Books

My Top 5 Books on China

China: Fragile Superpower: How China’s Internal Politics Could Derail Its Peaceful Rise Susan L. Shirk

A clear-eyed and frightening account of what could go wrong as China rises to economic and military superpower status.

* * *

The Search for Modern China, Second Ed. Jonathan D. Spence

Easily the most lucid, readable, and intelligent account of China’s emergence as a modern society from a traditionalist bureaucracy.

* * *

Faith of our Fathers: God in Ancient China Chan Kei Thong

A fascinating interpretation of China’s ancient culture as being on a trajectory in search of morality and the divine.

* * *

Red China Blues: My Long March from Mao to Now Jan Wong

A moving personal account of a Western Maoist’s disillusionment with the totalitarian pretensions of China during and shortly after the Cultural Revolution.

* * *

China: eople Place Culture History DK Publishing

A useful and beautifully illustrated introduction to ancient and modern China for the non-specialist.

Copyright © 2008 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

David Aikman’s Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity Is Changing the Global Balance of Power is available from Amazon.com and other realtors.

Previous Top 5 lists have featured books on Presidents, World Christianity, Ancient-Future Faith, the Civil Rights Era, Social Justice, Church History, Popular Culture, the Civil War, Apologetics, Atheism, and Sex.

Our recent coverage of China includes “Aiding China’s Shaken Church,” “China’s Great Leap Forward,” “Hungry for Jesus,” “Audio Slideshow: Changing China,” and more.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Our Latest

The Complicated Legacy of Jesse Jackson

Five Christian leaders reflect on the civil rights giant’s triumphs and tragedies.

News

The Churches That Fought for Due Process

An Ecuadorian immigrant with legal status fell into a detention “black hole.” Church leaders across the country tried to pull him out.

The Bulletin

AI Predictions, Climate Policy Rollback, and Obama’s Belief in Aliens

Mike Cosper, Clarissa Moll, Russell Moore

The future of artificial intelligence, Trump repeals landmark climate finding, and the existence of aliens.

Troubling Moral Issues in 1973

CT condemned the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade and questioned the seriousness of Watergate.

Ben Sasse and a Dying Breed of Politician

The former senator is battling cancer. Losing him would be one more sign that a certain kind of conservatism—and a certain kind of politics—is disappearing.

Died: Ron Kenoly, ‘Ancient of Days’ Singer and Worship Leader

Kenoly fused global sounds with contemporary worship music, inspiring decades of praise.

Review

An Able Reply to the Toughest Challenges to Reformed Theology

A new book on the Reformed tradition commends it as a “generous” home combining firm foundations and open doors.

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