Open-book

This is supposed to be the first book in a series about the life and work of Hudson Taylor. I have no idea what the other books in the series are like, or if they ever even got written, but I don¡¯t care. This is the one that matters. Why? Because it deals with the events in China that preceded and set the stage for Hudson Taylor¡¯s work. This book is important precisely because it is not about Hudson Taylor. There are lots of books about Hudson Taylor. But a study of his life and work can sometimes be misleading if one does not have some grasp of the work that preceded him.

Now, I hardly have time in this brief review to lay the foundation of 19th Century history one must have some understanding of in order to put this book in perspective. This book is, in fact, a powerful contribution to that history. But it is more than that, because it deals specifically with men like Robert Morrison and Charles Gutzlaff, whose contributions are often sadly underappreciated by conventional historians. Sun Yat-sen, for example, regarded Robert Morison¡¯s translation of the Bible as the starting point for what he referred to as the "awakening of China."

In the twenty-five years that Robert Morrison spent in China, he had about 10 converts. Not much of an accomplishment, perhaps, but in that same time he translated the Bible into Chinese, and that at a time when it was a serious offense to teach Chinese to a foreigner. Much of his work had to be done in secret. In addition to this, Robert Morrison had to support himself by working for the British East India Company. One can ponder long and hard about what could possibly motivate any man to endure the loneliness of the life he lived. It is either some bizarre insanity, or an absolute commitment to the purpose for which he believed God had put him in China. Only the ignorant would belittle Morrison¡¯s contribution to modern missions, or to the eventual demise of the centuries old emperor system which somehow could not survive the freedom of thought which was ushered in by Morrison¡¯s translation of the scripture.

It is December of 1833. He has less than a year to live. His wife (who is not in good health) and younger children have sailed for England. He is left alone one more time. Picture him now, pacing back and forth in his home in Macao, singing the hymn that spoke the one consuming passion of his heart during the last few days of his lonely life:

O for a heart to praise my God,
A heart from sin set free;
A heart that¡¯s sprinkled with the blood
So richly shed for me!

Robert Morrison died in 1834, in the arms of his oldest son. His body lies in a cemetery in Macau. He spent a hard, lonely life in pursuit of what he believed was the only hope for the people of China¡ªa Bible in their own language.

Gutzlaff is a bit more of a puzzle. He has not always been treated kindly by historians, because his cooperation with the opium smugglers was pretty blatant. He himself was not a smuggler, but he did sign on as a translator on opium ships. He did it, of course, to give himself the means to distribute the scripture widely, which he did. If it could be said that the ends justify the means, then Gutzlaff¡¯s actions were clearly justified. But I can¡¯t sign off on such a blanket endorsement of any approach that will do the job. Still, it is hard to fault his sincerity as a man who very definitely had a heart for reaching out to those who had never had a chance to hear the message of hope that he carried with him wherever he went. Broomhall¡¯s treatment of him is fair, and if Gutzlaff is not quite the man of God that Morrison is portrayed to be, it can at least be said that his heart was in propagating his message, not in furthering the opium trade. I am still very troubled by his seeming inability, or lack of understanding to take a stand against it. But I don¡¯t think any reasonable person believes that his decision to ride the opium boats constituted a wholehearted endorsement of the wretched opium business.

But I come back to my main point. This book is absolutely essential for anyone wanting to understand¡ªit is the definitive text on missions in China before Taylor. If you have any interest in that subject, I would heartily endorse this book.

This is a wonderful series for anyone trying to understand what mission and servanthood is really all about.

My 4 kids and I LOVE Alison Lester. This book is really fun and amusing and has a surprising end. Lester uses wonderful language and a little rhyme with each page..."I'm Green and I'm grumpy, I'm huge and I roar. I'm a thudering, rumbling...(turn the page)...DINOSAUR! Lester' illustrations are always very sweet and amusing with lots going on. I would recommend anything written by her.

If you are an educator you are wondering what new computing and communication technology will mean for what you are doing. This book is a great way to see a whole bunch of projects exploring lots of angles you haven't thought of. It's especially interesting because it comes from the Open University, an institution whose goals are similar enough to yours to be relevant, but whose approach is really, really different. There's plenty of blue-skies vision here, but almost every chapter draws on real deployment experience. Along the way you learn a lot about the Open University context as well as about the technology. The companion website, which you can find starting from the home page of the Knowledge Media Institute at the Open University, gives access to various demos as well as background material.

I'm currently a sabbatical visitor at the Open University, because I wanted to learn about all this. The book is definitely the next best thing to visiting.

This is a wonderful true story about a family immigrating from Holland about 100 years ago. What makes this book special is it was written for immigrants from all over the world coming to America who are learning how to speak English. It is written very simply, but does not "talk down to" the adults learning our language. It's a wonderful story in and of itself, but people learning English as a second language will appreciate and relate to some of the difficulties encountered by this courageous family.

This book lends many ideas for journaling. From "My Most Precious Possession" to "People Who Give Me Hope." It is in a "guided" journal format, and is very easy to use. The soft-bound cover makes for convenient use. Excellent source for those who wish to record their precious time on this earth.

For those who enjoy the X-FILES, TWILIGHT ZONE, and late-night radio programs about UFO's or just plain strange phenomenon, this book will become the classic collector's item! The collection of happenings in this book brings together some of the world's most intriguing mysteries and reviews the evidence. Some of these are quite talked-about cases and some I had never heard of before: the Indian Rope Trick, the Man in the Iron Mask, Wandering Stones of Death Valley, Devil's Footprints in the Snow, and Kasper Hauser -- the Nuremberg Enigma. This book is highly recommended as a 'prime text' in the library of everyone who is fascinated by the unexplained!

This is one of my favorite books. It is a WONDERFUL book on hospitality. A few years ago I ran a Ladies' Christian Book Club and tried to order copies of this book for it. I was very upset to be told it was no longer in print and none of my local Christian bookstores had any in stock. I found it "by accident" when I went to see Emilie Barnes and I was so thrilled to see that it is available again as a revised 1998 edition! I wish all women would read this book - it would make such a difference in the world!!! Please buy a copy and finish it in time for the upcoming holidays - I'm sure you'll be glad you did! (Oct. 25, 1998)

Zane Grey's Open Range is a colorful, action/adventure western novel of a youth on his journey to manhood. Set in the rugged open range of the old American Southwest, our strong-hearted hero finds himself pitted against an unscrupulous family, and only a valley filled with prized wild horses can tip the balance against them and for him. Open Range is enthusiastically recommended reading for the legions of Zane Grey fans.

Munro explores the nature of the dark secret, hidden from all but the reader, in these tales of fascinating and absolutely normal people. These stories are great for busy people; wonderful and short, they are great before-bed reading. Savour and enjoy!