{"product_id":"god-is-red-the-secret-story-of-how-christianity-survived-and-flourished-in-communist-china-isbn-9780062078476","title":"God Is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eGod is Red\u003c\/em\u003e, Chinese dissident journalist and poet Liao Yiwu—once lauded, later imprisoned, and now celebrated author of \u003cem\u003eFor a Song and a Hundred Songs\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Corpse Walker\u003c\/em\u003e—profiles the extraordinary lives of dozens of Chinese Christians, providing a rare glimpse into the underground world of belief that is taking hold within the officially atheistic state of Communist China. Liao felt a kinship with Chinese Christians in their unwavering commitment to the freedom of expression and to finding meaning in a tumultuous society, even though he is not a Christian himself. This is a fascinating tale of otherwise unknown personalities thriving against all odds. \u003cem\u003eGod is Red\u003c\/em\u003e will resonate with readers of Phillip Jenkins' \u003cem\u003eThe Lost History of Christianity\u003c\/em\u003e and Peter Hessler's \u003cem\u003eCountry Driving\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eWhen journalist Liao Yiwu first stumbled upon a vibrant Christian community in the officially secular China, he knew little about Christianity. In fact, he'd 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnwilling 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: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 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\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe surgeon who gave up a lucrative Communist hospital administrator position to treat villagers for free in the remote, mountainous regions of southwestern China\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Protestant minister, now memorialized in London's Westminster Abbey, who was executed during the Cultural Revolution as \"an incorrigible counterrevolutionary\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis 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 China's valiant shepherds of faith, who prove that a totalitarian government cannot control what is in people's hearts.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“For anyone with a long view of history, it is very difficult to read Liao Yiwu’s work without being constantly reminded of Christian struggles in the ancient Roman Empire, when a harassed minority was struggling to exist. Parallels with the modern-day world are startling. Who can tell how the story will play out this time round?” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePhilip Jenkins, author of Jesus Wars\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This is a mesmerizing and amazing tale of courage. Author Liao Yiwu’s story, covering even the recent past, is especially powerful because he is not himself a Christian. The reporting is brilliant and the perspective dazzling.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDavid Aikman, author of Jesus in Beijing\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The author, himself an object of intermittent government harassment, is a deft interviewer. Not a believer himself, Liao empathizes with the Christians he encounters. These portraits of faithful Christians are beautifully drawn, neither triumphalist nor maudlin. Suffering, but also resilience and hope, are the common lot of these believers.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaniel Bays, author of Christianity in China\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In this book, Liao wanders in those forgotten villages in the southwestern part of China and explores a spiritual world neglected by modern civilization, restoring an important part of Chinese history that has been distorted, erased or forgotten, and documenting the life stories of a special group of people who battle against suppression to preserve their faiths.  Liao’s coverage of Christians allows truth to shine in the darkness. That’s the beauty of his writings.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLiu Xiaobo, 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“God Is Red is the most wonderfully surprising report on the church in China I’ve seen, and Liao Yiwu is the best literary guide since Vergil.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJohn Wilson, Editor, Books \u0026amp; Culture\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“God Is Red---the color of earth in the mountainous Southwest of China, at times soaked with blood. This is a rare, gripping tale of those living at the margins of Chinese society, to whom Christianity offers deliverance from the ravage of poverty and diseases, the cruelty of tribal superstitions, and from the madness of revolution. A subtle and sober account by one of the foremost banned writers of contemporary China. An irresistible read, pulsating with humanity.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLian Xi, author of Redeemed by Fire: The Rise of Popular Christianity in Modern China\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It is a story of faith and determination in the midst of poverty and persecution. … A book like this will open your eyes to the amazing freedom and blessings we enjoy in this country. It should bring into focus what really matters.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRedState\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The heartbreaking tales of persecution and spiritual fervor speak for themselves.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“There are incredible tales of perseverance during times of intense persecution. . . . In these interviews, a picture of the resilience and elasticity of Christianity in China emerges, and it becomes clear that Christianity remains a powerful force for the poor in China.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eGod Is Red\u003c\/i\u003e offers a deeply impressive series of vignettes of the Christian experience [in China], including unforgettable stories of individuals’ courage in the face of excruciating suffering. The book is at once heartbreaking and profoundly stirring.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristian Century\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A subtle and sober account by one of the foremost banned writers of contemporary China. An irresistible read, pulsating with humanity.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLian Xi, author of Redeemed by Fire: The Rise of Popular Christianity in Modern China\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A leading Chinese writer [provides] an insider’s look at the surging interest in Christianity within the world’s most populous nation . . . a journalistic chronicle of how Christians survived the repressive Mao era as well as a glimpse into why their numbers are rising.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristian Science Monitor\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Every so often, you come across a narrative of courage under suffering that is so well reported, so restrained and sensitive in its intelligence, that you are momentarily altered by the experience. . . . God Is Red is a powerful account of Chinese Christians’ perseverance.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristianity Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“If you want to read one book that sums up the glory of the Christian witness under persecution and the tragic 20th-century story of China’s Christians, read God Is Red. Brilliant and immensely moving, it will, if anything can, inject new backbone into your own Christian life.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristianity Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“If you feel sorry for yourself, read this book. If you find American politics depressing, read this book. If you need some inspiration for your faith, read this book. Or if you just need to see the world from a different perspective, read this book. … [It] blew me away with stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things and persevering through the most brutal of circumstances. It is a story of faith and determination in the midst of poverty and persecution. … A book like this will open your eyes to the amazing freedom and blessings we enjoy in this country. It should bring into focus what really matters.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRedState\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“No writer does better than Liao Yiwu in revealing the texture of daily life for ordinary people in China. His characters walk off the page and into your heart.  God Is Red is about Christians, but their stories reveal much broader issues of how ordinary people in China need to cope with authoritarian rule and its tools of repression, violence, and mendacity.  Humanity oozes from every vignette, and every detail rings true.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePerry Link, Professor emeritus, East Asian Studies, Princeton University\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Beginning with a 100-year-old nun and ending with a recovering slacker, . . . the voices of individual believers are lively and immediate. . . . Though Liao’s subjects claim to have no interest in politics, the question of political change in China is the subtext .” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“There is the authorized version of life in China propagated by the Communist Party, and then there is the unauthorized version. Liao Yiwu is one of the foremost authors of the latter, for which he has paid a steep price.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Liao’s coverage of Christians allows truth to shine in the darkness. That’s the beauty of his writings.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLiu Xiaobo, 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“No writer does better than Liao Yiwu in revealing the texture of daily life for ordinary people in China. His characters walk off the page and into your heart.  . . . Humanity oozes from every vignette, and every detail rings true.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePerry Link, Professor emeritus, East Asian Studies, Princeton University\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It is very difficult to read Liao Yiwu’s work without being constantly reminded of Christian struggles in the ancient Roman Empire. . . . Who can tell how the story will play out this time round?” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePhilip Jenkins, author of Jesus Wars\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperOne","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888044994789,"sku":"NP9780062078476","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062078476.jpg?v=1730228019","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/god-is-red-the-secret-story-of-how-christianity-survived-and-flourished-in-communist-china-isbn-9780062078476","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}