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.

Copyright © 2012 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

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.

News

Is the Lord's Prayer a Christian Prayer?

News

Nontraditional Believers Recover Christian Community

Defending Scripture. Literally.

News

Violence in Nigeria: Breaking the Country's Fatal Deadlock

Discipling the Eyes Through Art in Worship

Review

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

Review

Tolerance—Or Else: Coercive Attempts to Impose Secular Beliefs

Editorial

How Pastors' Ponzis Affect Our Gospel Witness

News

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

Review

Blue Like Jazz

Do Pets Go to Heaven?

Becoming Donald Miller

What Good Grief Looks Like When a Daughter Dies

Excerpt

Connecting Christ

News

Sex Sect The Family Cleans House

News

Go Figure

Jesus Disappoints Everyone

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

News

Quotation Marks

News

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

News

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

News

Contract Concern: USAID Policy on Hiring Alarms Charities

Review

October Baby

Jeremy Lin, Tim Tebow, Josh Hamilton: Muscular Christianity's Newest Heroes

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

Review

Wrecking Ball

Review

The Clearing

Review

Feathers & Twine

Review

Songs of Praise & Scorn

View issue

Our Latest

What Another Trump Presidency Means To Evangelicals Around the World

Christian leaders from Nepal to Turkey greet the US election results with joy, grief, and indifference.

Our Faith’s Future Depends on Discipleship

The Lausanne Movement’s State of the Great Commission report details where and how Christianity is growing. 

News

Trump’s Promised Mass Deportations Put Immigrant Churches on Edge

Some of the president-elect’s proposals seem unlikely, but he has threatened to remove millions of both undocumented and legal immigrants.

God Is Faithful in Triumph and Despair

I voted for Kamala Harris and mourn her loss. But I want to keep politics in its proper place, subordinate to Jesus.

Vance’s Chance

How VP-elect JD Vance could build a bridge between populism and Christian conservatism.

How to Pray for Persecuted Christians

Leaders from Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa offer guidance on interceding for believers suffering for their faith.

‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ Could Be A Classic

The new movie from Dallas Jenkins is at times too on the nose—but also funny, heartfelt, and focused on Jesus.

News

Trump’s Path to Victory Still Runs Through the Church

The former president held on to the white evangelical vote while making gains among Catholics and Hispanic Christians.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube