Books

My Top 5 Books on Christianity in North Korea

Picks from Carl Moeller, CEO of Open Doors USA and coauthor of ‘The Privilege of Persecution’

Escape from North Korea: A Desperate Quest for Food, Love and Life Paul Estabrooks (Open Doors)

This true, riveting story documents a North Korean family’s improbable journey from life under the brutal regime of the late Kim Jong-Il to freedom and newfound faith in Jesus Christ.

Escaping North Korea: Defiance and Hope in the World’s Most Repressive Country Mike Kim (Rowman & Littlefield)

The author vividly describes his work with refugees along the North Korean/Chinese border and Christians’ role in bringing light to this dark country.

The Orphan Master’s Son: A Novel Adam Johnson (Random House)

This secular narrative reveals that Christian ministries impacted Kim Jong-Il’s innermost circles. It poignantly describes a woman captured smuggling Bibles who sings Jesus songs while tortured.

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea Barbara Demick (Spiegel & Grau)

Demick, the Los Angeles Times‘s Seoul bureau chief, narrates North Korean defectors’ lives over 15 years. An Open Doors colleague recommends this as a primer on the world’s number one persecutor of Christians.

The Good Doctor: Bringing Healing to the Hopeless Sai R. Park, M.D. (Biblica Publishing)

This hope-filled story of a Christian Korean American doctor who built and staffed a hospital in Pyongyang offers proof that Christians can still significantly impact the people of the world’s most restricted country.

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Related Elsewhere:

Carl Moeller is coauthor of the book The Privilege of Persecution.

Escape from North Korea, Escaping North Korea, The Orphan Master’s Son, Nothing to Envy, and The Good Doctor are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com, and other retailers.

Previous Christianity Today coverage of North Korea includes:

North Korean Christians Unlikely to Fare Better Under New Leader | Observers doubt world’s worst persecutor of Christians will shift back toward “Jerusalem of the East.” (October 1, 2010)

What Robert Park Learned in North Korea | The activist on why he entered the country & what he hopes for now. An exclusive interview. (August 30, 2010)

Feeding Hope Under a Rogue Regime | Christian outreach to North Koreans helps to keep millions from starving. (August 14, 2009)

Q&A: Carl Moeller | The president and CEO of Open Doors USA updated CT on North Korea, which the group ranks as the world’s worst persecutor of Christians. (April 20, 2009)

CT also has more books, film, and music reviews.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

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Defending Scripture. Literally.

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Violence in Nigeria: Breaking the Country's Fatal Deadlock

Discipling the Eyes Through Art in Worship

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Polarizing Politics by Defending the Declaration

Chuck Colson: Evangelicals Should Be Uniters, Not Dividers

'God Is Not a Genie in a Bottle': Ways We Misuse the Bible

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Tolerance—Or Else: Coercive Attempts to Impose Secular Beliefs

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How Pastors' Ponzis Affect Our Gospel Witness

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Mass Appeal: Evangelicals Copy More of Catholic Playbook to Oppose Contraception Ruling

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Blue Like Jazz

Do Pets Go to Heaven?

Becoming Donald Miller

What Good Grief Looks Like When a Daughter Dies

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Connecting Christ

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Sex Sect The Family Cleans House

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Go Figure

Jesus Disappoints Everyone

Proof of a Good God: 'Crucified Under Pontius Pilate'

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Quotation Marks

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The Problem 'Son': Debate Continues Over Translating 'Son of God' for Muslims

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Passages

Letters to the Editor

Journaling Grief: How Web-Based Publishing Is Changing Everything

Jesus Through Jewish Eyes

Books to Note

Wilson's Bookmarks

Employers Can Limit Employees' Speech, TBN’s Lawsuit, Bar Boots Catholic Group, and More News

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Interview: Why Sarah Macintosh Ran Away from CCM and Went Back

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Wrecking Ball

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The Clearing

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Feathers & Twine

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Songs of Praise & Scorn

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