cover image Chairman Mao Meets the Apostle Paul: Christianity, Communism, and the Hope of China

Chairman Mao Meets the Apostle Paul: Christianity, Communism, and the Hope of China

Khiok-Khng Yeo. Brazos Press, $29.99 (304pp) ISBN 978-1-58743-034-3

This book explores the impact of Marxist politics and culture on China's traditions, particularly its theological worldview. It is equal parts Christian apologetic (with Yeo using the ideas of the Apostle Paul to challenge Mao's theories of society and utopianism) and academic text. Yeo, a Chinese biblical scholar, writes well, but the book is too specialized for the general reader. (""Sinification,"" ""tropological"" and ""a-utopian"" are not words that trip lightly off the tongue.) However, scholars will value his thorough approach, skill at comparative thinking, clear distinction between Marxism and Maoism (two ideologies that are often conflated) and deep knowledge of Christian theology. (May)