesus, we must surrender our rights for his kingdom. Read this book and you'll know what I mean.
Mabel reminds us that when we follow Jesus, we must surrender our rights for his kingdom. Read this book and you'll know what I mean.
February 4, 2012
Very short book on living the Christian life in relation to others. When Jesus said to die to ourselves and pick up our crosses daily to follow him, I think this is what he meant.
September 26, 2024
“Other people’s ways, other people’s customs, other people’s standards - do we want to like them? Or do we cling tenaciously to our own, insisting that they are the only good and right ones? It is the attitude of the heart and mind that matters.”
-
“Give me an open mind, Lord, so that…whenever I start a new day, I’ll be able to accept whatever comes, and rejoice in it!...My time belonged to the Lord, and it was up to Him to dispose of it. I found that with this attitude of mind I could go anywhere, take advantage of any opportunities offered, stay more time or less time than I had expected, and still enjoy every moment, because God had planned it, and had worked it out in the best possible way.”
-
I forgot where I heard about this book - I think it was mentioned in another book, and now it’s bothering me that I can’t remember which it was. At the time I heard about this book, I remember being fed up with arguments about rights in America, and all those political arguments felt circular to me. Truly, what rights does anyone really have? Anyways, this book had less to do with that, and more to do with what missionaries (from the west) give up. Nevertheless, it was fantastic food for thought and helped put things into perspective. Even if you are not called to be a missionary, there is a lot I took away for my own Christian walk - truly imitating Christ, giving up your preferences for the sake of Christ being known, contentment in the circumstances God places us in, and reminders that God’s plans are best.
-
Williamson also debunks a lot of common opinions or responses on missionaries. She doesn’t romanticize the life of a missionary, but honestly tells of the hardships and joys. Here are some things I’ve taken away:
- Giving up your comforts and preferences does not necessarily mean compromising your health, though there may be situations that you’re just going to have to trust God to take care of you for.
- It is quite logical for missionaries to marry other missionaries, given the opportunities that exist.
- Building a church means building the people first. You don’t want to preach a false gospel about materialism or the missionary being the head instead of Christ.
- It’s not about “civilizing” the people, but transformation by Christ.
- Don’t be so adamant about not getting married, because you don’t know God’s plan.
- There are a lot of women missionaries, and this is important and necessary because there needs to be women to reach out to women. And this is more difficult when a woman missionary has children, because she should be responsible to her family as well.
- Every Christian is capable of witnessing the gospel.
- The first step is recognizing the sin is there (in this case, superiority complex).
- Having Christ makes all the difference.
-
This book made me think a lot about my own attitudes towards others and where God has placed me. And the poem at the end about Jesus giving up His rights and how we only have rights because of Him was so beautiful!!
-
“Give me an open mind, Lord, so that…whenever I start a new day, I’ll be able to accept whatever comes, and rejoice in it!...My time belonged to the Lord, and it was up to Him to dispose of it. I found that with this attitude of mind I could go anywhere, take advantage of any opportunities offered, stay more time or less time than I had expected, and still enjoy every moment, because God had planned it, and had worked it out in the best possible way.”
-
I forgot where I heard about this book - I think it was mentioned in another book, and now it’s bothering me that I can’t remember which it was. At the time I heard about this book, I remember being fed up with arguments about rights in America, and all those political arguments felt circular to me. Truly, what rights does anyone really have? Anyways, this book had less to do with that, and more to do with what missionaries (from the west) give up. Nevertheless, it was fantastic food for thought and helped put things into perspective. Even if you are not called to be a missionary, there is a lot I took away for my own Christian walk - truly imitating Christ, giving up your preferences for the sake of Christ being known, contentment in the circumstances God places us in, and reminders that God’s plans are best.
-
Williamson also debunks a lot of common opinions or responses on missionaries. She doesn’t romanticize the life of a missionary, but honestly tells of the hardships and joys. Here are some things I’ve taken away:
- Giving up your comforts and preferences does not necessarily mean compromising your health, though there may be situations that you’re just going to have to trust God to take care of you for.
- It is quite logical for missionaries to marry other missionaries, given the opportunities that exist.
- Building a church means building the people first. You don’t want to preach a false gospel about materialism or the missionary being the head instead of Christ.
- It’s not about “civilizing” the people, but transformation by Christ.
- Don’t be so adamant about not getting married, because you don’t know God’s plan.
- There are a lot of women missionaries, and this is important and necessary because there needs to be women to reach out to women. And this is more difficult when a woman missionary has children, because she should be responsible to her family as well.
- Every Christian is capable of witnessing the gospel.
- The first step is recognizing the sin is there (in this case, superiority complex).
- Having Christ makes all the difference.
-
This book made me think a lot about my own attitudes towards others and where God has placed me. And the poem at the end about Jesus giving up His rights and how we only have rights because of Him was so beautiful!!
March 19, 2022
He had no rights:
No right to a soft bed, and a well-laid table;
No right to a home of His own, a place where His own pleasure might be sought;
No right to choose pleasant, congenial companions, those who could understand Him and sympathize with Him;
No right to shrink away from filth and sin, to pull His garments closer around Him and turn aside to walk in cleaner paths;
No right to be understood and appreciated; no, not by those upon whom He had poured out a double portion of His love;
No right even never to be forsaken by His Father, the One who meant more than all to Him.
His only right was silently to endure shame, spitting, blows; to take His place as a sinner at the dock; to bear my sins in anguish on the cross.
He had no rights. And I?
A right to the "comforts" of life? No, but a right to the love of God for my pillow.
A right to physical safety? No, but a right to the security of being in His will.
A right to love and sympathy from those around me? No, but a right to the friendship of the One who understands me better than I do myself.
A right to be a leader among men? No, but the right to be led by the One to whom I have given my all, led as is a little child, with its hand in the hand of its father.
A right to a home, and dear ones? No, not necessarily; but a right to dwell in the heart of God.
A right to myself? No, but, oh, I have a right to Christ.
All that He takes I will give;
All that He gives will I take;
He, my only right!
He, the one right before which all other rights
fade into nothingness.
I have full right to Him;
Oh, may He have full right to me!
No right to a soft bed, and a well-laid table;
No right to a home of His own, a place where His own pleasure might be sought;
No right to choose pleasant, congenial companions, those who could understand Him and sympathize with Him;
No right to shrink away from filth and sin, to pull His garments closer around Him and turn aside to walk in cleaner paths;
No right to be understood and appreciated; no, not by those upon whom He had poured out a double portion of His love;
No right even never to be forsaken by His Father, the One who meant more than all to Him.
His only right was silently to endure shame, spitting, blows; to take His place as a sinner at the dock; to bear my sins in anguish on the cross.
He had no rights. And I?
A right to the "comforts" of life? No, but a right to the love of God for my pillow.
A right to physical safety? No, but a right to the security of being in His will.
A right to love and sympathy from those around me? No, but a right to the friendship of the One who understands me better than I do myself.
A right to be a leader among men? No, but the right to be led by the One to whom I have given my all, led as is a little child, with its hand in the hand of its father.
A right to a home, and dear ones? No, not necessarily; but a right to dwell in the heart of God.
A right to myself? No, but, oh, I have a right to Christ.
All that He takes I will give;
All that He gives will I take;
He, my only right!
He, the one right before which all other rights
fade into nothingness.
I have full right to Him;
Oh, may He have full right to me!
April 18, 2025
Definitely don’t agree with everything she says (or how she says it!), but it’s worth the read regardless. Short, easy, thought-provoking read that overall wasn’t my favorite but has little nuggets of goodness.
“He had no rights. And I?
A right to the "comforts" of life? No, but a right to the love of God for my pillow.
A right to physical safety? No, but a right to the security of being in His will.
A right to love and sympathy from those around me? No, but a right to the friendship of the One who understands me better than I do myself.
A right to be a leader among men? No, but the right to be led by the One to whom I have given my all, led as is a little child, with its hand in the hand of its father.
A right to a home, and dear ones? No, not necessarily; but a right to dwell in the heart of God.
A right to myself? No, but, oh, I have a right to Christ.
All that He takes I will give; All that He gives will I take; He, my only right! He, the one right before which all other rights fade into nothingness. I have full right to Him; Oh, may He have full right to me!”
“He had no rights. And I?
A right to the "comforts" of life? No, but a right to the love of God for my pillow.
A right to physical safety? No, but a right to the security of being in His will.
A right to love and sympathy from those around me? No, but a right to the friendship of the One who understands me better than I do myself.
A right to be a leader among men? No, but the right to be led by the One to whom I have given my all, led as is a little child, with its hand in the hand of its father.
A right to a home, and dear ones? No, not necessarily; but a right to dwell in the heart of God.
A right to myself? No, but, oh, I have a right to Christ.
All that He takes I will give; All that He gives will I take; He, my only right! He, the one right before which all other rights fade into nothingness. I have full right to Him; Oh, may He have full right to me!”
March 17, 2024
Clearly dated as far as organizational systems, but filled with timeless truths.
The compelling ending is worth the whole book. 😭 After each chapter on discussing what rights we give up as workers…
“A right to be a leader among men? No, but the right to be led by the One to whom I have given my all, led as is a little child, with its hand in the hand of its father.
A right to a home, and dear ones? No, not necessarily; but a right to dwell in the heart of God.
A right to myself? No, but, oh, I have a right to Christ.
All that He takes I will give;
All that He gives will I take;
He, my only right!
He, the one right before which all other rights fade into nothingness.
I have full right to Him;
Oh, may He have full right to me!”
The compelling ending is worth the whole book. 😭 After each chapter on discussing what rights we give up as workers…
“A right to be a leader among men? No, but the right to be led by the One to whom I have given my all, led as is a little child, with its hand in the hand of its father.
A right to a home, and dear ones? No, not necessarily; but a right to dwell in the heart of God.
A right to myself? No, but, oh, I have a right to Christ.
All that He takes I will give;
All that He gives will I take;
He, my only right!
He, the one right before which all other rights fade into nothingness.
I have full right to Him;
Oh, may He have full right to me!”
May 28, 2023
Excellent primer of the sacrifices we are called to make in the Christian life. The author focuses on overseas workers, but the content is just as applicable for people who are living in their home culture reaching their own people with the gospel. Our rights are given up to Christ when we choose to follow him, and nothing good will come of trying to wrest them back.
I do think some of her examples and advice are a little dated, but the book was published 70 years ago based on experiences from years before that, so I’m willing to give a little levity for points I disagree with because there are so many gold nuggets hidden in this little book.
I do think some of her examples and advice are a little dated, but the book was published 70 years ago based on experiences from years before that, so I’m willing to give a little levity for points I disagree with because there are so many gold nuggets hidden in this little book.
February 27, 2021
A short, straightforward, and convicting little book. Not everything is super applicable (what cross-cultural missions looks like has changed). Written by a missionary for missionaries, but I think any follower of Christ could benefit from this, as we are all called to die to self and participate in the Great Commission. Brought about a lot of conviction and self reflection for me to think about what rights we should truly cling to. I think it would be great to read in a group to have a place to discuss
October 6, 2024
Human rights is a serious and constant topic of discussion theses days. Nevertheless this brief work speaks of missionaries giving up rights. The illustrations date from china after World War Two. But the principles behind them stand. Following the model of Phillipians two disciples of Christ will at times give up their rights for the sake of winning others to faith or due to immaturity amidst other believers. Chapter 11 would be specially useful to church planters as it deals with church planting contextualization.
August 12, 2020
Williamson definitely had a point, however the examples are quite out dated. It was hard to connect with the practical applications of each chapter because the practices were taken to the extreme and musicology has changed over the years. I don't think that to deny out rights is to completely deny every desire. Yet, I do believe we need to veiw our lives in light of eternity.
It was a short and easy read, and definitely generated great conversation!
It was a short and easy read, and definitely generated great conversation!
April 27, 2021
This book is now old and the reader becomes aware of it in a hurry. However, it is worth the read... to at least dig into a foundation that has also long been forgotten. We live in a very self oriented society and the foundations of Christian living (not just for international missionaries) is very important.
April 14, 2022
A short, 14-chapter book that in ways felt like a simple, easy read but with a lot of food for thought at the same time. Written from the perspective of a missionary to China, many of the author’s examples are outside of my personal experiences, but the principles are noteworthy and definitely were applicable to other area of my life as a mom of young kids.
March 22, 2017
This book is a much-needed paradigm shift for anyone going into ministry; the book is intended for those going to the mission-field, but the truths it contains are essential for any church-planter or church-leader. Those of us who minister are called to be servants, which means laying aside what we tend to think of as our rights, which in our flesh we will not allow to be taken from us. We must instead follow the example of Christ, in giving up all for the ministry, and of Christ's servant, Paul, in losing himself to serve others by becoming all things to all men. We must put aside our status as Americans and become first and only followers of Christ.
February 20, 2024
An honest look at the realities of serving Jesus in cross cultural contexts. The book is obviously dated. The world and sending organizations are structured differently today, but the core realities Mabel addresses are still things that must be wrestled with.
July 6, 2024
Definitely an interesting perspective; however I feel that many of the principles in this book tend to leave missionaries in a martyr mentality and are practically unhelpful. While there are some truths that carry into today, many of the things in the book do not have a place in missions today.
July 6, 2017
He is the One who has all the rights and who is always right.
June 26, 2018
Excellent and convicting! She shared a very balance view and not a cookie cutter “this is how you should live” view.
September 22, 2020
Many stories but in a poor writing style.
November 11, 2020
Must read for every missionary
August 15, 2022
Well-worth the read
This short book is a series of meditations on what “rights” the missionary must dispense with in their work. Even though the intended audience is missionaries, I think this would be a very valuable read for Christians of other vocations as well, as it very much challenges especially the American sense of entitlement that so easily and quietly creeps in
This short book is a series of meditations on what “rights” the missionary must dispense with in their work. Even though the intended audience is missionaries, I think this would be a very valuable read for Christians of other vocations as well, as it very much challenges especially the American sense of entitlement that so easily and quietly creeps in
September 3, 2022
Interesting.
December 11, 2023
Read this in college. A very good book about sacrificing ourselves for the kingdom of God. It brings to life what it truly means to lay down our lives for the gospel.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews