From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Christian Missions (Hardcover)

~ Ruth A. Tucker (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A long-awaited revised edition of a highly acclaimed textbook on the history of Christian missions by one of the most respected missiologists of our day.

From the Back Cover

This is history at its best. From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya is readable, informative, gripping, and above all honest.

From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya helps readers understand the life and role of a missionary through real life examples of missionaries throughout history. We see these men and women as fallible and human in their failures as well as their successes. These great leaders of missions are presented as real people, and not super-saints. This second edition covers all 2,000 years of mission history with a special emphasis on the modern era, including chapters focused on the Muslim world, Third World missions, and a comparison of missions in Korea and Japan. It also contains both a general and an "illustration" index where readers can easily locate particular missionaries, stories, or incidents. New design graphics, photographs, and maps help make this a compelling book.

From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya is as informative and intriguing as it is inspiring—an invaluable resource for missionaries, mission agencies, students, and all who are concerned about the spreading of the gospel throughout the world.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; 2 edition (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310239370
• ISBN-13: 978-0310239376
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #163,293 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Simple Account of Christian Missionary History, May 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya (Paperback)

This is a very readable account of the history of missions. The author seemed to recount history without any favoritism, something that I could not easily do (there were a lot of pathetic missionaries in the past.) The book really showed the amazing sacrifice that many missionaries have made in the past to spread the Gospel.

The only major complaint I would have about this book can be found in the title. Irian Jaya no longer bears that name. The area is now known as West Papua. This shows that the book is fairly old and there has been a lot of exciting missionary activity since the writing of the book (1983).

This is a great book on the history of missions. The author starts with the apostle Paul and works her way all into the 1980's. Ruth Tucker writes in a very easy-to-read style. The book recounts many amazing stories about amazing people who desired to bring the gospel to the `ends of the earth'. Most of these men and women were faithful, effective missionaries. But others have been faithful but ineffective. As a missionary in training, I found the book helpful as I analyzed all the different situations and encounters that the missionaries found themselves in. I can learn from their successes and their mistakes. I would recommend this book to anyone (should be everyone) involved in missions.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ever Dream of a Missionary Journey?, October 15, 2000

By	Dave Tucker "daveoutdoors" (Salt Lake City, UT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya (Paperback)

Enjoy a well written text book of Christian missions, from the eariliest beginnings to modern history. From the Apostle Paul, to Jim Elliott, each story will help you understand what the mission field is all about. It is so exciting to read about Patrick becoming a missionary to Ireland or Hudson Taylor going to China. It is exciting to read about David Livingston exploring Africa and William Carey in India. The book has exciting sections about Medical Missions, Single Women Missionaries, Twentified Century Martyrs and my favorite Missionary Aviation. Reading this masterpiece, you will learn by about these great men and women of God, how you too, can be an effective missionary. Learn about their trials they had to experience. From the South Seas, the Americas and to the remotest places on earth these missionaries traveled. Some lived long lives and others died for the cause of Christ. Some were even eating by cannibals. You can learn alot from their lives. This is must reading for every Christian in the world!!!

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Reference Material, January 23, 2004

By	Amanda Porick "Mandie Porick" (Wheaton, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya (Paperback)

This book was required for a college class at Moody Bible Institute (www.moody.edu). The author did a great job of caputring some of the interesting missionary characters over the years. No life is glossed over with flowery words or unrealistic statements. The good and bad facts are presented here.

Definitely an interesting read if you like history and missions. Good to read in short spurts as its set up similar to an encyclopedia. You can look up your missionary, read his or her blurb, and then skip around without missing much. I cannot think of a missionary that Ruth Tucker missed. She did a great job researching this book. Many missionaries I had never heard of with awesome stories are recorded here.