Builders of the Chinese Church

From 1807, when the first Protestant missionary arrived in China, to the 1920s, when a new phase of growth began, thousands of missionaries and Chinese Christians laboured, often under very adverse conditions, to lay the groundwork for a solid, healthy, and self-sustaining Chinese church. Following an Introduction that sets the scene and surveys the entire period, 'Builders of the Chinese Church' contains the stories of nine leading pioneers: seven Western missionaries and two Chinese. Here wemeet Robert Morrison, the heroic translator; Liang Fa, the first Chinese evangelist; missionary-scholar James Legge; J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission; converted opium addict Pastor Hsi, Overcomer of Demons; Griffith John and Jonathan Goforth, both indefatigable preachers; and the idealistic advocates of education and reform, W.A.P. Martin and Timothy Richard. Readers will be inspired by their courage, devotion, and sheer perseverance in arduous work, and will gain a better understanding of the origins of the two 'branches' of today's Chinese Protestantism.



G. Wright Doyle is the English editor of the online Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity (bdcconline.net); co-author of China: Ancient Culture, Modern Society; editor/co-translator of Wise Man from the East: Lit-sen Chang (Zhang Lisheng); and editor of globalchinacenter.org and chinainst.org, which feature articles and book reviews about Chinese culture and religion, especially Christianity. His other works include Carl Henry: Theologian for All Seasons and Christianity in America: Triumph and Tragedy.



Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Robert Morrison: Missionary Mediator, Surprising Saint Christopher D. Hancock 2. Liang Fa (Liang A-fa): Leader in Chinese Indigenization Jonathan A. Seitz 3. James Legge: Linking Chinese Evangelical Spirituality with Cross-Cultural Engagement Lauren Pfister 4. Griffith John: Faithful Pioneer Missionary Noel Gibbard 5. J. Hudson Taylor: Advocate for China's Inland Millions G. Wright Doyle 6. William A. P. Martin: Pioneer of Progress in China G. Wright Doyle 7. "Pastor His" - Xi Shengmo: "Overcomer of Evil" through Prayer and Preaching Yading Li with G. Wright Doyle 8. Timothy Richard: A Missionary Who Impacted the Late Qing Dynasty Wenzong Wang 9. Jonathan Goforth: Tireless Evangelist and Revivalist G. Wright Doyle Bibliography Index of Subjects Index of Names