Back to Jerusalem

Book Review by Howard Brant

SIM International

Note: (SIM is an international, inter-denominational mission organization with more than 1,800 missionaries serving in more than 43 countries on five continents.)

Have you ever read Bunyan's book Pilgrim's Progress? Did you ever read Roland Allen's little book, "Missionary Methods, St. Paul's or Ours?" Or did you read A. W. Tozer's Pursuit of God? Books like these are classics that affected the whole world of Christianity for decades to come.

I've just finished reading a new book called Back to Jerusalem with Paul Hattaway. This is a block-buster of a book that could affect world missions more than anything that has been written since Roland Allen. Its subtitle gives insight into the thrust of the book: "Three Chinese house church leaders share their vision to complete the Great Commission."

Between them, these three Chinese house church leaders spent more than 40 years in Chinese prisons and, believe me, both their theology and missiology comes right out of the heart of God. They are NOT just sharing their own vision - but rather a vision that was born back in China in about 1940. The vision was for Chinese Christians to take the Gospel all the way along the Silk Road from China "Back to Jerusalem." It traces the story of how these early missionaries got as far as places like Lanzhou and Xining (places were we have workers today) and then pressed on into the very provinces that we in SIM have targeted in Western China. One of those early Chinese missionaries Peter Zhou eventually got to Kashgar right on the boarder with Pakistan where he was imprisoned for 31 years.

During the years of communism the Back to Jerusalem vision lingered in the hearts of a few faithful ones - but the philosophy of communism, the power of Mao, the persecution of the church buried the coals of this vision deep within its own ashes. These coals, however, burst into new flame when in 1996 a number of leading house church pastors (representing 58 million believers) met for several days to see how they could work together for the gospel. Out of those meetings came a very clear plan to train 100,000 missionaries to take the Gospel back thru all those Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist countries that lie between China and Jerusalem. Their vision is that when Jesus descends upon the Mt of Olives, that Chinese missionaries will be standing there ready to receive Him.

The dedication, sacrifice, faith, perseverance and vision of this movement is unequalled in anything in missions since Jesus gave the Great Commission. This is far more than just a few people with an idea - it is a whole movement. Behind it is the vision and passion of the Chinese church - which of course is by far the largest church in the world. There may be 1 million Chinese congregations meeting every Sunday. But these are not "cultural Christians" or "post-modern Christians" like we have in the rest of the world - but rather red hot, do anything, ready to die for the gospel types!

One of their major strategies is to be imprisoned all along the way and evangelize the prisons with the gospel! Noone is allowed to join the missionary bands who is not ready to shed their blood for the Gospel. They see themselves as an army of worms setting out to erode the foundations of Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism (which of course are the major religions of those countries between China and Jerusalem).

The movement has already begun. Three years ago a team of 39 set off down the Silk Road as the first envoys of this great movement. Before they ever got out of China, 36 of the 39 were caught and put into prison. Word filtered back to the churches in China - and all over the country there were prayers of praise and thanksgiving - that three of the 39 who set out did actually get out of China!

I think that Paul Hattaway wrote the book so that the Western Church would understand what is going on inside China. But what he has done is put together something that will shake the non-Western church too it's roots! I can see this book getting into the hands of the committed Chinese diaspora and really stirring them up. But as sure as I am alive, I know what effect this kind of book will have on believers in places like Ethiopia - another country which has felt the cruel persecution of communism and where the church thrived through its suffering. (I'm taking 50 copies of this book with me when I go over there next month). If this book got into the hands of the 5000 or so Ethiopians who are in the SIM related Bible-Schools I can see hundreds of them saying - "If China can do this even while they are under communism - how much more can we who are now free!"

The three giants that these Chinese Christians want to tackle are Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The movement has identified 51 countries in their sights. I will list here the ones where SIM has connections: Japan, North Korea, Mongolia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India (Bhutan), Nepal, Pakistan, Djibouti, Guinea, Niger, Senegal, Somalia. First and foremost, however, they have in their sights the Hindu and Buddhist peoples of western China and Tibet. I can tell you that we are already quietly working with these people on the ground. I sat in the home of one of our own families talking

with some of the early vanguard of this movement.

My prediction is that this book will stir up the post-modern Western churches as well. This is "real Christianity" the way Jesus and Paul lived it! The book is going to appeal to the new generation in western countries who are fed up with the twin gods of materialism and pluralism. Young people are going to read this book and say "Yes - this is what missions is about!" And some of them will come knocking on our door and say, "I want to be involved!" We had better be ready with an answer.

Finally, I'm pretty sure that the whole academic world is going to take a very strong look at this new way of doing missions. Some of their thoughts are absolutely revolutionary in today's age - like their commitment not to build a single church - and their refusal to get involved in denominationalism - their insistence on working in missionary teams - and their view of persecution and suffering. It will challenge current missiology which is largely born out of the western world with a new powerful vision. These people want to turn the world upside down.

Ultimately, the biggest question I have is how we can help the movement itself. I have felt all along that God is not just taking us into China as a mission field - but as a mission sending country. I will never forget riding on a boat in Hong Kong harbor - thinking about how this Harbor has received billions of dollars worth of trade and commerce. I looked out the gates of the harbor and I prayed - "Lord, send hundreds of Chinese workers all over the world from this harbor." I dare to believe that some of these Chinese who are alive with this vision - may find their way out that harbor and that we could have had something to do with training them and helping them get "Back to Jerusalem."

I should mention that this whole concept was brought sharply to our attention in Chiang Mai, Thailand at our Council meeting in 2001. One of our missionaries from Korea had heard about this and went into Eastern China to check it out. He shared the vision with our team and every one of our workers in China were asking - how can I help advance this vision! The Korean has moved to Northern Pakistan ready to receive the first wave of "Back to Jerusalem" missionaries.

When you are done reading the book you will want to kneel at the cross again and recommit your life to the Great Commission.

I encourage everyone in our circles to think seriously about this:

1.. Get and read your own copy (it is an easy read but be ready to weep tears of joy and sorrow when you read it - or if you are like me - warn your wife that she may hear cries of "Hallelujah" as you read thru this).

2.. Think about ways to get this into the hands of influential people, council members, available at conferences and meetings like Urbana.

3.. Make it the book of the month in your book review group - have discussions in your office about the book.

4.. Mission speakers or those on furlough will get tons of stories and sermon illustrations out of this - Conference speakers ought to plug the book and tell the story.

5.. Make sure that each of our Home offices have a good supply where people can order the book.

6.. Get it into the hands of your fellow missionaries - and to their children.

7.. Get it into the hands of the church leaders in the country in which you serve.

8.. Include it in mission's courses in the Bible Schools, Seminaries and colleges where you may have influence. (Ask western students to evaluate the Chinese method of doing missions)

9.. Have it translated into another language.

10.. Make sure that it gets into any Pastors Book Set that goes out from here on.

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