From Banned Book to Bestseller: The Bible Mission in Contemporary China
Ebook
How God's Word Spreads in China and Beyond
How did China become the world’s largest supplier of Bibles? There was a time when people smuggled Bibles into China. Now, millions of copies are printed there annually. In the process, God’s word has impacted different segments of Chinese society, including the poor and blind, young and old, ethnic minorities, pastors, and opinion shapers of the country. How did this happen?
Unveiling a hidden chapter in China’s history, From Banned Book to Bestseller explores the impact of the Bible and its message on the lives of ordinary people. It recounts how the Bible Press in China has helped to make Scripture available in China and around the world. This book is based on first-hand accounts and testimonies from the archives, records, and reports of the United Bible Societies.
With its singular focus on the Bible mission in China, this groundbreaking book shares a story that is largely unknown today about the world’s largest Bible printer. From Banned Book to Bestseller serves as a crucial resource for scholars and researchers interested in missiology and Christianity in China. Witness firsthand the transformative power of faith as individuals encounter Scripture and embrace its teachings. Be inspired and encouraged by their journeys!
Foreword by Kua Wee Seng
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1- Blazing the Trails: The Bible in China—The Seventh Century to the 1950s
Chapter 2- Into the Dark Night: The Bible during the Cultural Revolution
Chapter 3- Out of the Shadows: A Bible Press for China
Chapter 4- Shining Forth I: Bible Distribution Work
Chapter 5- Shining Forth II: Bibles for the Catholic Church in China
Chapter 6- Fire of Revival: The Bible and Church Growth
Chapter 7- True Vision: Braille Bibles for the Blind
Chapter 8- Glows and Glitters in the Mountains I: Bible Translation for Ethnic Minority People in China
Chapter 9- Glows and Glitters in the Mountains II: Bible Ministry to the Ethnic Minority People in China
Chapter 10- A Light for Every Season: Scripture Portions, Selections, and Gospel Booklets
Chapter 11- Fan into Flames: Scripture Literacy Classes and Discipleship Resources for Believers
Chapter 12- Igniting Young Minds: Bible Ministry for the Family
Chapter 13- In the Shadow of the Cross: Bible and Mental Well-Being
Chapter 14- Fuel for the Fireplace: Bible Ministry to Seminary Teachers and Students
Chapter 15- Oil for the Lamps: Bible Ministry to Pastors and Lay Preachers
Chapter 16- Shine like Stars: The Bible Advocacy among Leaders of Society
Chapter 17- In the Light of Scripture: The Bible and the Contextualization and Inculturation of Christianity in China
Chapter 18- Stellar Performance: The Bible Printing Press in China: Milestones and Achievements
Epilogue: Light unto the Nations: The Unstoppable Word of God in and beyond China
Appendix: A Timeline of Bible Missions in China
Bibliography
About UBS
Index
This is a well-researched, in places first-hand, account of one of the most remarkable little-known stories of the last fifty years. Its author writes with both heart and discernment about the vision and work of the United Bible Societies. Her book is full of engaging stories about the influence of many ordinary Chinese Christians and amazing statistics about the Bible’s impact in urban centers, regional areas, and marginal ethnic groups. She documents its influence not only on church growth but also the wider culture. Central to this was UBS leadership’s close cooperation with the officially recognized churches and working relationship with the state religious authorities. This is definitely one of the must-read Christian books of the year!
-Robert and Linda Banks, Authors, Biographies of Christian Women who Served in China
We live in a post-pandemic world in a syndemic moment in history. Humanity’s body, mind, and spirit have been affected. Against this very backdrop we are reminded of God’s grand plan to redeem all people to see humanity flourish. Out of the darkness light breaks open. Cynthia’s important piece of work picks up from those that have gone before her to remain faithful to the sacrificial lives and stories she encountered. Yet each one of those individual stories over time, place, and space points to God’s story of unending love for the people of China. Never abandoning them through the difficult years. Like God’s people before who endured four hundred years of darkness before the bursting of light that caused angels in heaven to sing and celebrate. This book is a case study of hope. All people and all nations need hope. It is often said that the mark of a country’s nationhood is its ability to provide for its people spiritual freedom to choose their spiritual destiny. China is today a nation of hope with all the birth pains that come with such a gestation. Yet in the midst of everything God has never abandoned the Chinese people. He will continue to be the voice even in the wilderness. Cynthia’s writing captures pivotal moments in the journey taken by those whose sacrificial service led this banned book to be in the hearts and hands of so many both within and beyond China.
-Michael Perreau, Director General, United Bible Societies (2011–2022)
Since the formation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Churches in China have experienced a wave of religious constraints. The last batch of the Bible was published in 1956 and had hitherto not been published in China again till 1979. However Chinese Christians carry a strong tradition of loving the Word of God as part of their spirituality. Even during the time of persecution such as the period of the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) when almost all Bibles were destroyed, many Christians hid their Bibles, risking arrest and jail terms. Many memorized chapter after chapter of the Bible, some made handwritten copies to share with others in secret, others listened to gospel radio and transcribed passages and verses. The Word of God became the only source of hope for millions of Chinese Christians during this period of darkness.
As the church was allowed to resurface in 1979, the government facilitated the Official Church to print a few thousand Bibles and New Testaments using the printing press of the People’s Liberation Army. Coming from this humble publication background, no one could ever dream that a few decades later China would become the largest Bible-producing country in the world with 162 million copies in more than two hundred languages for 160 countries and regions. It is in this context that Cynthia Oh has written this amazing story of the Bible in China—from a banned book into a bestseller, taking place in an atheistic country, China. She has the privilege to be a staff member of the United Bible Societies who was directly involved with and witnessed the Bible printing operation in China. Her story is nothing less than a miracle that has unfolded in our time, a story that is part of the matrix of God’s might in our contemporary era. Her book is also a testimony of the ecumenical partnership of various Christians from different countries joining efforts to advance the kingdom of God through his words—a ministerial model that transcends traditional mission endeavors. This well-written volume is a must for any serious readers of contemporary Christianity.
-Rev. Kim-Kwong Chan, PhD, DTh, Hong Kong
Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, Cynthia sheds light on the tumultuous history of the Bible in China, from its initial banishment to its eventual rise as a bestseller. From the Cultural Revolution to present day China, this book takes us on a gripping expedition through the world of Chinese Christians who did everything to preserve and share the sacred text over the generations. It explores the transformative power of Scripture, the hope it instilled, and the courage it inspired in the face of challenges. Their unwavering devotion and unyielding resilience serve as a powerful reminder of the enduring relevance and universal appeal of the Scriptures. This book will leave you inspired, uplifted, and with a renewed appreciation for the profound impact of the Word of God.
-Rev. Tony Yen, Chairman, Evangelical Free Church of Singapore, Senior Pastor, Covenant Evangelical Free Church
This book by Cynthia Oh brings together a decade of personal experience in Bible missions in China, access to key archival material, and a passion to write mission history to produce a ground-breaking record of how the Bible grew from being a banned book into the best-selling book in China in the course of a few decades since the 1960s. In particular, the book traces the history of the Bible press (Amity Printing) in China that has produced millions of Bibles. In addition, readers will appreciate how the Bible has made inroads in various ways, through the promotion of Bible reading and application, into churches, society, and the lives of families and individuals. The personal stories gleaned from the ground offer a fuller picture of the effects of making the Bible available to a vast diversity of people who have been blessed by the Word of God that is able to bring about healing and transformation. This will be an invaluable resource for those interested in China, mission history, and Bible missions.
-Bishop Emeritus Dr. Robert Solomon, The Methodist Church in Singapore
From Banned Book to Bestseller tells a story which is not widely known. A common narrative of Christianity in China is that it has been a persecuted church under the People’s Republic and even now subject to tight control by the state. But why should such a state allow the Catholic Church in China to remain faithful to its teachings all these years? Why should it facilitate the establishment of a printing house in Nanjing which has made China by far the largest printer of Bibles in the world? Few Christians are aware that China is both the world’s biggest market and the world’s biggest exporter of Bibles.
This book helps to explain why the sinicization of Christianity is not merely a political requirement of the Communist Party of China. Sinicization is a long historical process through which the God of the Bible is gradually and progressively revealed to the Chinese people as their God, the God of their ancestors, and not a foreign God. For the Chinese, God must be Chinese. The early Jesuits like Matteo Ricci understood this. In their catechisms, Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the Apostles were Chinese.
Christian evangelism can only succeed in China if it is not seen as light brought in from outside to Chinese people living in darkness but as the nurturing of light already burning in the hearts of Chinese people from the beginning of its civilization. This spirit guided Protestants who came together in the early twentieth century to do a common translation of the Bible in Chinese. The sinicization of Christianity is a huge unfolding story. This book adds to our understanding of it.
-George Yeo, Visiting Scholar, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Former Minister, Foreign Affairs of Singapore , Former Member, Vatican Council for the Economy
It is a deep blessing and an existential challenge that such a manuscript on the life and journey of the Christian Bible in the sociopolitical and cultural context of China is written with much careful research and thought. It is an awesome responsibility. The author narrated the wonderfully impossible “journey” of the Bible in China from various possible angles with concern for historical objectivity so that the “silent hand” of the Lord in the journey would not be mistaken.
As Scripture says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever ... so shall my word be that goes from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa 40:8; 55:11).
-Bishop John Chew, Archbishop, Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia (2006–2012)
One of the greatest untold stories in the remarkable saga of China’s explosive church growth is this unique partnership, rooted in more than two centuries of international cooperation in Scripture translation and distribution, which has brought God’s life-changing word to millions across China. One is struck by the patient, humble collaboration between UBS and Chinese church leaders, as well as their bold faith in believing in God for the impossible and the speed at which their partnership came to fruition, eventually resulting in the world’s largest Communist country becoming the world’s largest supplier of Bibles. Cynthia Oh’s moving portrayal of Chinese Christians’ sacrificial love of Scripture will deepen your own appreciation for God’s Word and for those who have given their lives to bring the Bible to China.
-Brent Fulton, PhD, Founder, ChinaSource
- Title: From Banned Book to Bestseller: The Bible Mission in Contemporary China
- Author: Cynthia Oh
- Publisher: William Carey Publishing
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781645085843, 9781645085829, 1645085821, 1645085848
- Resource ID: LLS:9781645085843
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-09-17T07:39:36Z
Cynthia Oh (MDiv, East Asia School of Theology; Postgrad Diploma in Education, Nanyang Technological University) spent the last ten years traversing various provinces in China with her role in communication as part of the United Bible Societies. She visits rural and urban areas, interacting with and interviewing Chinese Christians and church leaders, and witnesses indigenous Bible movements. She is a former Cru staff and school teacher.