About fifteen years ago, Dr. Carol Hamrin, with whom I had just formed the Global China Center, conceived the idea of launching a series of books about Christianity in China.
At the time, very few Western scholars paid attention to the great works God has been doing through his people in China. It was not yet considered a legitimate academic field.
Meanwhile, the rapid growth of Christianity in China, as well as a growing awareness of the legacy of Christianity in China, had captured the attention of Chinese who wanted to understand the role of this “Western” religion in their culture and society.
Dr. Hamrin and I decided that it was time for us to encourage both Chinese and Western scholars to study and write about the significant part that missionaries and Chinese Christians have played in the history of modern China.
The online Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity (BDCC): was already being developed, so it seemed that a series of books would fill a huge gap in our knowledge of the history of Christianity in China and the impact of Christians upon China today.
The Purposes of Studies in Chinese Christianity
As with the BDCC, we sought, first and foremost, to glorify God by telling the story of what has become the largest Christian movement in history.
We also wanted to encourage younger scholars, both Western and Chinese, to make this a focus of their research and writing. By giving them a chance to have their work issued by a major academic publisher, Wipf & Stock, we could help them gain proper academic recognition.
Furthermore, we wanted Chinese Christianity to become a recognized field of study in the academy. A few others were already at work in this area, and we wanted to support them.
In addition, we hoped to correct false narratives and tell the truth about past and present expressions of the Christian faith among the Chinese.
Unexpected Success
At the time, we could not have imagined how much God would prosper this project.
Beginning with a three-volume mini-series called Salt & Light: Lives of Faith that Shaped Modern China, edited by Dr. Hamrin and GCC Associate Stacey Bieler, the series has grown rapidly.
At present, fifteen volumes are listed on the publisher’s web page: Studies in Chinese Christianity | Wipf and Stock Publishers.
Four volumes are in the production process, and one more only awaits final editing by the author. Within a year, if God wills, there will be no fewer than twenty high-quality books in this series.
By “high quality,” I mean that the contents are substantial and make a contribution to the field; they conform to high academic standards; and they are written in a style accessible to the average reader.
As coeditors, Dr. Hamrin and I receive one, two, or even more, new proposals every year.
Both Broad and Deep
In the providence of God, the series now covers a wide range of people, projects, events, and phases of Christianity in China.
You will find biographies of individuals, from Liang A-fa, the first Chinese evangelist, to Lit-sen Chang (Zhang Lisheng), the great 20th century theologian and apologist. There are histories of the advance of the gospel in individual provinces as well as insightful descriptions of the 21st century Protestant church in China.
Besides helping Dr. Hamrin with editing, I have contributed two volumes:
Builders of the Chinese Church features biographies of pioneer missionaries and early Chinese Christian leaders, plus an introduction. I wrote half of the chapters; others were penned by experts on the people whose stories they tell.
Wise Man from the East: Lit-sen Chang (Zhang Lisheng) contains translations by Dr. Samuel Ling and me of two of his shorter works, plus an introduction by me.
Forthcoming volumes will present the thrilling story of the translation of the Bible into Chinese; a general introductory history of Christianity in China; a description of the government-sanctioned Protestant movement; a dramatic narrative of two generations of courageous missionaries from Australia; and brief biographies of missionaries from the Reformed Church in America.
Please ask God to:
Strengthen and guide our authors and editors
Cause many people to read these books
Glorify himself through these truth-telling narratives of his work among the Chinese.