What is God doing in the Chinese House Church? In Faithful Disobedience, IVP presents writings on Church and State from the Chinese House Church Movement.
Edited by Hannah Nation and J. D. Tseng, this book is a precious treasure. The ability to read first-hand accounts of our persecuted brothers and sisters is a modern miracle, and one that we should not take for granted. It is now a historical book that will prove to be prophetic guiding as Jesus draws near.
Articles, Talks, Sermons, and Letters
The main feature of this book is the manifesto by pastor Wang Yi and his church, Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China. He is known for his advocacy for the rights of Chinese Christians and house churches, and was arrested in 2019, sentenced to 9 years in prison. He is currently undergoing his imprisonment. While the book is quick to note that we are not to heroize him, for he is still a mere man. I can’t help but pray for his faith and for the other Chinese Christians enduring persecution.
In this book, Yi clarifies his theological stance on the house church and its relationship to the Chinese government. The book is a collection of articles, talks, sermons, and letters. It is divided into three parts: Part I: Our House Church Manifesto, Part II: The Eschatological Church and the City, and Part III: Arrest and the Way of the Cross. Reading this book was a harrowing yet hopeful experience. I most appreciated the introductions, notes, and glossary — giving proper context to the work as a whole and to those who are persecuted in our present-day.
A Paradigm Shift
I was greatly inspired by learning about the house church movement. They are defined as being unregistered, not secret, theologically engaged, not uniform, and Chinese. Reading about Wang Yi’s “radical openness” and his sermons, described as “beautifully crafted, logically organized, educational experiences in Christianity,” was moving.
This book will cause a paradigm shift for those who are unfamiliar with the Church in China. It will help you “look deeper than the commonplace ‘persecuted Christian’ narratives that are so prevalent and that limit our ability to actually hear from churches outside the West.” I was amazed at how this book came to be, both from a technical standpoint with translators and the help of the Internet, as well as from a cultural standpoint with the tensions around Christianity in China. I prayerfully anticipate how God will continue to move in his Church.
Witness the Work of God
From an academic standpoint, the theological and cultural impact of this book is one-of-a-kind. Hannah Nation concludes the book by examining where Wang Yi and his contemporaries best fit in the landscape of theology. She finds them Reformed in their posture toward the city, hinting of liberation and neo-Anabaptist theology with regard to the state, and situational in nature harkening to the writings of the early church under the Roman empire. She leaves with a pressing question: How ought Christians to think about the church meeting digitally?
While we know the story of the Church has a happy ending, we also know that Jesus promised persecution. With a global missional mindset, you will feel the burden of Christ’s love for his church and the hope of the gospel message for the world. All will be challenged and ultimately encouraged to persevere in faith. This book is a beautiful witness to the work of God and the faithfulness of his beloved children.
I received a media copy of Faithful Disobedience and this is my honest review. For related content, check out When Faith Becomes Sight: A Book Review of “Faith in the Wilderness” and Learning About The Center for House Church Theology: An Interview with Clara Kim.