(Cover via Amazon)

By Brother Yun with Paul Hattaway (London & Grand Rapids: Monarch Books, 2002, 351 pages)

The incredible true story of Chinese evangelist Liu Zhenying known to his Christian friends as Brother Yun. It is his own personal testimony along with the reflections of his wife Deling who supported him in the ministry and though many trials and tribulations. The ups and downs, the joys, the victories, along with the low points, failures, and all of the warts. It is there for all to read.

The story begins with the conversion of Yun and the healing of his dying father of cancer in 1974. In the process Yun, age 16 at the time, dedicates his life to Jesus and through a series of miracles is prepared, trained, and sent out as an evangelist to establish new churches and support the very few Christian groups that were still meeting in secret at the time.

The Communist government did everything they could to destroy the Christian church in China beginning in 1949 and very little visibly remained by 1970 and during that time frame Mao’s wife Jiang Qing actually proclaimed to foreign visitors that:

“Christianity in China has been confined to the history section of the museum. It is dead and buried.”

Today it is said by many including the government that there are at least 100 million Christians in the country. If the communist authorities are admitting that number than there are probably far more than that. In fact it is growing so fast that it is impossible to come up with an accurate number. What happened? The House Church Movement happened.

The story of brother Yun gives you a small taste of how that must have happened. How the Christian church relegated to the dust bin of history meeting secretly in homes rose up out of the dust and became the force it is today. It was entirely a move of God.

It really isn’t just about Yun alone but his story demonstrates how God reached out directly to thousands of people and prepared and called forth a whole generation of leaders that worked secretly and many times independently in rising up the church to where it is today. As the government would jail one leader the Lord would raise up another to replace him and the work would go on. It reads like the book of Acts.

Yun was arrested and tortured many times by the government who attempted to get him to reveal all of the leaders that he knew. On a number of occasions he refused to identify who he was and even where he came from in order not to expose others. He told them:

“I am a Heavenly Man! My home is in heaven!”

That is how he became known as the ‘heavenly man’.

The torture and prison conditions that Brother Yun suffered through and survived is beyond comprehension. During those bleak times Yun not only kept the faith but reached out to his fellow prisoners and made life more tolerable for all. He prayed for others, bringing healing to many, and brought hundreds of fellow prisoners to Christ. Not only that, he followed the example of Paul and Silas and sang songs of praise during the worst of times and conditions.

On several occasions Brother Yun miraculously escaped from the authorities. Nothing is more storied than his incredible ‘walk away’ from a maximum security prison when his legs were crushed and crippled yet in an instant he was able to walk through the numerous gates that blocked the way and right through the midst of dozens of guards who miraculously didn’t see him. later he was able to leave China for Germany on a plane when the entire country was looking for him. An incredible story.

Later in Germany he reaches out and begins a ministry to the Western church and is amazed how weak the Christian church is in countries where the church buildings are so large and Christians are actually free to follow their faith.

He is currently raising visibility and money for the house churches back in China. Also he is supporting a long time vision of the Chinese church called the ‘Back to  Jerusalem Movement’ to raise up and train missionaries and send them through every Buddhist and Muslim nation all of the way from China to Jerusalem.

However in the process he has also unfortunately become the target of critics within the Western church. Many have a hard time believing all of the healings and miracles he testifies of here.

An incredible life changing book, one that I highly recommend. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you though this book and you will never be the same. Hereafter that comfortable pew you sit in on Sunday will never be quite so comfortable again. Beware, you could actually receive a new calling and a new vision of where the lord wants to take you.            *Top 

The first half of the book follows Sir Richard Francis Burton who along with everyone who ever lived from early Neanderthals up to 2200 AD were resurrected at the same time into a new world along a nearly endless river.

Everyone starts off nude and without hair and It takes a while for folks to get use to their new circumstances and the parameters of the new world that they find themselves in. First they discover that many of their basic needs are taken care of each day provided by mushroom-shaped towers called "grailstones" found along the river at regular intervals.

Every person has been provided with their own personal mess kits commonly called ‘grails’ which they can place into the grail towers 3 times a day for food, drink, and other items like liquor, tobacco, drugs, and candy. The weather is perfect and there doesn’t seem to be any diseases but people can still get hurt by accident or on purpose. The resurrected folks can also die by accident or be killed but later they find themselves ‘resurrected’ again at another location along the river. Some even commit suicide hoping for a better location next time along the river.

Soon the newly resurrected people are forming protective groups that later become governments over areas of land along the river. They build homes, towns and new nations.

Religion

The old earthly religions are now rejected by most folks since this new ‘River World’ doesn’t seem to relate in any way to any of the old religious teachings. Both the ‘evil’ and the ‘good’ and everyone between from the former life has been resurrected together in this new world with total recall and no distinctions from the previous life.

A new religion started up with the idea that this new world was an opportunity to start over and become better people and make a better world without making the same old mistakes that were made in the former world and life. The new religionists are pacifists.

The Storylines

The first story revolves around English explorer Sir Richard Burton who is driven to find out who is behind the ‘resurrection’ and what it is all about. He comes to the conclusion that a super race of beings resurrected everyone who ever lived on Earth as some kind of experiment. In fact one of the super beings appears to him from time top time to help him along the way with important info. Former Nazi leader Hermann Goring is one character that keeps on showing up, first as an opponent to Burton, then later sometimes as a friend, and finally as a new resurrection religionist.

The second story revolves around Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) and his efforts to produce a new magnificent Riverboat like he use to captain down the Mississippi. His major allies and opponent is the former King John of Robin Hood fame. The story is delicious in its many twists and turns right to the end. Twain does finally build his boat but it quickly ends up far different than he planned.

The two stories merely wet ones appetite for more and there is more. Tor (Tom Doherty Assoc.) is in the midst of republishing the series and this is only the first with more to come. Can’t wait.           *Top

A delightful story with all sorts of good lessons.  A young man pursues his dreams and finds all sorts of detours in the process.  His understanding and goals change somewhat along the way, as he comes in contact with many other interesting characters.  He finally meets up with ‘the alchemist’ who does ultimately help him to a greater understanding of himself and provides the encouragement needed to complete his personal vision.  An interesting, and fascinating story that you just can’t put down once it is started.  Also it is short enough to actually be read in one relaxing weekend.

There are many religious themes and self-help/PMA messages imbedded throughout.  First of all, theologically it is presenting a ‘pantheistic’ view of God and creation.  The major lesson throughout is that one should continue to pursue ones ‘Personal Legend or Myth’.  That everyone is presented with a personal vision or purpose, that one is obligated to seek after.  That all creation will conspire to help one along the way, in the form of ‘omens’ that one must learn to discern and follow.  The story also decries those who have given up on their vision, and accepted a lesser outcome.

From a Christian view, this book has many themes and religious ideas that cannot be supported.  Nevertheless, a Christian can enjoy the ride and come away with encouragement to follow your own God given vision, and continue along the way to seek the advise of the Holy Spirit.  It is Biblical not to give up, but to continue in faithfulness to the end; and it is Biblical, that God will help you in the process.

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What would America be like if it became an Islamic Republic in the future? The setting for the book is Seattle, 2040.  ‘Black Robe’ religious police are roaming the city arresting those who violate the dress and language codes.  Most Christians have fled to the old South, which is a separate country called "The Bible Belt".  The Catholic Christians, who were persuaded to remain, have definitely become second-rate citizens. Mormons have there own territory in Utah & southern Idaho, and Nevada is an unaligned "Free State".  San Francisco has become a fundamentalist conclave, where homosexuals are hung from bridges & Jews are executed immediately.  In the process, science & education is severely restricted, and America has become a third-world country.  This is the future that many in the middle east are seeking for America and for the whole world.

The story is a non-stop chase through Seattle, the underground, California & Nevada.  The heroes have information which could change history & probably the country.  An assassin is dogging their every move.   It is a ‘can’t put it down’ novel filled with all sorts of ‘what ifs’.  In the end, you are convinced of one thing–you really never want to live in an ‘Islamic Republic’.  The ‘war on terror’ really does become a little more real and important in the process.

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     Anyone who has read the book, knows that it is a real ‘page turner’.  I have enthusiastically read all of Dan Brown’s novel.  All of them keep ones interest at a fever pitch, from page one through to the end. He is an expert at bringing a few characters together and placing them in a limited time-line of non-stop action, and sustaining the story line at such a high level that the reader rarely wonders about the plausibility of the background material.  …to continue…See: II. The Book-Review & Commentary–2nd paragraph

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