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(More customer reviews)Why house churches are blossoming in China
One reason why there are now 100,000,000 Christians in China, is that the blood of Chinese martyrs has been the seed of Christian growth. Since the first recorded martyrdoms in AD 845, about 250,000 Christians in China have been killed for their faith.
From 1900, more Christians have been martyred in China than in all other places combined.
"China's Book of Martyrs" by Paul Hattaway records the heroic stories of thousands of these martyrs, locals and foreigners, from all Christian denominations.
Martyrs like Eleanor Chestnut from the USA who served as a medical missionary in Guangdong Province from 1893.
In order to build a clinic, Chestnut used most of her salary, and for years lived on very little food. When her hospital was attacked by rioters on October 28, 1905, she could have escaped, but chose to stay, her final act of service to the Chinese people being to rip a piece of material from her own dress to bandage the head of a child wounded by the rioters.
Martyrs like Bishop Ferdinand Hamer from the Netherlands who served in China from 1865 until his death at the time of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. He, too, could have escaped, but chose to stay with his flock, and suffered an atrocious death. His fingers, toes, nose and ears were cut off, then he was covered with cotton cloth soaked with oil before being hooked feet first to the top of a tripod and set on fire.
In earlier days, some missionaries felt that the faith of local Chinese Christians may not have been very deep. But the opposite was true and more than 200,000 of them courageously laid down their lives for the sake of the Gospel.
"China's Book of Martyrs" is not something to be read at one sitting. A few of its 600 pages is all one can take in one reading. It is so overpowering. But it's truly a daily dose of courage.
Like many other outstanding books about China from Paul Hattaway, "China's Book of Martyrs" can be obtained from www.asiaharvest.org
- reviewed by jdwomi
Click Here to see more reviews about: China's Book of Martyrs (Fire and Blood) (Fire and Blood)
In China's Book of Martyrs, the first of the Fire & Blood series, Paul Hattaway charts the story of the Christian church in China from the earliest beginnings to present day. This comprehensive first volume tells the stories of those who have died for their faith in Christ in China, from all creeds or denominations and nationalities, including indigenous Chinese believers. Its features are: 1. History of the Christian church in China listed province by province from AD 845 to the present. 2. All denominations and creeds included. 3. All known martyrs included around 1000 named individuals or groups (501 profiles). 4. Includes over 2000 footnotes and source references, an extensive bibliography and indexes that list martyrs per country of origin and province in China where they were martyred. 5. Contains more than 500 black and white photos or drawings All those interested in the church movement, especially within China, will find this resource invaluable to their studies.
Click here for more information about China's Book of Martyrs (Fire and Blood) (Fire and Blood)
