"Praying with the Enemy" (Steven T. Collis)

TITLE: Praying with the Enemy
AUTHOR: Steven T. Collis
PUBLISHER: Salt Lake City, UT: Shadow Mountain Publishing, 2022, (384 pages).
 

Flying over North Korea with Napalm explosives. Near-death encounters with Chinese snipers and North Korean soldiers. Staying alive in terrible pits as a Prisoner of War. Missing in Action. Escaping. Challenge of faith in the midst of the horrors of war. Conflicting philosophies. Deceit. Military strategies, and more. Three countries involved in a devastating war that has divided families across the Korean Peninsula. Three different men from each country. These and many more form a pulsating action-packed novel filled with multiple twists and turns. The three protagonists in this novel are Captain Ward Millar (aka Ward), Kim Jae Pil (aka Jae Pil), and to a lesser extent, Lieutenant Kang. All of them are able to speak and communicate in English! The chapters begin by alternating their stories, beginning with Ward as a pilot flying over North Korea during the Korean War in 1951. When his plane crashed landed on enemy territory, though he managed to survive, he broke his ankles making it difficult to even escape. 

Jae Pil's story begins with him being drafted to serve in the Communist Army. His family were Christians. The communist party's ideals were constantly at odds with what he and his family believed. His family mission was to build a church and to enable people to worship properly without fear. Unfortunately, living in a land with a godless ideology makes their mission difficult. These constant struggles present Jae Pil with a dilemma to choose between his country or his faith; the Communist Party or God. Eventually, at great risks to his own life, he decides to do what he could to escape from the communists. That begins a gripping journey from a place he felt enslaved to his desired place of freedom. Alas! Even the land of South Korea is not kind to a defector from North Korea. 

"Resilient Faith" (Gerald L. Sittser)

TITLE: Resilient Faith: How the Early Christian "Third Way" Changed the World
AUTHOR: Gerald L. Sittser
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2019, (240 pages).

Finding a middle path, a way that meanders between any extremes, or some "third way" has been the pattern among many movements in the path. Evolution sees it as "survival of the fittest." The secular world views it as natural selection. The business world thinks of new potential as a new wave. Whatever it is, the possibility of a new way in the midst of conflicting old ways is always a path of hope. In the Early Church, this "third way" is the Jesus Way. Jesus spoke about this as He moves among two huge forces of resistance: Roman and Jewish. Followers of Jesus were also known as followers of "The Way." This way has resisted the Roman persecutions, the Hellenistic cultural forces and Jewish legalistic regimen. In doing so, this way of Jesus impacted the early centuries and is continuing to do so today. By studying the why and how of this Third Way, author Gerald Sittser helps us understand and learn from the resilient gospel of Jesus, and to see its relevance today in our increasingly challenging world. The recurring question that Sittser asks throughout the book is this: How did the Christianity flourish in the light of persecutions and inhospitable conditions? On top of these, they had to resist worldliness. They had to battle heresies. They had to endure being ostracised for their beliefs and lifestyles. Interestingly this "third way" disappeared overnight upon the official recognition of Christianity after Constantine's influence in AD313. It also took on negative perceptions due to the crusades, the Thirty Year War, and many other politicizing of Christianity. In our modern era, we are challenged with a post-Christian hostility, a Millennial scepticism, and the rise of new age spiritualities. In writing about faith and the resilience of the Christian beliefs, Sittser aims to help us see the future with hope even as the days appear dark and daunting. He does this by comparing and contrasting the old and new eras constantly. It flourished in the early centuries because it was deemed new and novel. It was also seen as a major threat to the pre-existing establishment then. During the persecution era, Christians pledged allegiance to Christ incurring the wrath of the Roman emperors.  He begins this with a focused look at how the ecclesiastical tradition helped shaped faith through the ages. However, he soon discovers that it was not the Church per se, but the belief in Jesus that is more significant. The Third Way is the Jesus way. For in Christ, we see a bridge between the old and the new; the old world and the new world; the renewal movements and the desire for spiritual refreshment; etc. This pattern of renewed focus on Jesus and revival in the Spirit is what makes the Christian faith resilient.

"Suffering is Never For Nothing" (Elisabeth Elliot)

TITLE: Suffering Is Never for Nothing
AUTHOR: Elisabeth Elliot
PUBLISHER: Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing, 2019, (128 pages).

Her first husband was killed by Auca Indians in Ecuador. Her second husband, Addison Leitch died of cancer three and a half years after she remarried. Not only that, she has to endure the cruel jokes about her being a jinx when it comes to marriage. Life is hard. Through her life, she has heard stories of other missionaries who were martyred for their faith.  These stories include a five-year-old girl physically abused; those paralyzed after and accident; natural disasters; etc. Such pain illustrate the puzzle of suffering. How do we understand the meaning of suffering? With great empathy and wisdom, author Elisabeth Elliot gives six lectures that share her journey and learning about the complex issue of suffering. Is there every a meaning for suffering? Here is where Elliot treads sensitively and compassionately. Having been through the paths of anguish and grief, she knows exactly how not to belittle the pain of suffering. Saying there is a precise "meaning" would question the ethics and morals of a Divine God. Avoiding it would pooh-pooh the reality of suffering. So Elliot plumps for the learning perspective. What could we learn out of the lesson of suffering? Is suffering ever that meaningless? Even Job Himself learned something through his personal trials.

"A Heart for Freedom" (Chai Ling)

TITLE: A Heart for Freedom: The Remarkable Journey of a Young Dissident, Her Daring Escape, and Her Quest to Free China's Daughters
AUTHOR: Chai Ling
PUBLISHER: Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Publishers, 2011, (370 pages).

Mention Tiananmen Square and what comes to mind for most people? Yes. Despite the famous history and the memorable monuments there, Tiananmen Square will always be remembered infamously for the student protest movement in 1989. On June 4th of 1989, the world reeled in shock as they watched the mighty Chinese Red army tanks steamroll the entire student movement, crushing the bodies as well as hopes of many of protesters. In one day, the movement for greater democracy was dismantled. It is one thing for us to watch the pictures on TV and to listen to news reporters giving their observations. It is yet another to hear from someone who was at the heart of the movement, the heat of the crisis, and the head of the student organization leading the protests.  With high ideals and hopes for a better country, Ling and her associates are Chinese patriots who loved the people of China. They stood for Chinese ideals and share the vision of a greater and better China for all. This book gives us a bigger picture and a deeper understanding of the contexts leading to the uprising, the massacres, and the aftermaths of the whole movement. While it is a personal autobiography of Ling, it is also a lens in which outsiders can see the workings and complexities of a growing economic force.

"Dispatches From the Front" (Tim Keesee)

TITLE: Dispatches from the Front: Stories of Gospel Advance in the World's Difficult Places
AUTHOR: Tim Keesee
PUBLISHER: Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014, (240 pages).

We are easily anxious over mundane matters while they face real afflictions. We face hard times but they encounter perilous hardships. We suffer inconveniences while they endure calamities. We watch movies that contain acted out violence while they experience real beatings. We watch "Prison Break" while they are imprisoned without just cause. We read about riots and get insomnia over common worries while they face riots, labour unrest and sleepless nights. We go for hunger strike at our convenience while they face hunger times. If we as Christians trust God, why then are so many of us easily anxious about the most mundane things of life? This book puts the worries of our modern world into proper perspective. Tim Keesee is the director of an organization called, "Dispatches from the Front." After years of teaching, he decides to travel the world and make documentaries, and to keep a particular lookout for "stories of gospel" advancements in a difficult world. He condenses his more than 20 years experience in the field into 8 stories from 8 regions. The first region is the former Soviet Republics where he saw imprisoned believers refusing to be silenced as far as the gospel is concerned. After being persecuted for so long, the sudden release triggered an unprecedented freedom and joy never before experienced. He shared about his time at a maximum security prison as he preached the Word of God to convicts, and to see the gospel give them hope and faith. Correspondence courses were some of the most effective tools for reaching out to Muslim dominated countries. The second region is the Balkan region, in particular Albania. After five centuries of Ottoman rule, followed by Communist brutality, the gospel presents a light in the midst of darkness for the people. In such an environment, the challenge for many common folks was how to pick up the pieces of a broken society and system. Despite heavy NATO presence, violence and murders were still rampant. In a land where many men rape and beat their wives, Christians stand out by living against such terrible acts. The third region is China, a rising world economy. He studied the China Inland Mission, and its early attempts to reach out to the Chinese people. Keesee looked at how Hudson Taylor was increasingly frustrated by the spiritual apathy back in England and was determined to forge ahead to gather a team of like-minded believers and missionaries, to minister to the Chinese, to learn the language, their culture, their lifestyle, and whatever it takes to be Christ to them. Keesee felt the tensions of how the Christian leaders in China were being watched. He wrote about how a group of Muslims taunted them and boasted about Osama bin Laden as their hero. His physical travels included XinJiang province, the Westernmost part of China, Inner Mongolia, and other cities in China. Amid the rising Chinese economy, he sees bright sparks of Christ's kingdom of hope and love rising too. The fourth region is South-East Asia, where Keesee traveled to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, seeing gospel work being done in a land rampant with sex trade and poverty. He wrote about his time in Singapore how street evangelism was being done for the many foreign workers there, and with gut-wrenching stories of maids cheated by their employers. The fifth region is South Asia, where Keesee looks at Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. With Bangladesh 90% Muslims and almost 10% Hindus, it would seem like there is not much room for Christianity. It is a place where all who believed paid a heavy cost as one believer puts it: "All must walk through the fire." India, a land of gods presented a different kind of challenge. In this world's most populous democracy, the memories of William Carey remains vibrant. However, the widely held beliefs of the caste systems is entrenched, and "deep in the DNA of the Indian people." Despite the challenges, many stories prove that the Holy Spirit is working, of how believers carried out gospel outreaches to preach Jesus among the gods. The stronghold of Islam, Pakistan is also a hard place for Christians, with many news of believers being raped, robbed, and persecuted. The gospel gives the believers hope that a better day will come. The sixth region is the African regions of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, a world "steeped in demon worship, Islam" and having poor infrastructure. Despite the violence and the danger, faithful evangelists and workers for the gospel risk their lives to serve in many humanitarian projects. In a land where fear and fights often occur, where freedoms are limited, the gospel presents a freedom of hope that brings light to the oppressed. Keesee tells a heart-warming story of Johnny, who after receiving the gospel, sees his "useless legs" not as a curse but as a gift from God! The seventh region is the horn of Africa and Egypt, which are also strongholds of Islam. Those who converted from Islam experienced harsh persecution. Massacres are not unheard of. The eighth region is Afghanistan and Iraq. Keesee gives us insights into the travels he made with the NATO forces, facing the reality of death and violence each day as peacekeepers try to maintain peace with the local forces. He even get to hear a poem read, entitled: "If China."

"God's Double Agent" (Bob Fu)

TITLE: God's Double Agent: The True Story of a Chinese Christian's Fight for Freedom
AUTHOR: Bob Fu
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2013, (336 pages).

There is a lot of persecution going on since the beginning of the first century. Like what Jesus had said, that those who are persecuted for the sake of Christ are blessed. The Early Church too had their share of persections. The same goes for the early martyrs, the persecuted Church, and the many reports of tribulations of believers by evil regimes that are anti-Christian and utterly resistant to the gospel. Unlike the openly democratic and free societies in the West, there are many in Asia, the Middle East, the Eastern states of Asia, as well as many other secluded places where no news media are able to venture into. As a result, many believers suffered in silence and struggled in secret. How then does one stay right with God in a world gone horribly wrong? If there is one story to jerk us awake in our Western slumber and our comfortable state of nonchalance, it is the story of Bob Fu,  a former dissident and church leader in China, who escaped imprisonment and fled to the US in 1997. His story is just one page of the many books of horrific trials and tortures believers in China had to go through.

Beginning with a personal story of how Bob and his wife Heidi, escape the clutches of the secret police, and the real hunger and debilitating conditions suffered by many folks during the Cultural Revolution, Fu gives the world a closer look at the deceitfulness of the "Great Leap Forward" Cultural Revolution, the corruption of the establishment, and the evils committed by people in order to suppress the gospel and the believers. Imagine being starved until one had to cut, boil, and swallow leather strips to stop hunger pangs. Think about how a good like Bob's father, had to risk his family's well-being when doing kind deeds. Even the naming of children just to wart off suspicion and evil intent is part and parcel of life in China at that time. Movies come in the form of propaganda films, but those become highlights in the life of rural China, since any entertainment suffices. Schools were run military styles. Ordinary folks had to donate metals from their homes as a patriotic act. Even dating in University is outlawed. Freedom of speech and press are secondary. Obedience to the Communist Party is primary. All it takes is a little bit of defiance or resistance against the norm of politburo control, and one gets branded a traitor. That is what happened to Bob Fu, even though Fu's intent was good, and one that is based on equity and goodwill for the public. With growing suspicions and tightening control from the authorities, Fu finds his options increasingly limited in his struggle for a better society. Instead of dampening his fight, it turned him into a "counterrevolutionary." In the process, he encountered Christianity and from then on, he lives not just to participate in the making of a better society, he becomes a passionate follower of Jesus, to learn firsthand what it means to be a believer in an environment that is hostile and anti-Christ.

This is a gripping retelling of the incredible stories of faith behind one man's journey through persecution, prosecution, and perseverance. The many stories put our modern struggles of making ends meet, getting a satisfactory jobs, or paying our bills on time seem so mundane and superficial. I start to wonder how many of us living in the comforts of Western materialism and privacy of mass individualism, can actually survive the harsh tests of faith. Fu has learnt to be a double agent, one as a freedom fighter, and the other as a fighter for the gospel truth. With much help from both domestic underground sources as well as international agencies, Fu and his family managed to land in the USA with only a diaper bag and a long list of people they would like to thank. Such is the simplicity and the sacrifice they had to make in order to escape China. It is a story of how believers in the modern world can still be persecuted legally in a country like China that prides itself as "progressive" and people centered. Three things amazed me.

First, I am amazed by the resilience of Fu and his family, that against such huge barriers, it would have been easy to just succumb to the threats and the demands of the authorities. As long as Fu obeys the higher ups, his path would have been smooth sailing, even rewarding. Considering his influence and ability to network with people in power, he could have done more good from inside rather than when he was outside. The truth is, one has to remain faithful to what is right and not live a pretentious life upon what is blatantly wrong. Fu's faith in honouring God overwhelms the promise of societal comforts.

Second, the resistance movement is still a big part of living faith. It is a resistance that reminds me very much of Dietrich Bonhoeffer who made a fateful personal decision to be part of a rebellion to bring down Hitler. While Bonhoeffer was caught, imprisoned, and executed by Hitler's secret police just before the end of World War II, Fu managed to escaped the clutches of the Communist stronghold. While Fu's resistance efforts may not have resulted in the fall of the Communist Party, like how WWII ended with the fall of the German Empire, it brings about greater awareness to the world about the plight of Chinese believers in the underground churches of China.

Third, the results of Fu's efforts do not end just by escaping from China. Instead, Fu's love for his countrymen and fellow believers continued through his "China Aid" ministry, which is a ministry that advocates for the persecuted Church in China. What Fu had tried doing from within China, he can now do it freely from outside China. It is a test of his own belief in what freedom of speech and press can bring about. In doing so, any rewards or positive results of his efforts can be a testimony of what China would have looked like, if they have freedom like what many countries in the world have.

If you are looking for a book to be woken up from spiritual slumber, this book is pure adrenaline. Finally, my overall sentiment of this book teaches me that we ought to cherish our freedom gratefully, strengthen our faith gradually, build our connections wisely, use our influence appropriately, and to grow our trust steadfastly. For we are in a way "double agents" for God. One foot of ours is to be on the earthly commission to bring good news to the world. The other foot is on the promise of the heavenly kingdom from which all blessings flow from our Divine Creator God and Savior.

Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me courtesy of Baker Books and Graf-Martin Communications in exchange for an honest review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"Church Behind the Wire"

TITLE: Church Behind the Wire: A Story of Faith in the Killing Fields
AUTHOR: Barnabas Mam
PUBLISHER: Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2012, (352 pages).

This book takes a penetrating look at the horrific Killing Fields in Cambodia during the tragic 70s, and how Christians like Barnabas Man maintains hope in a world of hopelessness. It is a journey of faith in what may be called the "Holocaust" of the Far East. The author has personally gone through the suffering first hand. His conversion to Christianity only makes matters worse. He gets persecuted time and again by the Communist regime of Pol Pot and the Vietnamese invaders. Not only that, he gets to see how others are persecuted.

He describes how young children gets enlisted and indoctrinated with the ideals of Communism. Under the guise of the greater good for the greater society, these young children learn to elevate the Communist ideals and leaders so much, even at the expense of forsaking one's sense of identity. As the collective society expands, the individual identity contracts. The ideology easily leads to the wanton taking of human life without much thought or regard. Even the author's name has been cut short to a one syllable name by the Khmer Rouge. Mam shares about how the regime uses fear to control the people. They use power and authority to silence the people into unquestioning submission. The strategy to build a new country begins by tearing down the old. Genocide is one such flawed strategy.

Staying Alive Through Faith and Hope

Mam spends four years in prison, and is said to be one of only 200 surviving Christians in the land. Under such dire conditions, where then is hope? With suffering as a given, how can Mam survive it all?

His survival tip? Faith.

Deciding that he can no longer serve two masters, Mam opts for Jesus instead of remaining loyal to the Communist regime. His life is an example of learning to live wisely as serpents, and innocent as doves. Hope is in Christ, Mam reflects. Through the singing of hymns he has learned in the past, he is able to focus on the beauty of heaven instead of the ugliness on the earth he sees. By meditating on the Scriptures in his heart, he learns to trust and worship God, despite the ideologies and flawed thinking amid the persecutors. Through frequent thoughts of heaven, his hope is broadened when he sees the greater reality of the Kingdom, in contrast with the hopeless surroundings he face. Through hope, he sees the permanence of heaven instead of the temporal in Cambodia. Through prayer, he maintains an upbeat disposition by praying for true liberation. Even in moments of hunger, he is able to think of the true Giver of all blessings. Even without the direct fellowship of the estimated 200 followers of Christ then, Mam is able to remain hopeful, not wanting to go back to either the fatalistic Buddhist religion or the emptiness of the Communist ideology.  His obsession with the person of Christ, actually helps him through many hard times, "profiting" from the gospel through trusting.

Conversion

Mam also makes several tough decisions. Mam reflects on how he used to spy for the Communists. As he seeks out the enemy by spying on Americans, he learns instead that it is God who is seeking him out. Mam also shares about his conversion experience. Recalling the evangelistic campaign of Stanley mooneyham, Mam relates how impressed he was about the way the evangelist makes the case for a Creator God, in contrast to the dominant teachings on Darwism in his society. The contrast is also dramatic. Instead of the Buddhist-Communist emphases of hard work to the detriment of self, Christianity is simply accepting Jesus into one's life, freely and lovingly. Buddhism and Communism seem enforced. Christianity is freely given and freely received. Mam relates that one reason why Buddhism is deconstructed in Cambodia is because it is not personal enough. Worse, over four years, Pol Pot's rename country of Kampuchea totally deconstructed the country from inside. The entire culture and society were destroyed. All three "kings" prove helpless in uniting the country. Firstly, the Communists flip flopped between being pro-Vietnam to anti-Vietnam. Secondly, Prince Sihanouk's neutral stance failed to instill any stability. Thirdly, the radical strategies of Pol Pot instead of constructing, actually destroys the whole country. All of these downfalls, only lead Mam to hope more in Jesus, the true Hope of all.

The story of faith during the Killing Fields years is both tragic and heartwarming. Tragic when we see how cruel people can become toward human life. Heartwarming because of the faith of Mam in spite of the evil around him, and how he tries to help others in times of suffering. At the same time, silence is not just golden. It is survival. Mam also survived because of the skills he had. From construction to agriculture, from translation to literary skills, he is able to be useful for his masters. Psalm 23:5 becomes so real to Mam as he lives in the presence of his enemies. By 1978, matters worsen as Cambodia goes to war against Vietnam. This is when the Killing Fields is at its peak. From 10000 believers in 1975, only 200 survived by 1979.

Application for the Modern West

This book reminds us in the comfortable west, that for every complaint or unhappiness we have with life, it is nothing compared to the genocide years. For every freedom of religion and belief we have take for granted, we ought to be ashamed when we fail to cherish them, in the light of other parts of the world where basic rights are simply denied. It speaks of simple faith and trust on the part of Mam. It shows us that faith without suffering is not tested faith at all. Does this mean that we need to go through suffering in order to prove our faith. Not necessary. Yet, this is something that I fear many of us in the West are unwilling to go through, and unable to overcome. Finally, Mam shows us the importance of seeing hope through having a vision of heaven. That end in mind helps cement our hopes in spite of the hopelessness we see around us.

Three things strike me. Firstly, do not take our freedom to believe for granted. Secondly, we need to learn to identify with fellow sufferers in Christ. This means that through books like these, we learn to understand the struggles fellow believers go through. Thirdly, we need to be prepared to be tested in our faith, in both good and bad times. For those of us living in comfort and take our freedom of faith for granted, re-think about our own sense of hope. Let this book remind us again, that even today, there are suffering brothers and sisters out there who are being persecuted for Christ. They are largely unknown and unheard of. We need to let books like this remind us to pray and to fight for justice wherever we can.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Moody Publishers and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.