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God Is Red The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China Liao Yiwu 9780062078469 Books

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God Is Red The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China Liao Yiwu 9780062078469 Books

Once I got rolling with this book, I found it hard to put down. It brings to light several layers of truth about life under an atheist Communist regime.

The brutality of Communist China especially under Mao towards Christianity was gut wrenching. The stupidity of the accepting common person and how easily led they are to perform public condemnation towards non government sanctioned persons generated both disappointment and anger.

Written by a non-Christian, this book provides an eyewitness account of the realities of life under a police State. Many layers of truth lie within its chapters. Truth you will not get from either the Chinese government nor the mainstream Western media.

Highly recommended if you are interested in an honest account of what it means to be not only a Christian living under brutal oppression, but what Communism is really like when it is applied and enforced. Scary but a warning to the wise. If you have an open and curious mind about the realities of religion under a Godless regime read this book.


Tags : God Is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China [Liao Yiwu] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. In <em>God is Red</em>, Chinese dissident journalist and poet Liao Yiwu—once lauded, later imprisoned,Liao Yiwu,God Is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China,HarperOne,0062078461,Asia - China,Christian Church - History,Political Ideologies - Communism, Post-Communism & Socialism,China;Church history;20th century.,China;Church history;21st century.,Communism and Christianity;China;History;20th century.,20th century,21st century,China,China - History - 20th Century,Christian Church,Christian Ministry - Missions,Christianity - History - General,Church history,Communism and Christianity,HISTORY Asia China,History,POLITICAL SCIENCE Political Ideologies Communism, Post-Communism & Socialism,RELIGION Christian Church History,RELIGION Christianity General,Religion,Religion - Church History,SOCIAL SCIENCE Developing & Emerging Countries,SOCIAL SCIENCE Sociology of Religion

God Is Red The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China Liao Yiwu 9780062078469 Books Reviews

Here's a fine journalistic rehearsal of Christianity's miraculous survival under the Chinese communist regime during the latter half of the 20th century. Believers in the West and elsewhere will be overawed by the courage and steadfastness of our brothers and sisters in China. Many thousands stood firm in the face of the most severe persecution, including torture, imprisonment, and martyrdom. The Chinese author does not appear to be a believer (yet), but he's clearly impressed by the faith and perseverance of many humble folks. The book also reflects, accurately or not is the question, a relatively low level of knowledge and understanding of historic Christian doctrine of the faithful. There are many other accounts this phenomenon, but this is a worthwhile and inspiring read.
With a long time interest in the subject, I have a whole shelf full of books written by missionaries to China - each one credible and faith building.

But this book is different. Not the narratives Liao recounts, some of which I have read elsewhere. Rather the contemporary-ness of his interviews! It's like we're learning "the rest of the story." He shows the long term effects of the gospel. He brings up-to-date missionary accounts that go back 50 and 60 years.

The fact that the author is not himself a Christian, adds another dimension to his book. How account for his deep interest in the subject, and his often putting himself in danger just to get the story? The fact that even as he writes he himself is under ban in China,brings a certain daring vitality to his account.

He illustrates the mob mentality that took over with the Land Reform Movement. (shades of Ann Coulter's "Demonic")

"Once people became brainwashed by Communist ideology and by Mao's propoganda,their thinking became chaotic. All humanity was lost.... Even the nicest and kindest peasants began to wave their fists and slap or kick us. Toward the end, revolutionary peasants didn't need a reason to kill a landlord... Poverty became a badge of honor, and the children of the poor became the tue proletariet. They felt superior to everyone else. They didn't have to take any responsibility when killing someone at public denunciation meetings."

And through those dark years, Christians lived, worshipped, and often died - but the Church of Jesus Christ grew! - tenfold!

Reading this account one wants to say, "It couldn'thappen here" - or could it?
This book is a little hard to judge, and a little hard to categorize. At its most basic level, it is a series of interviews; just straight recordings, a listener and a series of talkers. Hence, no real narrative, and a little clunky.

That being said, this is written by a man who with an artists eye and heart, Liao YiWu graciously and accurately records some extremely unique tales. The author isn't himself a Christian, but he approaches these interviews, and these stories with a great deal of care and compassion.

While each narrative is mostly independent and separate, and could really be placed into any order, there are two general categories that these short interviews could be placed. The bulk of the interviews are of the last generation of Elderly Christians who remember the foreign missionaries, and found (and kept) their faith before 1949. Many of these are from people living in the physical (and spiritual) fringe of China, in the mountains of Yunnan province. For these interviews, i am profoundly grateful to the author. Many of these individuals will be gone (and some have actually passed away in between the recordings and the publishing of the book)soon, and honestly it is not a topic that outside of the "underground" church, many people in China are eager to record much less listen to.

The other group of Interviewees are for the most part younger, and have a different kind of story to tell. Typically their narrative is more about finding meaning in an empty post-communist society. while these are also enlightening, especially to those who wonder about modern China, the interviews that most people will focus on are the ones that feature the older generation.

If you are interested in how Christianity survived in China post-1949, then this is a good record of that suffering. If you, for some reason, are interested in the stories of Missionaries in China pre-revolution, then this is a must-read. There were a lot of remarkable foreigners living in China before the revolution, trying to convert people, as well as to help develop a modern China, and these are the stories of some of the fruits of their labor.
Once I got rolling with this book, I found it hard to put down. It brings to light several layers of truth about life under an atheist Communist regime.

The brutality of Communist China especially under Mao towards Christianity was gut wrenching. The stupidity of the accepting common person and how easily led they are to perform public condemnation towards non government sanctioned persons generated both disappointment and anger.

Written by a non-Christian, this book provides an eyewitness account of the realities of life under a police State. Many layers of truth lie within its chapters. Truth you will not get from either the Chinese government nor the mainstream Western media.

Highly recommended if you are interested in an honest account of what it means to be not only a Christian living under brutal oppression, but what Communism is really like when it is applied and enforced. Scary but a warning to the wise. If you have an open and curious mind about the realities of religion under a Godless regime read this book.