Faithful Disobedience
Christianity Today Book Award Finalist—Missions/Global Church
IVP Reader's Choice Award Winner
Faithful Disobedience makes some of the most important writings of Wang Yi available in English for the first time.
Listen to Charles Kim’s interview with editor Hannah Nation on the podcast A History of Christian Theology.
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Throughout China’s rapidly growing cities, a new wave of unregistered house churches is growing. They are developing rich theological perspectives that are both uniquely Chinese and rooted in the historical doctrines of the faith. To understand how they have endured despite government pressure and cultural marginalization, we must understand both their history and their theology.
In this volume, key writings from the house church have been compiled, translated, and made accessible to English speakers. Featured here is a manifesto by well-known pastor Wang Yi and his church, Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, to clarify their theological stance on the house church and its relationship to the Chinese government. There are also works by prominent voices such as Jin Tianming, Jin Mingri, and Sun Yi. The editors have provided introductions, notes, and a glossary to give context to each selection.
These writings are an important body of theology historically and spiritually. Though they are defined by a specific set of circumstances, they have universal applications in a world where the relationship between church and state is more complicated than ever. This unique resource will be valuable to practical and political theologians as well as readers interested in international relations, political philosophy, history, and intercultural studies.
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“The rich analysis of China’s house church and its theology contained in this collection offers precious insights into one of history’s most remarkable Christian movements.”
—Brent Fulton for The Gospel Coalition
“My #1 best read of the year so far… May we all be crazy for the gospel! My advice, buy and read this book, you won’t be disappointed.”
—Michael Bird, Academic Dean and Lecturer in Theology and New Testament, Ridley College
"Through the persecution of this ordinary pastor and his church, we see a commitment to Scripture, a love for God, and a willingness to sacrifice that strengthens our resolve to do the same."
—Noah Samuels for ChinaSource
"Faithful Disobedience is potentially a landmark historical text that will inform future generations of the hardships facing pastors in this troubled part of the world."
—Daisy Edwards for Premier Christianity
"Nation and Tseng succeed in collecting a rich bounty of primary texts that provide an invaluable understanding of the movement, and the focus on Wang Yi’s writings benefits from his erudition and resolve. Revealing and wide-ranging, this is an essential companion to understanding contemporary Chinese Christianity."
—Publisher’s Weekly Review
“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.”
—Aaron Lee for SOLA Network
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Wang Yi is the founding pastor of Early Rain Covenant Church, a Calvinist house church in Chengdu. He is also a productive writer, editor, and social activist, and was a legal scholar at Chengdu University before he resigned to take up the pastorate. As of December 2019 he is serving a nine-year prison sentence for "inciting subversion of state.”
Wang Yi is a leader of one particular Chinese house church movement. His views are not shared by all, but he is part of an important debate about freedom of religion in China.
Visit https://www.ivpress.com/faithful-disobedience for more information, including bulk purchases.
