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Christian Heroes: Then & Now #3

Hudson Taylor: Deep in the Heart of China

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Hudson survived his perilous maiden voyage to his beloved China. With his heart set in determined obedience to God, and trusting the provision of the One who had called him, Hudson overcame persecution and almost overwhelming personal losses to bring God's truth to the "ripe harvest fields" of China.

Today, Hudson Taylor's story continues to challenge and inspire believers young and old to carry the anchoring gospel message, regardless of personal trials or hardships, to those who are adrift and without hope (1832-1905).

204 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1998

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About the author

Janet Benge

175 books307 followers
Janet and Geoff Benge are a husband and wife writing team with twenty years of writing experience. They are best known for the books in the two series Christian Heroes: Then & Now series and Heroes of History. Janet is a former elementary school teacher. Geoff holds a degree in history. Together they have a passion to make history come alive for a new generation. Originally from New Zealand, the Benges make their home in the Orlando, Florida, area.

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5 stars
865 (48%)
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655 (36%)
3 stars
237 (13%)
2 stars
21 (1%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
Profile Image for Amy Meyers.
858 reviews27 followers
May 10, 2019
Again I feel torn: rates as a 4.5, almost a 5. For a children's biography, it does an excellent job. I felt it spent a long time on the beginning of his life, and then flew through much of his ministry in China. There were some interesting stories about the beginning of his desire to get to China and how he practiced trusting in the Lord, but I'm sure the stories of the CIM were even more exciting. For example, the Boxer Rebellion was only touched upon, since Taylor was recuperating in Switzerland at the time. Still I teared up by the time I got to his wife's death, right after the deaths of two other children, and the story of the attack of the Chinese on the "foreign devils and secondary devils" was nerve-racking. The children all listened well then. We hoped that Carson would really listen well, as his middle name is Taylor for Hudson Taylor; but he didn't listen very well to all of it. But Taylor's impact on missions is huge: the idea of God calling the person (so the responsibility isn't on the mission director if the missionary died), trusting in the Lord to provide funds, dressing and eating like the Chinese, and trying to get to unreached areas all impacted Christian missions even to today. The idea of having mission compounds like William Carey and Hudson Taylor doesn't seem to be in favor anymore, at least not by indy-fundy Baptists. We're too independent and strong-willed, seemingly, to live and work THAT closely.
Profile Image for Elijah.
124 reviews73 followers
September 26, 2025
Wow great book!

“When I cannot read, when I cannot think, when I cannot even pray, I can trust.”
― Hudson Taylor
Profile Image for Katie Klein.
143 reviews140 followers
March 14, 2024
I love the way the author tells the story and how clear the message of reliance on God was for Hudson Taylor. The author makes it engaging and interesting and entertaining! I will definitely be reading more from this series!
Profile Image for Salvador Vivas.
68 reviews1 follower
September 7, 2022
Fue una gran experiencia terminar uno de los libros de los Benge. Siempre escuché que sus biografías son sencillas de leer y buenas. Hoy confirmo que así es. Es una lectura amigable que uno ni siene pasar el tiempo. Lo que sí es cierto es que por el tamaño de la misma, es una biografía muy general.

Este tipo de libros son ideales para aquellos que quieren conocer un poco sobre ciertos cristianos que fueron hombres de Dios conocidos por su pasión y relevancia ministerial. Estos te dan la pauta para saber si quieres acercarte a otro libro para profundizar en las anécdotas y pensamientos del autor.
Profile Image for Katherine.
901 reviews3 followers
September 3, 2020
This was our first read aloud (chapter book) of this school year and considering how homesick we are, the boys and I really enjoyed reading about Hudson Taylor's life and travel in China. I was encouraged by some difficulties he went through that seem very similar to things we have faced - to see his trust in the Lord was exactly what we needed in this season. We had some great conversations about how life in China has changed but also how it has stayed the same. We look forward to reading more biographies in this series.
Profile Image for Daniel Ray.
569 reviews14 followers
September 23, 2025
A British Christian missionary to China in the 1800s. He was the founder of the China Inland Mission (now OMF International). His organization brought over 800 missionaries to China. He was a medical doctor and established a hospital there. He was one of the most significant Europeans to visit China and lived there for over 50 years. He was successful because he recruited the Chinese to spread his faith to the inland population.
Profile Image for Sarah.
Author 46 books458 followers
March 9, 2016
Yes, this book is best for younger readers, but it is a good overview of a man who lived his life for Christ. He did what God asked him to do, even when it was foolishness to others.
Profile Image for Leilani Curtis.
153 reviews20 followers
February 17, 2025
Encouraging story of a faithful follower of Christ. Enjoyed this as a read-aloud with my preteens. 💛
Profile Image for Kaden.
185 reviews3 followers
November 6, 2023
This was a very easy read! Definitely written for a younger audience, but it still told the captivating story of Hudson Taylor pioneering missions to inland China. It read more as a narrative rather than a biography, so be cautious of that if you're interested more in a biography style book. Would recommend for anyone learning about missions history and wanting to understand the life and convictions of Hudson Taylor.
Profile Image for Nick Lees.
65 reviews2 followers
June 24, 2025
An easy, yet impactful read. These books are written for kids but adults will benefit from them too. I am both challenged and encouraged by the example of faithful men like Hudson Taylor. His complete dependence on the Lord is unlike anything I've known. His commitment to prayer brings much glory to God as the prayers are answered. I hope to read all of this series.
Profile Image for Jamie Pearce.
35 reviews
February 2, 2024
Hard to rate this one. I loved learning about Hudson Taylor and am greatly challenged by his life. This is a kids/teenager series but is still long enough (200 pages). Taylor seemed to have some convictions or ways of deciding things that I might not agree with, and I wasn't sure if some of the author's theological views unhelpfully conveyed him. I get the feeling that contemporary-pentecostal christians will think Hudson thought a lot like they do, but I'm not entirely convinced... (Until I learn more). A little sentence at the end of the book saying that Hudson was reading the bible for his forty-something time made me think this guy might be more driven in decision making by moral conviction from the Bible than by 'hearing from God' or following feelings/promptings. Knowing the book is published by YWAM gives me pause. Yet I'd read it again for sure. What a man of God Hudson Taylor was; can't wait to meet him in heaven :).
Profile Image for Cary.
149 reviews38 followers
November 2, 2015
During our book study of The Making of a Leader: Recognizing the Lessons and Stages of Leadership Development with my Bible Study leader last year, I’ve learned that reading Christian literature, especially about the life of great Christian missionaries, can be one of the ways to help us grow and mature in our spiritual life. Though I’ve already read a lot of Christian books back then, I know that I haven’t tried reading any biography book. Since then, I’ve made a resolve to make it my goal to read the Biography of a famous Christian missionary at least once in my life.

So when I saw a copy of this book during the OFM Literature Bulk Sale, I decided to buy it and promised to read it and learn about the life of Hudson Taylor. I don’t know who Hudson Taylor was back then but I bought it anyway. Now that I finally managed to learn about Hudson Taylor’s life, I can say that reading his biography is really worth my time. Besides, reading this book is really timely for me, now that I’m learning to recall and pursue the vision that God has put in heart and make it become a reality.
Hudson Taylor was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission (CIM, now OMF International).  He was born on 21 May 1832 in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England. The Story begins with the scene in Hudson’s first visit to China. Then it was followed by the chronological account of Hudson’s life from his childhood, then to the time he committed his life to Christ and accepted the calling of going to China as a missionary, up to the time of reaping the fruit of his mission and finally, his death.

Hudson was born into a Christian family but he didn’t become a Christian until he was 17. His salvation story was a product of faithful prayer of his mother and his sister. One afternoon, when he was particularly feeling bored, he decided to pick up a religious booklet from their bookshelf and tried to read it to keep himself busy. He knew that the booklet he was reading has a Gospel message at the end of the story so he promised to himself that he will only read the first part. Little did he know that during the same time he was reading the booklet, her mother was fervently praying for him,asking God to make his son become a Christian. After several hours of praying, peace came over her and she knew that God answered her prayer. On that same moment, Hudson became so engrossed with the booklet he was reading that he couldn’t seem to get a certain phrase out of his mind. He thought about the phrase “the finished work of Christ” at great length. Then he finally concluded that if it was already a finished work, then there was nothing he could do but to accept that finished work. So at that very moment, he finally invited Jesus Christ to come into his life. From then on, Hudson became a changed person and he became devoted to God. Then one day, as he continued to pray and read his Bible, he received from God the one single word that would become the focal point of every major decision he would make for the rest of his life – China. 

Hudson knew that God wants him to become a missionary in China so from then on, his life began to focus on China. Every decision and every activity became valuable only if it will make him move closer to his goal. When he was finally able to realize his goal and set his foot in China, he learned that following God and carrying out his mission is not easy. But he persevered and established the China Inland Mission (CIM) because he knew there were millions of people in China who needed to hear the message of Jesus Christ. Up to his last breath, Hudson served the Lord by reaching out to thousands of Chinese people in inland China in order for them to hear the Gospel of Christ.
As I’ve said earlier, reading Hudson Taylor’s life is truly a timely blessing for me. Hudson Taylor is a perfect example of a single-minded man who is wholeheartedly devoted to God and very committed to the Great Commission. Because of Hudson’s obedience, God blessed and established his ministry which continues to grow up to this very day. What I really admire about Hudson is his amazing faith and trust in God and his commitment to prayer. Because of him, I was really inspired to become more faithful in prayer. These are some of lessons I learned from Hudson’s life:
a. Never underestimate the power of prayer. The prayers of Hudson’s mother and sister, Amelia became instrumental to his conversion. Make that commitment to pray for your lost friends and loved ones because God gladly wants to answer that prayer.
b. Persecutions and criticisms are always part of the journey but don’t let them discourage you in pursuing the vision that God has given to you. Hudson met a lot of bashers and critics along the way but he didn’t let him distract him from the work that God has assigned to him. He knows where the orders are coming from so he knows who to trust and to whom he should listen to.
c. When  you make that commitment to follow Christ, expect that you will be moving all the time. In all of Hudson’s 7 decades of stay here on earth, I’ve noticed that he didn’t stay in a single place for a long time. He was constantly moving, depending on the leading of the Holy Spirit. So if we want to follow the same journey as Hudson, expect a series of God’s planting and uprooting from one place to another in  your life.
Yeah, I cried at the end of Hudson’s life. Not because I’m sad but because I’m filled with joy with the knowledge that he was able to finish the race well. Today, the church he had established has grown so much and continues to expand to reach more people to Christ.
Profile Image for Kristina .
1,324 reviews74 followers
February 25, 2023
I was interested in learning more about Hudson Taylor, a missionary to China, and after finishing this book I'm left with the same interest. I knew this series was geared toward a middle grade audience, but it reads young. There were also many instances where the facts were editorialized, which turned me off from trying any other biographies in the series.

Overall, a good introduction to Taylor but very much lacking for what I wanted from a biography.
Profile Image for Heidi.
377 reviews28 followers
January 19, 2021
I wish we had read one of Dr. Taylor's autobiographies in lieu of this. The writing is only acceptable and I didn't realize before we started it that he had written a few books. It is a decent overview of his life story but a first-hand account would likely have been better.
Profile Image for Keri.
368 reviews34 followers
September 30, 2025
Love this series! I listened on audiobook and plan to use the paperback as a family read aloud with the kids soon. Excellent telling of Hudson Taylor's life, mission, and determination to trust the Lord to provide for his needs.
Profile Image for Riley.
48 reviews66 followers
Read
October 10, 2025
3 stars

had to read for school but it was interesting
Profile Image for Donna Pincince .
332 reviews6 followers
September 28, 2019
I love this series and how they show the struggles and the hard moments. It's an encouragement that they were real people who did big things when they trusted God.
Profile Image for Trevor Larson.
42 reviews1 follower
August 23, 2023
Not what I expected. This book laid out Hudson's journey leading up to his work in China and a little bit in China. However, I enjoy reading biographies and seeing how people dealt with struggles
Profile Image for Leah Fields.
41 reviews1 follower
April 12, 2024
Cried so many times. I love learning about believers from the past. “You can trust God too little, but you can never trust God too much.” Love his life and his story of faithfulness and determination!
Profile Image for Kyanna.
210 reviews
March 15, 2016
This story helped me gain faith that I didn't know I was lacking. Easy read and tremendously beautiful life to learn from. #china
Profile Image for Adam Balshan.
673 reviews18 followers
June 4, 2020
4 stars [Biography]
#3 in genre, out of 31

The best, abbreviated biography of Hudson Taylor I have read, out of three. I have not yet read the large, 2-volume biography of him. This is also the most well-written of five missionary biographies I have read from Janet and Geoff Benge.

Writing: 4 stars
Clean writing in prose, pacing, and segue. Detail was excellent, and included sensory details which made the narrative two or three times as alive as Taylor's autobiography or Thomson's abbreviated biography.

Use: 3.75 stars
As an abbreviated biography, it is not comprehensive enough to warrant a place as an authoritative book. The bibliography does include the large, 2-volume biography by the Taylors, and more detail seems to make it into this book as a result. The organization Taylor founded, China Inland Mission, was a watershed event in modern Chinese history; this and decent tracking of Chinese history affords a Use rating not typical to biographies.

Truth: 4.5 stars
Again surpassing the other two biographies, the stunning truths of Taylor's paradigm of enculturation, trust in God for resources, and worldwide mobilization are presented well.

Plot: 3.75 stars
The better sensory detail in the writing, and several episodes not relayed in the other two biographies, make for a slightly better plot. Two episodes in particular were [1] a thorough account of the ship Lammermuir which took the 2nd wave to China, the salvation of virtually its whole crew, and the miraculous weathering of the typhoon, and [2] the murderous mob breaking into their barricaded house in Yangchow, and their last-second escape.
Profile Image for Stacy.
672 reviews11 followers
November 26, 2018
This has been my favorite so far in this series! I read this book to my 6th grade son and 7th grade daughter for the curriculum we are using: My Father’s World: 1850 to Modern times as we are studying China during this time period. My two children really enjoyed this as well.

Hudson Taylor was an amazing leader and man of God! He let nothing stop him or get in his way! He was determined to go to China and decided medicine was the path that would lead him there. His sacrifice and faith during his medical training just amazed me! Then all the tragedy and danger he experienced while he was in China made my jaw drop time and time again. He even wore the Chinese traditional clothing and cut and dyed his hair to fit into the culture so he could more easily bring the message of Christ to the people without being a distraction.

Hudson Taylor lived his life with no regrets and will be greatly rewarded in heaven. I try to read biographies of great men and women, who lived not for the pleasures of this world but instead for building up treasures in heaven, to my children. Hudson Taylor is definitely a man I would want my sons to look up to as a hero. He had such a heart for listening to God’s Will in his life no matter the cost!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Stephen Rose.
321 reviews50 followers
February 8, 2023
This missionary biography follows Hudson Taylor into China, during the mid-1800s civil war known as the Taiping Rebellion.

Personally, these are the missionary stories that most interest me. Although Taylor isn’t involved in the civil war, we see some of its devastating consequences, with a specific observation that civilians are the primary casualty of war.

Also, as Taylor tried to blend in better, we see some interesting social repercussions of English meddling in China through politics and opium.


⚠️ Parental Warning ⚠️
Even though I can appreciate the work of missionaries, I do feel that I still need to be a bit nitpicky when it comes to any theological implications:
There is some focus on someone praying at the exact moment of conversion, and for three times a day.
There is also a focus on having faith to not ask for wages owed, as if it is a lack of faith to simply ask or remind the employer. Even the employer says at one point, “I wish you’d asked because I forgot.” (Paraphrase mine)

As mentioned before, with the war discussed, there is a lot of death mentioned.
Prostitutes are briefly mentioned.
A rumor is started that a particular group of people eat babies.
Profile Image for Jasmine Pulley.
95 reviews1 follower
November 10, 2023
Engaging read aloud for the kids (mine are aged 5.5 and 7.5). I think they were most compelled by the beginning where Hudson gave his life to Christ and became a changed man. The beginning parts had a lot of logistics of gathering funds, taking ships, etc, and getting to china which felt like we slogged through a bit, but was cool to see how they were provided for. I thought the ending was the most impactful for all of us. I wondered if the death of his 3 children and wife would be too much for them, but they seemed to understand it, and the ending of his second wife’s life was especially impactful for me, where she said, “I’m nearly home. What will it be to be there!”
I do think at times though, the concept of what it meant to be a missionary was a bit lost on the kids, so I’m not entirely sure what I was left wanting but I wonder if there were ways of bringing that to life better.
152 reviews
September 13, 2021
I have mixed feelings about this book. In the beginning, my daughter and I found the young Hudson Taylor to be a bit annoying. Even though he had a paycheck waiting for him, he decided not to remind his boss about the money to see if God would provide for him. I certainly think God can and does provide, but I didn't like Hudson's way of repeatedly testing God to see if He would come through.

However, once Hudson got to China, the story was more enjoyable. In the end, as I often find with YWAM books, I felt that Taylor's life was glossed over. I would like to have known more about his life after he remarried, but very little was said. I think the Benges focused a bit too much on his early life before he even makes it to China and glossed over too much of his later life.
Profile Image for Emily Fazakerley.
75 reviews2 followers
August 14, 2023
Hudson Taylor is proof that a life lived in obedience to the Lord will never be dull...however, at times I found this book a bit slow, and I'm not sure I agreed with some of Hudson's ideas of obedience. That being said, this is a children's biography, so perhaps it was difficult to synthesize his complex and sometimes tragic life into a book that was appropriate for kids.

I only ended up taking away one star because I did still enjoy the book overall. I found it encouraging, especially Hudson's realization that even if he and the other missionaries died, it would all be for good. Even if one Chinese man got saved from dozens of missionaries' efforts, it would be worth it. And the Lord provided an even more abundant harvest than that. God is good ALL the time!
7 reviews
March 26, 2025
A few years after Hudson Taylor turned 16 he started work as an assistant to a London doctor and the doctor would pay him his payday every four months but once in a while the doctor forgot so Hudson reminded him and one time Hudson decided to see how long it would take before the doctor would remember that his payday was due.
Multiple years later when he went to China, China had been in a war for quite a while and when he got off the boat and tried to find a place that he could rent, he found that he wasn't able to because all of the rented houses, somebody had rented already because the war had destroyed many houses.
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