Dear Praying Friends:
Writings in English
“Every night I read a section from Christ the King. First, I scan it quickly for a general overview; then I study it carefully, for understanding; finally, I read the passage again to enjoy the beauty of it. After that, I go over your Bible notes for the day.”
As you know, we try to do two things: Minister to Chinese, and mobilize others to reach out more effectively to Chinese people.
In general, our writings in English speak to native English readers, but frequently they impact those whose mother tongue is Chinese. The pre-Christian woman quoted above, a physician in China whom I met last June, purchased a copy of Christ the King, a devotional commentary on Matthew’s Gospel, through Amazon.
Along with others, she also receives brief notes on the Bible five days a week; these follow the reading plan for the men’s Leadership Training Course. You can see that both the book and the Bible notes seem helpful to her as she seeks to know God.
Chinese friends have also responded to other books, such as Christianity in America: Triumph and Tragedy; Wise Man from the East: Lit-sen Chang; Carl Henry: Theologian for All Seasons; and the three volumes in the series, Salt & Light: Lives of Faith that Shaped Modern China, edited by Dr. Carol Lee Hamrin.
She and I are co-editors of a larger series, Studies in Chinese Christianity, published by Wipf & Stock. Seven volumes have been published; another has been submitted; and still another is being written. https://wipfandstock.com/browse/series/Studies%20in%20Chinese%20Christianity.
Likewise, we have been told by Chinese that they read both the Global China Center web site (www.globalchincenter.org) and the Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity (www.bdcconline.net).
It is encouraging to us to hear from non-Chinese that our web sites and books have helped them, but we are happy that our English publications, though mostly produced for those who want to increase their effectiveness as witnesses of Christ among the Chinese, are also being used by God to bring his Word to educated Chinese people as well.
Partly for that reason, we are now working to put all my English writings, including unpublished manuscripts, up on the newly re-designed China Institute site (www.reachingchineseworldwide.org). Look for more titles in coming weeks.
Writings in Chinese
“I have begun reading the book on Ephesians that you passed out to us last week. I really like it. God seems to be speaking to my heart, and showing me fore of his love every day. I am beginning to believe in him.”
This middle-aged woman, who has been visiting her son for the past few months and will return to China in October, has been attending the Mandarin Sunday school class at our church recently. Since the pastor is preaching through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, I gave those who wanted one a copy of the short commentary on Ephesians that was translated by a graduate student who had been converted here about fifteen years ago.
Last weekend, several Chinese Christians, including two students at an American seminary, visited our church, and we had them over to our house for dinner. Before they left, I put a bunch of my books in English and Chinese out on the table and said they could each take one. Though some English titles were chosen, most selected the volumes that were in Chinese, all of which were translated from my English versions. Published in Taiwan, these books are not for sale in China, so I was glad to make them available.
I also showed them the new, corrected edition of the Greek-Chinese Lexicon that my students first translated in the 1980s, and which I spent four years revising a while ago.
Because I think that the thought of Carl Henry has a great deal to contribute to Chinese intellectuals, I am working with a Chinese assistant to translate my book on him into Chinese. The first Chinese volume of the Salt & Light series is still meeting with a very enthusiastic response. Dr. Hamrin is waiting now for an ISBN for a second Chinese volume, which is otherwise ready for publication.
Would you please pray that God will continue to use our writings to minister to Chinese and to mobilize others to serve as witnesses of Christ among the Chinese?
Pray also for three colleagues who are working on important books about Chinese Christianity. Thank you!
Yours in His service,
Wright