BOOK NOTES of the MISSIONARY RESEARCH LIBRARY 3041 Broadway, New York, New York 10027 FALL,1974 Compiled by M. O. Williams Vol. XXIV, No.7 I. CHRISTIAN MISSION-HISTORICAL AND PRESENT INVOLVEMENTS CHINA: CHRISTIAN STUDENTS FACE THE REVOLUTION. David H. Adeney. Downers Grove, II/inois: Inter Varsity Press. 1973.130 pp. Paper. $1.50. A well written account of the growth of InterVarsity Fellowship among students in China during the late 1940's, their struggles through the early days of Communist rule, with vivid reports of efforts to maintain faithful Christian witness during the early 1950's in the face of serious pressures. Developments in the churches-the compromises of the "Three-Self Movement" and the uncompromising stand of Wang Ming-tao and Nee To-sheng+-are described together with their impact on Christian students. The closing section on the cost of Christian witness in a Communist society adds to the depth and perceptiveness of this book. The author was in China, 1934-51 and is now Dean of the Discipleship Training Center of the OMF in Singapore. DEUS DESTROYED: THE IMAGE OF CHRISTIANITY IN EARLY MODERN JAPAN. George Elison. Cambridge: Harvard Univ, Press. 1973. xiv/542 pp. II/us. $18.00 A thoroughly researched and perceptive study of the Jesuit approach to Japan beginning in 1549, growth to 222,000 Christians under their care by 1609, Japanese resistance and finally torture of Christians and suppression of Christianity by 1647. Careful attention is given to (1) political, social, intellectual and religious factors in the Japanese response and (2) to the Jesuit approach, stressing religious orthodoxy in the conviction that they had absolute truth. There was no room for free discourse with Japanese, no use of philosophical dialogue that might have opened ways of understanding. 150 pages are given to notes and index, 130 to translations, with pictures, of four major polemical writings which constituted the intellectual counterattack. Edwin Reischauer terms this book "a major contribution, not just to this phase of history in Japan and history of the Christian Church but also to the broader and very up-to-date problems of the meeting of cultures." A HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN JAPAN FROM ITS BEGINNING TO THE EARLY MEIJI ERA, 1549- 1873. Joseph Jennes. Tokyo: Oriens Institute. J 973. xi/277 pp. II/us. Maps. Paper. n.p. A revision of the 1959 edition which was intended for missionaries newly arrived in Japan; because of favorable reception it is now made available in this form. It deals with the "century of free intercourse" beginning 1549, including the edict of persecution 1614 (with Christianity num- bering 200,000 to 300,000) and the "virtual extinction of the hierarchical church" by 1640; then the "period of seclusion" 1639- 1873. A large amount of material has been much compressed, and the account moves rapidly, with many footnotes as documentation, much of it from material written close to the time of events described. Attention is given to the task of translation of Biblical and theological materials, to cultural adaptation and to the efforts to develop an indigenous priesthood. Major focus, however, is on the repressive actions of government, the torture and martyrdom of many Christians, the desperate struggle to maintain the life of the Church, and the small group of Christians discovered in 1865 who had maintained their faith without clerical help for two centuries. Note: For vivid personal experiences on persecution, refer to Shusaku Endo's Silence, English translation from Charles Tuttle, Rutland, Vt., "Book Notes," September 1970. THE EVANGELICAL RESPONSE TO BANGKOK. Edited by Ralph Winter. South Pasadena: Wm. Carey Library. 1973. ix/153 pp. Paper n.p. Eleven Evangelicals review, interpret and evaluate the WCC Conference on "Salvation Today," held in Bangkok, December 29, 1972 to January 21, 1973. Treatment is generally sympathetic, with a reaching out for un- derstanding, but all express regret at the lack of evangelistic concern-preaching and teaching with the goal of conversion and the establishing of churches. Manuel Gaxiola of Mexico speaks of the "obsession with political and social structures and action." Peter Wagner declares that Evangelicals could agree on the need for social change, but were not willing to let it stand as the central objective of "Christ's Mission and Ours." Statements addressed to the Conference by Peter Beyerhaus and Arthur Glasser in the heat of discussion are included. Strong feeling is recorded that the evangelical emphases had few channels for coming before the whole body, and when they did surface they were not recorded as significant findings. The expressed purpose of the book is "to foster understanding, not forstall it." It is commented for serious study, especially by those in conciliar churches. MEMOIRS: LEST WE FORGET. Jay Charles Oliver, Private printing. 1974. Author now living at Claremont Manor, Claremont, Calif. 303 pp. typed, offset. The author, a YMCA Secretary in China, 191&-1950, with assignments in Hangchow and in Shanghai, sets down for the record an account of his life and work, and that of his wife and family. His service spans an important period in Chinese life, and he was careful to record impressions and to retain material from letters, reports, memoes. Consequently there is here much documentary material that should prove of value to the careful student of Chinese history. Here is also a picture of the day-by-day life of the overseas YMCA Secretary with all of his involvement in religious, social and civic affairs. A chapter on his assignment to Egypt 1951-52 and then to Claremont Manor 1952-55 before retirement adds another dimension, and the story is completed by describing activities at the Manor since retirement. PETER PARKER AND THE OPENING OF CHINA. Edward V. Gulick. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. 1973. xi/282 pp. llIus. Maps. $12.00. A stimulating biography which describes Parker as the "inventor of the new profession of medical missionary, pioneer in contacts east and west." The work shows result of much research and careful attempt to understand the man and his times. He was in Canton, a missionary of the American Board of Commissioners 193447; he established a hospital, performed eye and general surgery, began the training of Chinese physicians, and did much to interpret such work as a valid form of Christian witness. Then came his termination of relations with his Board, entering employment as Secretary to the American Legation, and his career as a diplomat through a very difficult period of Chinese-Western relationships. He returned to the US in 1957, lived in Washington tried to continue to facilitate East-West contacts. Parker was a controversial figure, and there were a wide range of views about him. The closing chapter provides a careful evaluation. WHY IS THE THIRD WORLD POOR? Piero Gheddo, translated by Kathryn Sullivan. Maryknoll, N. Y. Orbis Books, 1973. xv/143 pp. Paper. $3.95. A valuable book on development, written from the Christian perspective and setting forth the complexities of the problems involved. Internal, or cultural causes of undevelopment are examined: faulty understanding of man's relation to nature and work, static concepts of history, fatalism and acceptance of status quo. External causes focus on the domination of these nations by the more powerful, many through colonialism, all through neo-colonialism-the economic domination and control through investments and trade. This reader feels that over-population and family planning are not adequately treated. The writer sees the Christian understanding of man and society and the Christian emphasis on changing man's awareness and conscience as key factors in the integral development our day demands. He is critical of both capitalism and Marxism and insists that developing nations can be assisted, but must have freedom to develop in their own way. Christian involvement by the West is made specific, with sacrificial action and massive efforts to influence public opinion called for. Many quotes are provided from papal encyclicals and discourses. II. JAPAN, CIDNA, KOREA-IDSTORY AND INTERPRETATION ABOUT OUR ANCESTORS: THE JAPANESE FAMILY SYSTEM. Yanagita Kunia. Trans. by Fanny Hagin Mayer and Ishiwara Yasuyo. Tokyo: Japanese National Commission for UNESCO. 1970. 193 pp. ¥ 3,000 (about $10). This book was written in 1945, when the author was seventy, in an effort to communicate. with the youth of Japan as they faced the post-war period, about who they were by describing "the history of the Japanese family and the faith founded upon it." This is a v~ry intimate picture with much emphasis on history and tradition and on the underlying folk beliefs in souls after death, especially the ancestral spirits. Knowledge of Japanese culture and language is almost a prerequisite for full understanding. The author is regarded as the founder of folklore studies in Japan; his works have been collected into 35 volumes, and this is the first to be translated into English. ASIA: A SELECTED AND ANNOTATED GUIDE TO REFERENCE WORKS. G. Raymond Nunn. Cambridge, Mass.:M.l.T. Press. 1971. xiii/223 pp. $12.50. A helpful listing of reference works on that part of Asia within the arc from Pakistan to Japan and excluding Soviet Asia. 965 books and periodicals are cited, two-thirds of them in English. Here will be found bibliographies, encyclopedias, yearbooks, biographical dictionaries, atlases, gazetteers and sources of statistical information. AUTHORITY, PARTICIPATION AND CULTURAL CHANGE IN CHINA. Ed. by Stuart R. Schram. Cambridge: The University Press. 1973. viii/350 pp. Paper. $4.75. An attempt by eight prominent European China scholars to grasp and set forth the dynamics of change, especially over the past ten years in China. Preliminary and revised drafts were discussed by a larger group of scholars, and the result bears the mark of research in depth with careful efforts to maintain objectivity.