Hudson Taylor, Jimmy Carter, & China
Ask a modern Christian from mainland Communist China how he became a Christian. He may say that he was introduced to Christianity via the Internet, the Bible, or literature. He may say that it was through live Christians during an exchange student tenure, university attendance in our educational system, a Chinese church, or at work.
By modern we probably are referring to a time since the famous Jimmy Carter negotiations in the 1970s, when he pried open the closed door to China through his agreements made (perhaps while Congress was on recess) with the Chinese government. He built on the diplomatic foundation laid by Henry Kissenger earlier.
(https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/deng-xiaoping-and-jimmy-carter-sign-accords.
Before modern, a Chinese Christian might tell you a different story. Perhaps he could trace his spiritual DNA back to just one man, Hudson Taylor.
Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) was a missionary who left England for an uncertain future while on mission to take the message of Christ’s redemption story to a pagan land. In fact, his mother had to say “goodbye” to him and watch him step aboard a rickety old sailing ship when Hudson was twenty-one years old. There were no Skype or video chatting sessions in those days. Mail took months to be delivered.
Taylor adopted Chinese ways to win them for the gospel. He dyed his hair black, wore a pigtail down his back, and wore Chinese clothes. He adopted their diet, duck eggs and all.
He had learned enough medicine to be a layman physician and operate a medical clinic by day before turning the room into a chapel at nights and on weekends. His living quarters were upstairs. There he welcomed his new bride, Maria, the answer to his prayer for a wife. He had left England as a bachelor because the young lady he had pursued said “absolutely not” to his idea of going to China. Maria was the orphaned daughter of missionaries, well acquainted with trusting God for her needs. There are a number of movies about their famous lives on YouTube. For example, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zstzeWe4Pbg
Taylor was not at peace with himself to be just one man in China. He felt that God was calling him to start a missionary society to sponsor and send many, many more missionaries to the people he loved so much. He began the China Inland Mission and actively started recruiting men and women to join his team. These volunteers were willing to work throughout China during many uncertain days. Their organization grew and spread the gospel everywhere they went. They remained there until the Communist takeover in 1949. Then, many relocated to Taiwan and continued their work whenever possible from that location, under another name.
Amazon still carries Taylor’s own autobiography, but, unfortunately, it is a boring book. Sorry, Mr. Taylor. The best story of his life that I have found is a large, picture drawing version published by Child Evangelism Fellowship (https://www.cefireland.com/product/hudson-taylor/) It has a summary of his life, told with suspense and illustrations to hold a child’s interest in one of the organization’s Five Day Clubs or Good News Clubs. One chapter of the exciting booklet is presented during each of the days of the class to encourage children to return for the next class for the biography’s continuation. The book not only entertains but puts a valid hero before the children; it gives them someone to pattern their lives after. My own children adored this book when they used to attend Mama’s neighborhood Bible clubs. (See photo below and also CEFonline.com.)
The book tells the account of a Chinese man who stood at a meeting with a burning question. He wanted to know why no one had come to China during his grandfather’s day to tell that generation the good news of knowing for sure of a home in heaven, of the peace of having sins forgiven, and of a Savior who had died on a cross to pardon our evil hearts. Taylor had no answer.
Hudson Taylor is another example of one who had a singular vision to obey God’s call on his life, the only life for which he would be required to answer on the final day. He can be everyone’s hero.