Product Description

This book details the great unreported story of the Chinese giant and its enormously rapid conversion to Christianity and what this change means to the global balance of power.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #217230 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-25
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

James Lilley, former US ambassador to China and former US representative to Taiwan
David Aikman writes with conviction about the broad scope and deep roots of Christianity in China. It is a compelling

From the Inside Flap
Is China America's Next Great Ally?

An unreported tectonic shift is happening in global politics--and it's driven by religion.

Within the next thirty years, one-third of China's population could be Christian, making China one of the largest Christian nations in the world. These Christians could also be China's leaders, guiding the largest economy in the world.

What is happening in China is what happened to the Roman Empire nearly two millennia ago--a great power transforming itself. The results could be astonishing.

Veteran reporter David Aikman, former Beijing bureau chief for Time magazine, takes you inside this revolution to reveal some shocking facts. In Jesus in Beijing, you'll learn:

*Why China might be America's next ally against radical Islam
*Why the Chinese believe that Christianity is crucial to the rise of the West--and of China
*Why fierce anti-Christian persecution and covert government encouragement exist side by side in China
*Why Chinese Christians see themselves as allies of the United States--and of Israel
*How the Christian underground has spread--and won over key members of the Chinese Communist Party
*The impact of a Christianizing China on global Christendom at large

In Jesus in Beijing, David Aikman recounts the fascinating story of how Christianity began in China (even predating Francis Xavier and the Jesuits), and the bloody anti-Christian persecutions (especially under the Communists), the revival of an underground Christian movement led by brave men and women risking death, and the flowering of Christianity today--though still under persecution.

While China's Communist rulers hope to reap the social and economic benefits of Christianity without losing power, as David Aikman so provocatively points out, the Chinese dragon might just be tamed by the Christian Lamb. Few books change the way a reader views the world. Jesus in Beijing is one of those books.

About the Author
David Aikman, former Time magazine Beijing bureau chief, is an author, journalist, and foreign policy consultant. After more than two decades with Time magazine--reporting from more than fifty countries, and interviewing such figures as Boris Yeltsin, Billy Graham, Manuel Noriega, and Mother Teresa--he became a freelance writer and commentator. He has written for Foreign Affairs, The American Spectator, and The Weekly Standard, as well as several books on subjects ranging from Mikhail Gorbachev to the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing. He lives in Virginia with his family.

Customer Reviews

Good book
this is a good book. Its only fault is that it doesn't talk enough about the Three Self Movement or Catholics. However, it does go into great detail concerning house churches and the House Church movement. This might upset some people, but its a good read.

The New Christendom
Philip Jenkins has alerted Westerners to the fact that the centers of Christendom are moving from their traditional locations in Europe and North America. Christianity is growing exponentially in Africa, of course, but in China, too, the numbers of adherents continues to grow. Jesus In Beijing speculates that withing the next thirty years, a third of China's population may be Christians, making it one of the largest Christian nations in the world.

David Aikman, former Time Magazine bureau chief in Beijing, has written a winsome account of the history and development of Christianity in a nation with which he is very familiar. His personal contacts with House Church leaders, past and present, and with leaders of the Three Self "State" Church, give the book a clarity not likely to be repeated. It will undoubtedly become a standard reference in years to come. Aikman's style is always well-paced, so the book is a delight both for the scholar and the novice.

Aikman on China
Mr. Aikman has presented an excellent picture of the development of Christianity in China, right up to the present. It is very well written, enjoyable to read, and very informative. Having traveled to China on numerous occasions in recent years, I have found that my experiences have been confirmed by what he writes. This book is the best I have come across if you are looking for a picture of the recent development and situation of the church in China.