China's Millions

I received a copy of China's Millions from Eerdmans last Thursday, just before leaving for ARCE. The book is the story of the China Inland Mission from its founding until just after the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. It is not a hagiographic writing, but a serious history, probably the first real history of the CIM.

Anyway, I started it last Saturday after I finished Early Ancient Near Eastern Law. The book is quite thick, 500+ pages, but a fascinating read. Austin doesn't just record the history of the CIM, but also that of the many interconnecting tracks of the other early missionaries and societies. His emphasis is on the "footsoldiers" as he calls them, not on the leaders, although it is necessary to include the leaders, too.

If you are even remotely interested in 19th century British, Canadian and U.S. evangelical history, or China at that time, this book is a must read. And no, Eisenbrauns does not sell it, so this is not a plug to get more sales :)

Now all I have to do is get my "What I'm reading" and "Recently read books" caught up :(