Recommended Books About the Church in China

Pastor Bob O'Bannon

This weekend is New Life’s annual missions conference. You might be aware that while the church seems to be on the decline in the United States, and certainly in Europe, it is actually growing rapidly in East Asia, particularly in China, which has been the scene of relentless persecution of the church in the past, particularly during the “Cultural Revolution” from 1966-1976.

Today, the attitude toward religion is much more open, though debates are ongoing about how genuine this new openness really is. The underground church is still considered illegal, and in some parts of the country, it would seem that persecution is stronger than ever.

In any case, the Holy Spirit is doing remarkable things in this part of the world. Some observers say that China could one day be the most prolific missionary-sending nation in the world.

Recently I’ve been reading two books that have helped me understand better what God is doing in China. I recommend them to you here:

A Star in the East: The Rise of Christianity in China, by Rodney Stark and Xinhua Wang. This is the perfect introduction for anyone wanting a brief account of the church in China — including its history, present situation and possible future outcomes. Currently there are at least 60 million Christians in China (a conservative estimate), with a projection of almost 300 million by 2030 (p. 113-114). Extraordinarily, there are more Christians in China than there are members of the Communist Party.

Particularly striking is that the brand of Christianity flourishing in China is “intensely conservative” — not the liberal nonsense coming out of mainline denominations in the west. An explanation is offered: “Lukewarm liberalism simply could not generate the level of commitment needed to hold onto one’s faith in the face of considerable personal risk.” (p. 72). “People will seldom face the hardships of missionary service merely to do good deeds. Without the conviction that they were bringing priceless truths to those in need, the mission spirit quickly dissipated in liberal Protestant circles.” (p. 34).

This book reads pretty much like a textbook — pretty dry. But it’s still is a great place to learn about what could be the most significant kingdom event happening the world today.

China’s Reforming Churches, ed. Bruce Baugus. This book is similar to A Star in the East, but is much more exhaustive and gives specific attention to the role of reformed Presbyterianism in China. Because the “rate of numerical growth has effectively outstripped the development of the church” (p. 21), and because the church in China is in an “ecclesiastically chaotic state” (p. 134), there is a desperate need there for the deep roots of a well-ordered church that is provided in Biblical presbyterianism.

Various articles written by different authors cover such topics as the social conditions in China today, the history of presbyterianism in China, opportunities for Christian publishing, and the state of reformed theological education in China.

What is exciting is that acceptance of reformed theology is actually quite high in China. Asians seem to be attracted to the account of reality provided by reformed thinkers. Many Chinese are experiencing the emptiness of a materialistic culture, and wondering what can replace it. “One proposal that attracts a surprising amount of support is Christianity, and among those advocating this answer most vigorously are a number of university professors, lawyers, writers, journalists, and the like, who advocate a distinctively Reformed brand of Christianity.” (p. 22).

As Andrew Brown wrote in The Guardian, in an article titled “Chinese Calvinism Flourishes,” young people think it is “very cool to be Christian.”

Jesus said in Mat. 9:37, “There harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” That is perhaps more true in China today than in any other place in the world.

Update from Pastor Bob and Mary

Pastor Bob O'Bannon

Right now I’m looking out the window of a ninth-floor apartment where Mary and I are staying in East Asia. On the horizon I see mountains, and filling the space between our apartment and the mountains, as far as I can see to my left and to my right, are towering buildings. Some are grey and some are brown, but they are everywhere. Car horns are blaring almost constantly. On the streets are buses, cars, bicyclists, rickshas and taxis. It’s a bustling urban environment that makes a city like Indianapolis look like a mere village, and yet this particular city is one of the smaller ones in this part of the world.

Last week, Mary and I were in a larger city, one that is probably 10 times as large as the one where we are staying now. The immensity of these places, the teeming swarms of people, and the constant construction of new structures is simply astonishing. Last week as I was gazing out the window of another apartment, noticing that as far as my eye could see were buildings at least 20 stories high, a friend said to me, “Isn’t that amazing? And none of this was even here 10 years ago. It was all just empty fields.”

The friend speaking to me was a missionary, one of several that Mary and I have come to visit. We are here to encourage them, to learn about what God is doing through their ministries, and to consider how the Lord might be leading us to further participate in his redemptive mission throughout the world.

We’ve noticed some peculiar things about this place: people like to shoot off fireworks very early in the morning; many of the locals can’t resist staring at us like we’re celebrities; water is always served warm in restaurants; the large buildings I was mentioning all look old, even though they are new; it is not unusual to see armed men in uniform.

It is now Sunday afternoon, and this the first full day of our time in the second city of our trip. This morning we enjoyed a time of worship together with about 14 missionaries. We sang some Advent songs, prayed together, and then I delivered a message to them from Rom. 10:13-17 about the importance of taking the Gospel to those who haven’t heard it, which is precisely the passion driving these young disciples of Jesus. Afterward I had the privilege of serving communion to this group, and praying that the Spirit of God would nourish and strengthen them in the work that God has called them to do.

Mary and I both are relishing the many ways that God has answered your prayers on our behalf. Our travel (a total of about 18 hours in three different planes) has been smooth and without incident; jet lag has been tolerable; Mary has experienced none of her frequent headaches, and I have suffered only one mild stomach upset from the unusual diet; and of course it has been an absolute delight to reconnect with Nick, Melissa, and Nathan, as well as married couples Austin and Jeanne, and Eric and Lauren, all of whom used to worship with us at New Life and are now fulfilling the Great Commission in this part of the world. Their faith and willingness to follow Jesus wherever He leads is truly inspiring.

We have also been able to visit Linda, who came to faith in Christ during her time at BSU and worshiped with us at New Life, and is now living back home and finishing her degree. Linda is doing well — still walking with Christ and hoping to come back to the States to attend seminary one day, but finding it very difficult to find a fellowship of believers with whom she can worship here.

There are several other exciting events on our itinerary for the coming week: a local pastor who is from the area will be coming to have dinner with us; we will be visiting a local mosque and a Buddhist monastery; and of course we will have more time with our dear brothers and sisters in Christ here.

Our flight home leaves early Thursday morning (that’s Wednesday evening Muncie time). Continued prayers are welcomed and encouraged. We are looking forward to being back together with our brothers and sisters at New Life!