Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Howard Taylor, Maria Taylor; Edited and Revised by Gregg Lewis (1932)
This much-shortened version of the two-volume biography of Hudson Taylor is a must-read for anyone interested in missions, biography, or history–and I do not recommend such things lightly. Few of us have time these days to enjoy double-volumes of anything, so when you can get your hands on an official summary by the same authors, go for it!
Note: this post includes Amazon affiliate links.
I personally did slough my way through the enormous biography written by Taylor’s son and daughter-in-law, and I felt they detailed far too much minutia about his life, as if their editor failed to tell them when enough was enough. In Spiritual Secret, however, Howard Taylor finally got the memo on overwriting, and he has filled this tiny book with every major nugget he could mine out of the original biography. And what precious stones they are.
Hudson Taylor is a hero of mine. I’ve studied him deeply, and have even taken the opportunity to present his life in church gatherings as a way of inspiring others to count the cost and go into all the world to make disciples.
Taylor was a man whose life was, by choice and divine intervention, built on faith. In preparation for his missions work in China, he purposefully forewent regular income by refusing to ask for financial help from anyone (including late pay from his own employer!), and he limited his diet to what he thought might be his only sustenance overseas. This process and prayer prepared him for his first term only partially, but that first term–with all its worldly missionaries, war-infested cities, illnesses, and salary-less years–prepared him entirely for his ultimate lifetime in the lost land of China.
Perhaps you’re already familiar with Hudson Taylor’s purposeful transformation into the dress and lifestyle of the common 19th century Chinese—queue and all. Such an inspired decision set him apart from the traditional, cliquish missionaries within the gated communities of Shanghai, and his methodologies were the early roots of what’s now an accepted norm, what missiologists call “acculturation” or “indigenization.” For Hudson Taylor, though, it was merely common sense. He craved to reach as many Chinese souls as possible, and he did so the best he knew how: through prayer, wisdom, and friendship.
Such a life and ministry are well worth studying, and they’re well depicted here in Spiritual Secrets. It’s worth reading yourself and also worth donating to your church library. Share the wealth!
©2011 E.T.
Read more by and about Hudson Taylor:
- Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Howard Taylor, Mria Taylor, and Gregg Lewis (1932)
- Hudson Taylor and Maria by J.C. Pollock (1962)
- From Faith to Faith: The Influence of Hudson Taylor on the Faith Missions Movement by Daniel W. Bacon (1984)
- Heroes of Faith and Courage: Hudson Taylor by Marlee Alex (1995)
- Daring Dependence by M.R. Conrad (2022)