Talk:Hudson Taylor

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[edit] List of Protestant missionaries in China

This list is duplicated (more or less) in several related articles. It would make sense to have a separate list article, and replace all such instances with a link to it. I have just been through a similar exercise for a List of China Inland Mission missionaries in China. DFH 19:41, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] 50,000 baptized is unfounded

This statistic is all over the internet. However, according to the back cover overview of Roger Steer's book "Hudson Taylor: A Man In Christ", he was responsible for about 18,000 Chinese professing faith in Christ. So, not sure where the 50,000 number came from but I have removed it and hopefully many other web sites will get corrected. Even if Taylor did take part in baptisms of other Chinese outside of the CIM, that's almost 1000 for every year he was in China - and that kind of constant activity is missing from his biographies. No doubt he personally baptized many.Brian0324 14:33, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

In the book "Martyred Missionaries of the China Inland Mission" published in 1901 it was estimated that there were nearly 200,000 baptized Protestant Christians in China. That was the work of all mission agencies combined. The same book publishes the current number of "adherents" for each mission - province by province. Considering that Taylor couldn't be at every station for every year with travel and furloughs, it is reasonable to assume that he had some help!Brian0324 17:15, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

There have been two separate anonymous edits that have stated the number of 125,000 Chinese converts due to Taylor. While he did not baptize 50,000 and there were only 18,000 converts associated with the CIM in 1905, the number 125,000 is too low if it is regarding the number of Christians in China after nearly 100 years of Protestant missionary work. In 1900, the estimate was 200,000 according to "Martyred Missionaries of the China Inland Mission" by Marshall Broomhall. But regardless of this unsourced number, it does not belong here in this article pertaining only to Taylor's ministry.Brian0324 16:42, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

Marshall Broomhall wrote in 1911 (six years after the death of Taylor):

It is now nearly forty-six years since Mr. Hudson Taylor yielded himself to God at Brighton for the leadership of this work, and forty-five years since the sailing of the Lammermuir Party. During these years some 36,500 Chinese have, in connection with the work of the C. I. M., publicly confessed Christ in baptism. Of these 36,500, nearly 18,000 (to be exact 17,954), were baptized during the thirty-five years which preceded the Boxer Rebellion, and the remaining 23,500 during the years which have succeeded that baptism of blood. It will be recognized that the last ten years have witnessed a considerable increase in baptisms as compared with the early years of pioneer work. But this is, of course, what would naturally be expected. The apparently barren years of ploughing and of seed-sowing are now bringing forth their harvest. The average number of baptisms per annum for the last ten years has been about 2,600.

(pages 281-282 of The China mission year book;Christian Literature Society for China; National Christian Council of China; Shanghai, 1911)Brian0324 21:25, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] List of Books?

The pictures of select books on Hudson Taylor don't seem to add much to the article, nor to be really that Encyclopedic. Are they really important to somebody, or does nobody mind if I take them off-perhaps instead putting a "Bibliography", with a list of all the books about him? What do people think?--Jdavid2008 20:58, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

I took it out, if its important to somebody they can put it back in, but I don't know if its that normal. We can make a "Bibliography" (with more books) if people want instead.--Jdavid2008 19:05, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

You're right. It's kind of borrowing from the rock-star articles with every album pictured that they ever recorded. Not really needed here for the encyclopedia.Brian0324 16:53, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Books about J. Hudson Taylor

Most of the images were removed by Gnome bots anyways :) I removed the old code from the talk place.

[edit] Name

For something over a year, i see that Taylor has been given the number III, which i question. Roger Steer's biography indicates that Hudson was his mother's maiden name; it would have been quite remarkable had it also been his father's and his grandfather's middle name. I'll leave it for the time being, but unless it can be shown to be correct, it ought to come out. Cheers, Lindsay 12:52, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

James Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) had a son, Herbert Hudson Taylor. Herbert had a son named James Hudson Taylor II, who had a son (still living in Hong Kong) James H. Taylor III. You are correct that Hudson was the maiden name of JH Taylor I's mother (Amelia Hudson who married James Taylor). The article doesn't give the number III to the first JH Taylor. Hope this helps.Brian0324 (talk) 14:40, 3 March 2008 (UTC)
Well, not to be contradictory, but it did give the number to the first. Based on your very clear explanation though (thank you), i have removed it from JHT (1832-1905). Cheers, Lindsay 14:46, 3 March 2008 (UTC)
this Chinese copy of Steer's book seems to indicate the Chinese characters the same way I am sadly ignorant of the Chinese, could you explain the difference? I think it would be good to include the Chinese characters for his name. Thanks!Brian0324 (talk) 14:58, 3 March 2008 (UTC)
Ah, now i understand. What showed in my browser as III was apparently some Chinese characters? My mistake; i apologise. I suppose it could be corrected, but it read very curiously for someone who doesn't do Chinese, i assure you. D'you want to revert me and put the characters back in? The trouble is, if it goes back, surely someone else will make the same mistake ~ after all, i'm not alone in my ignorance! Cheers, Lindsay 15:43, 3 March 2008 (UTC)
I've explored a bit, and discovered a template (ChineseText ~ it doesn't get much simpler than that!) which might be good to use, along with reverting my incorrect edit. I love Wikipedia: There's always something to learn. Cheers, Lindsay 15:50, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the correction & the template. Good call.Brian0324 (talk) 16:32, 3 March 2008 (UTC)