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 kinship with Chinese Christians in their unwavering commitment to the freedom of expression and to finding meaning in a tumultuous society.
Unwilling to let his nation lose memory of its past or deny its present, Liao set out to document the untold stories of brave believers whose totalitarian government could not break their faith in God, including:
* The over-100-year-old nun who persevered in spite of beatings, famine, and decades of physical labor, and still fights for the rightful return of church land seized by the government
* The surgeon who gave up a lucrative Communist hospital administrator position to treat villagers for free in the remote, mountainous regions of southwestern China
* The Protestant minister, now memorialized in Londons Westminster Abbey, who was executed during the Cultural Revolution as an incorrigible counterrevolutionary
This ultimately triumphant tale of a vibrant church thriving against all odds serves as both a powerful conversation about politics and spirituality and a moving tribute to Chinas valiant shepherds of faith, who prove that a totalitarian government cannot control what is in peoples hearts.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
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Liao Yiwu
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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, in this book, he takes on the topic of how Christianity flourished under the Communist banner. Martyrdom, underground house churches, religious persecutions … these are the sorts of topics you’ll find in this series of 18 essays. Many deal with the period of Chairman Mao and the Cultural Revolution.
This is not really a political book, nor is it evangelical. It is a reporters-eye view of Christianity where it doesn’t fit in. In learning about his topic, Liao attends a Eucharist celebration, interviews church leaders, visits the sites of persecution, and lets real people tell their stories. Warning: These stories are as disturbing as they are inspiring. Christianity under Red China looks like the first couple centuries under the Roman Empire all over again.
Was it worth it for those who endured? I’ll let you decide after you read the final interview with its entirely different flavor, of a new young 2010 convert to Christianity. A dry surprise awaits you.
My only criticism of the book, I think, is that the stories come only from about three areas of China, so after a while the various interviews tended to blend together and seem very similar. I would have appreciated a broader view, but I understand that the author's resources were limited and conducting any of these interviews was done at the risk of his own personal safety.
Overall, I think this is an important record of how everyday people in China have experienced Christianity - a distinctly different view than what is commonly believed.
Covering over a hundred years of Christian history in China in a very accessible way, the author met with Christians from all walks of life, from Tibetan Catholic religious to young converts who think that old style churchbuildings are "cooler than worshipping in an office", to clandestine pastors and teachers. Not a believer himself, Liao Yiwu does manage to give a balanced view of these people and their struggles to maintain their beliefs in the face of hardships that are unimaginable for most Western Christians today. While he doesn't emphasise the torture and suffering, he doesn't gloss over them either; it made an excellent antidote to the sort of "milk and sugar Christianity" I find prevalent among my online Christian friends from the US, with their comforting Internet forwards full of pretty pictures and feelgood sweetness that doesn't help much when one is struggling with existential pain or true hardship.
I will admit I was surprised by the pastor who considered committing suicide in order to "make a statement" about governmental control of the Three-Self churches, but then--I've never found myself in that situation. Also, it stopped me for a moment when the young "cool" convert speaks of Jesus being "from the West"--well, he was, if you are in China. It was fascinating to get the Chinese perspective on the breakdown of the communist system over the past 30 years; the common people have known it doesn't work for a long time, but nor do they have any illusions about the national worldview since Mao outlawed religion and raised whole generations (including the author) to equate spiritual feeling with delusion.
An excellent learning experience. I applaud both the author and translator.
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 faith in the early part of the Twentieth Century only to have the horrors of the communism and the Cultural Revolution bring suffering and persecution in ways that are almost impossible for Westerners to imagine.
These amazing people held on to their faith despite decades of hardship and persecution. The state took everything they had - their homes, their churches, their freedom, their health - and yet they persevered to see the faith grow and flourish.
Imagine being forced to kneel on tile and broken pottery in the freezing rain for days without food; dragged to public condemnations and beaten whenever you pray or refuse to renounce your faith; thrown in prison for thirty years for nothing more than preaching the gospel and bringing aid to the poor and helpless; having everything you have worked for taken away by capricious bureaucrats and your own neighbors.
And then as the political winds change you are forced to choose between state run churches with at least the appearance of peace and the ability to worship freely or continuing to fight for true freedom of religion and the ability to worship as you choose.
What a challenge to people of faith today!
Of course, even if you are just interested in the history of Christianity or human rights or China you will find this book (written by a non-Christian) fascinating - a glimpse of history from the participants.
The book's also a reminder that despite free-trade agreements and economic improvement China is still a repressive police state. It still isn't safe to hold your own beliefs or assemble with the like-minded, and we should not snicker about the Falun Gong folks because they look goofy to us: they are brothers in persecution with the house church movement in China.
I don't know if it is the translation or the original, but the use of coarse language sometimes feels at odds with the subject matter. Clearly, there is such a thing as too much "shit."
In sum, this may be my favorite evangelistic book so far, which is all the more impressive as it's written by a non-Christian!
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.
God is Red describes the author’s travels throughout villages in southwestern China and his interviews to document the stories of persecuted Christians or those who knew them. Liao, not a Christian, but a critic of the Chinese government, admired the Christians who would not cave in to the indoctrination of the government. He attends churches, interviews missionaries and musicians, nuns and doctors. These are fascinating accounts attesting to the brutality of the Communist government and the faith of devout believers. Liao could see the kindness, love and generosity of the Christians and their strong faith and wrote this book to preserve their stories.
This was an excellent read! I highly recommend it!
"Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave."--G.K. Chesterton
I found this book very encouraging and inspiring of the people who have persevered in their faith through all sorts of persecution. I highly recommend this book to those who are interested in Christianity in China or just want to be inspired.
Note: both Catholics, protestants, state church members, and house church members get air time and are treat them all with the same respect. I think there is a lot to be learned from all the Christians interviewed.
Yiwu's purpose with this book was report on the hardships that Christians had endured under communist persecution and question how they had continued on, refusing to denounce thier religion and continuing to worship on the threat of inprisionment or death. Reading the stories of these people, hearing how God gave them strength to continue in their darkest hour and how miracles occurred that kept food on the table or stayed, is awe inspiring.
We can not even know the hardships our brothers and sisters endured and can only hope that we would be as strong, as devout enough to keep the faith. Yet this book is also uplifting, showing how Christianity has grown exponentially and leaders formerly incarcerated for their beliefs are once again leading the church.
I highly suggest this book
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-minded as they were.
My only critique is that Liao intermixed Catholicism with Protestant Christianity. This is understandable considering that in the pre-Mao era, many missionaries came from outside of China and seemed to be engaging in similar work. Because doctrine wasn't a high topic of discussion in the interviews, I don't necessarily see the intermixing of the two as an issue. And I think any discussion of the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism would have taken away from the main point and purpose of the book.
I'm unclear if this was intentional or unintentional on the part of the author, but the last interview with "the convert" created a stark contrast between the early Christians and, what might be considered, modern-day Christians. I found myself disappointed by "the convert"'s response, but realized that I'm oftentimes disappointed by the response of 'Christians' today as well. I was reminded that I need to be sensitive to cultural differences, but at the same time, uncompromising in my faith and in the truth of God's word.
I really enjoyed God is Red. China is somewhere I'm longing & planning to go to one day, and have had many friends experience this great nation. I felt that through this book, I gained a greater understanding of the state of the Chinese currently, and what it has endured over generations. I understand more about Communism, the Cultural Revolution, and even the Three-Self Church. Ultimately, I learned about how my God is alive & active in China, and how He is bigger than a nation & political agenda. And that is a wonderful thing. I would recommend this book for any Christian preparing to go to China!
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. He doesn't seem very up on theology or even belief, just the conflict between a state that didn't tolerate religion and Christians who had refused to bend. He's not judgmental about the Christians who *did* bend, which we found intersting.
We also discussed whether state churches can ever exist without sacrificing truth, or whether it's always the church's job to stand outside the government so that it can critique it. We came down on the latter side - they should be separate.
Writing: A
Vocabulary: A
Level: Easy
Rating: PG13 (references to torture, kidnapping, imprisonment, wounds, disease, bullying, public shaming, graveyard desecration, family separation)
Illustrations: none
Worldview: Christianity is a native religion in some regions of China. Freedom to worship should be a universal right.
Free-thinking, atheist, and Chinese writer Yiwu Liao decided to research the experiences of Christians in China who have been punished - like he has - for failing to toe the Party line. He conducted multiple first- and second-person interviews to establish facts and learn personal details about Chinese Christians who have suffered for their faith. I highly recommend this anthology!