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Steppe by SteppeSTEPPE BY STEPPE Exciting things are happening in Mongolia. Since the political changes of 1990 many churches have been planted. I was able to visit one five months ago; in the intervening period the attendance has doubled in size. Some Christians who live and work there are speaking of this being God's time for Mongolia. But it is far from being the first time that Christianity has impacted the Mongolian people. This book, published in conjunction with OMF International and Interserve, traces the history of 'Christian mission to both the country we know today as Mongolia and to Inner Mongolia which is part of modern China. The story begins as far back as the 7th century. 'Christian' is used in this book in a rather broad sense and embraces, for example, the endeavours of Jesuits, Lazarists and other RC missions as well as those of evangelicals like James Gilmour, Reginald Sturt, Mildred Cable and the French sisters. The author interweaves into his historical account incidents from the years he himself worked in Mongolia in the early 1990s and from subsequent visits. The book is packed with factual information which perhaps reflects its origin in a MTh thesis. I was disappointed that apart from that of the most recent years, there is little attempt to assess the spiritual value of the work recounted, or the nature of the message being taught. Were the RC missions, for example, teaching the genuine gospel and producing genuine Christian converts? However, in spite of this shortcoming, Hugh Kemp's book tells a fascinating story, and provides essential background for anyone who wants to understand what is happening in this remote country today. Peter Seccombe,
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