Dubbedthe“BillySundayofChina“forthestaggeringnumberofpeopleheledtoChrist,JohnSonghascapturedtheimaginationofgenerationsofreaders.Hisstory,asitbecamepopularintheWest,possessedmemorable,ifnotnecessarilytrue,elements:SongwasconvertedwhilehestudiedinNewYorkatUnionTheologicalSeminaryin1927,buthismodernistprofessorsplacedhiminaninsaneasylumbecauseofhisfundamentalism;uponhisrelease,hereturnedtoChinaanddrewenormouscrowdsasheintroducedhundredsofthousandsofpeopletotheOld-TimeReligion.InJohnSong:ModernChineseChristianityandtheMakingofaNewMan,DarylIrelandupendsconventionalimagesofJohnSongandtheologicallyconservativeChineseChristianity.Workingwithneverbeforeusedsources,thisgroundbreakingbookpaintsthepictureofamanwhostruggledalongsidehisChinesecontemporariestofindawaytosavetheirnation.Unlikereformerswhoattemptedtoupdateancienttraditions,andrevolutionarieswhotriedtoescapethepastaltogether,SonghammeredoutthecontoursofamodernChineselifeinthefurnaceofhisrevivals.Withsharpstorytellingandcarefulanalysis,IrelandrevealshowSongingeniouslyreformulatedtheChristianfaithsothatitwastransformativeandtransferrablethroughoutChinaandSoutheastAsia.Itcreatednewmenandwomenwhothrivedintheregion’snewlyglobalizedcities.Song’sstyleofChristianitycontinuestoproveresilientandstillanimatestheextraordinarygrowthoftheChinesechurchtoday.
