Books

My Top 5 Books on Christianity in North Korea

Picks from Carl Moeller, CEO of Open Doors USA and coauthor of ‘The Privilege of Persecution’

Escape from North Korea: A Desperate Quest for Food, Love and Life Paul Estabrooks (Open Doors)

This true, riveting story documents a North Korean family’s improbable journey from life under the brutal regime of the late Kim Jong-Il to freedom and newfound faith in Jesus Christ.

Escaping North Korea: Defiance and Hope in the World’s Most Repressive Country Mike Kim (Rowman & Littlefield)

The author vividly describes his work with refugees along the North Korean/Chinese border and Christians’ role in bringing light to this dark country.

The Orphan Master’s Son: A Novel Adam Johnson (Random House)

This secular narrative reveals that Christian ministries impacted Kim Jong-Il’s innermost circles. It poignantly describes a woman captured smuggling Bibles who sings Jesus songs while tortured.

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea Barbara Demick (Spiegel & Grau)

Demick, the Los Angeles Times‘s Seoul bureau chief, narrates North Korean defectors’ lives over 15 years. An Open Doors colleague recommends this as a primer on the world’s number one persecutor of Christians.

The Good Doctor: Bringing Healing to the Hopeless Sai R. Park, M.D. (Biblica Publishing)

This hope-filled story of a Christian Korean American doctor who built and staffed a hospital in Pyongyang offers proof that Christians can still significantly impact the people of the world’s most restricted country.

Copyright © 2012 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Carl Moeller is coauthor of the book The Privilege of Persecution.

Escape from North Korea, Escaping North Korea, The Orphan Master’s Son, Nothing to Envy, and The Good Doctor are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com, and other retailers.

Previous Christianity Today coverage of North Korea includes:

North Korean Christians Unlikely to Fare Better Under New Leader | Observers doubt world’s worst persecutor of Christians will shift back toward “Jerusalem of the East.” (October 1, 2010)

What Robert Park Learned in North Korea | The activist on why he entered the country & what he hopes for now. An exclusive interview. (August 30, 2010)

Feeding Hope Under a Rogue Regime | Christian outreach to North Koreans helps to keep millions from starving. (August 14, 2009)

Q&A: Carl Moeller | The president and CEO of Open Doors USA updated CT on North Korea, which the group ranks as the world’s worst persecutor of Christians. (April 20, 2009)

CT also has more books, film, and music reviews.

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.

News

Is the Lord's Prayer a Christian Prayer?

Compiled by Ruth Moon

News

Nontraditional Believers Recover Christian Community

Melody J. Wachsmuth in Zagreb, Croatia

Defending Scripture. Literally.

News

Violence in Nigeria: Breaking the Country's Fatal Deadlock

Sunday Agang in Kagoro, Nigeria

Discipling the Eyes Through Art in Worship

W. David O. Taylor

Review

Polarizing Politics by Defending the Declaration

Andrew Walker

Chuck Colson: Evangelicals Should Be Uniters, Not Dividers

'God Is Not a Genie in a Bottle': Ways We Misuse the Bible

Interview by Owen Strachan

Review

Tolerance—Or Else: Coercive Attempts to Impose Secular Beliefs

Editorial

How Pastors' Ponzis Affect Our Gospel Witness

A Christianity Today Editorial

News

Mass Appeal: Evangelicals Copy More of Catholic Playbook to Oppose Contraception Ruling

Sarah Pulliam Bailey

Review

Blue Like Jazz

Josh Hurst

Do Pets Go to Heaven?

Wesley Smith, Karen Swallow Prior, and Ben DeVries

Becoming Donald Miller

Mark Moring

What Good Grief Looks Like When a Daughter Dies

Ben Witherington

Excerpt

Connecting Christ

Paul Metzger

News

Sex Sect The Family Cleans House

James A. Beverley

News

Go Figure

Jesus Disappoints Everyone

John Koessler

Proof of a Good God: 'Crucified Under Pontius Pilate'

News

Quotation Marks

News

The Problem 'Son': Debate Continues Over Translating 'Son of God' for Muslims

Collin Hansen

News

Passages

Letters to the Editor

Journaling Grief: How Web-Based Publishing Is Changing Everything

Jesus Through Jewish Eyes

Books to Note

Wilson's Bookmarks

John Wilson

Employers Can Limit Employees' Speech, TBN’s Lawsuit, Bar Boots Catholic Group, and More News

News

Contract Concern: USAID Policy on Hiring Alarms Charities

Bobby Ross Jr.

Review

October Baby

Morgan Feddes

Jeremy Lin, Tim Tebow, Josh Hamilton: Muscular Christianity's Newest Heroes

Interview: Why Sarah Macintosh Ran Away from CCM and Went Back

Mark Moring

Review

Wrecking Ball

Andy Whitman

Review

The Clearing

Kristin Garrett

Review

Feathers & Twine

Andy Argyrakis

Review

Songs of Praise & Scorn

Jeremy V. Jones

View issue

Our Latest

Analysis

Republicans and Democrats Clash on Epstein File Release

The Bulletin with Nicole Martin

The newest documents remind Christians to support sexual abuse victims.

Evangelicals Confront a Revolutionary Age

A Catholic on the campaign trail and the “possibly catastrophic character of what is happening under our eyes” caused deep concern in 1960.

News

Hindu Nationalists Attack Missionaries in Northern India

One victim describes the mob descending on their bus, a rare occurrence in Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir.

News

Armenia Holds Inaugural Prayer Breakfast Amid Church Arrests

Some see the crackdown as persecution, others challenge the national church’s ties to Russia.

Review

A New Jesus Horror Movie Wallows In Affliction

Peter T. Chattaway

“The Carpenter’s Son,” starring Nicolas Cage, is disconnected from biblical hope.

The Bulletin

Israeli Settler Violence, Epstein Emails, and BrinGing Back Purity

Mike Cosper, Clarissa Moll, Russell Moore

West Bank skirmishes, Congress releases Epstein documents mentioning Trump, and Gen Z reconsiders purity culture.

News

Christians from 45 Countries Call for Zion Church Pastor’s Release

Meanwhile in China, the house church continues to gather and baptize new believers.

News

Kenyan Clergy Oppose Bill Aimed at Regulating Churches

Moses Wasamu

Pastors say the proposed law could harm religious freedoms.

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