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.

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In 1981, CT helped evangelicals navigate debates over Ronald Reagan, genetic engineering, television, and male headship.

Partying in Joy and Sorrow

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News

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The Russell Moore Show

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Why do ancient stories refuse to die, and what can we learn from them?

My Family Resisted Iran’s Regime. My Hope Is Not in Foreign Intervention.

Sara Afshari

Jesus spoke peace to his disciples as they hid. Iranian Christians modeled for me that same resistance with grace.

Wire Story

Beth Moore Is Leaving Her Ego Behind

Bob Smietana - Religion News Service

Eyeing retirement, the prolific Bible teacher still longs for discipleship in a fractured church.

Excerpt

Sorting out Truth and Lies After Divorce

Vaneetha Rendall Risner

An excerpt from This Was Never the Plan: Walking With God Through the Heartache of Divorce.

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