Red Runs The River

Forward by
Dr. Thomas H. Stebbins,
Former Executive Director
International Evangelism Explosion
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Communism destroys. That was my conclusion after twenty years of missionary service in Vietnam. And Communism has a particular vendetta against the church of Jesus Christ. Through lies, threats, privation, torture, imprisonment, and persecution it hopes to stamp out the church. But Communism is a slow-learner. The more it persecutes the church, the more the church multiplies! Anthony G. Bollback has witnessed first-hand this amazing, glorious phenomenon. He illustrates it masterfully in Red Runs the River.

The first few pages, setting up the story, are spellbinders. You will have a difficult time putting the book down. As you read on you will begin to feel a little of what it is like to live and die for a faith that lasts forever.

Bollback draws the central characters in part from his memories of missionary life in China. You'll find him a skilled storyteller. But Anthony has another reason for using the fiction genre in this book. He needs to protect the identities of places where right now some of these exploits for God are happening and the humble servants of God who, by God's Spirit, are making them happen.

Here is an instructive, moving story of church growth in China despite the unbelievable obstacles. But the book is more. From beginning to end, it is packed with rewarding insights as to how believers—even American believers—can trust in God.

Red Runs the River is predicated on experience, passion, and principle. The author has had a fruitful missionary career in China, Hong Kong, and Japan. In addition, he has been an effective church-planter and pastor, a compassionate, respected church leader and the author of several other missionary books.

Red Runs the River is more that just a first-class love story. It is a wake-up call you can respond to. It combines truth, hope, and love in a drama built around authentic human situations. This story will challenge you to pray with greater understanding for your Christian brothers and sisters in China. You will gain a deeper appreciation for the amazing triumphs that Christ's persecuted Church is experiencing there.

It is a book calculated to build your faith. Even as it drives you to pray for the persecuted church in China—and in many other nations—its reports of church growth will encourage you.