Hudson Taylor, God's Man in China

by F. Howard Taylor

J. Hudson God's Man in China by Mary Taylor.

Genres: Biography

362 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

See also: Mrs. Howard Taylor / Geraldine Guinness Taylor

Frederick Howard Taylor a.k.a. F. Howard Taylor (25 November 1862 – 15 August 1946), was a British pioneer Protestant Christian missionary to China, author, speaker and second son of James Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, and Maria Jane Dyer.

Howard Taylor was three when his father founded the China Inland Mission. He was born in London during his parents’ first furlough in England together. In 1866 at the age of four he was taken with his parents, 3 siblings and sixteen other missionaries to China aboard the Lammermuir (clipper) as part of the famous Lammermuir Party. During the 4-month long voyage the ship was nearly wrecked by 2 typhoons. His sister, Grace Dyer Taylor died of meningitis the first year. When he was six the family was nearly killed by a rioting mob during the Yangzhou riot in 1868. Finally in 1870 he was sent home with his surviving siblings with Emily Blatchley to live in London, separated from his parents. His mother died in China soon after they arrived home in 1870.

Like his father, he enrolled in the Royal London Hospital medical college, completing his diploma in 1888. Hudson Taylor lived to see his son, Howard follow in his footsteps to become a medical missionary to China. He received Doctor of Medicine from London University and subsequently became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons as well as a Member of the Royal College of Physicians. He was an extremely capable student and received three high honors in his postgraduate studies.

Howard Taylor always had a close relationship with his father. 1888 was a special year for both men. Hudson Taylor was on his first tour in North America sharing the missionary needs in China. Howard Taylor had taken three months leave to go along, having just ended his year of medical and surgical appointments. Howard Taylor showed a deep interest to go to China long term. Hearing his father speak at various meetings, particularly to young students, had a profound influence on Howard. On 15 October 1889, at a Missionary Convention organized by the Students Foreign Missionary Union more than 1500 students attended. Of these, 152 signed the pledge, "it is my earnest hope, if God permit, to engage in foreign missionary work." The first name in the book of members reads, " Taylor, F Howard, MD, MRCP, FRCS (England), the London Hospital."

Reviews

[Sheri Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Pastor Hsi: Confusian Scholar and Conqueror of Demons” is a long book that doesn’t seem long. Pastor Hsi was a man that God made new, saved from opium addiction, and used powerfully. The book is exceptionally well-written, often from a first-hand point-of-view since the Author had known Pastor Hsi. The true accounts surrounding Pastor Hsi’s life are fascinating, real and relevant. It is a book about how God in His love and mercy saves, sanctifies and enables his children to love and do good works.

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an inspirational story of God's work in and through the lives of Hudson Taylor, his family and associates to spread the knowledge of Jesus and establish Protestant churches in China in the 2nd half of the 19th Century.

A great portrait of what it means to:
- Be fearless and courageous in serving God in difficult circumstances,
- Live not by faith in men or contracts, but by faith in the Lord to supply the financial needs of his church,
- Call and discern people for self-sacrificial ministry

Some words of caution:
- Success is not always the result of faithful ministry, and the amazing fruitfulness seen in Bible teaching ministry in China in that era was not replicated by ministries that appear equally faithful and zealous in other parts of the world
- Towards the end of the book there are some discussions of the need for a "second blessing" / baptism in the Holy Spirit. These could easily be misinterpreted, I would recommend that anyone wanting to consider these more consider the following quote from Carson and potentially read his whole book.

D.A. Carson:

"In short, I see biblical support for the thesis that although all true believers have received the Holy Spirit and have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, nevertheless the Holy Spirit is not necessarily poured out on each individual Christian in precisely equivalent quantities (if I may use the language of quantity inherent in the metaphor of “filling”). How else can we explain the peculiar unction that characterizes the service of some relatively unprepossessing ministers?

Although I find no biblical support for a second-blessing theology, I do find support for a second-, third-, fourth-, or fifth-blessing theology.

Although I find no charisma biblically established as the criterion of a second enduement of the Spirit, I do find that there are degrees of unction, blessing, service, and holy joy, along with some more currently celebrated gifts, associated with those whose hearts have been specially touched by the sovereign God.

Although I think it extremely dangerous to pursue a second blessing attested by tongues, I think it no less dangerous not to pant after God at all, and to be satisfied with a merely creedal Christianity that is kosher but complacent, orthodox but ossified, sound but soundly asleep." (Showing the Spirit, 160).

[Martha Cathcart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book about a very gifted man. However, my copy of the book was in very small print and was difficult. I would highly recommend this book.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is something to be said for the girl who keeps everything! I found the book report I wrote about this when I was in school. I seemed to have liked the book but then again, I may just have been buttering up the teacher. How about this line: "If I apply patience to my life, I can be patient in waiting for school be out". Hudson Taylor was a patient man. I got an A on the report, BTW.