Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Foreword by Brian Stanley

Acknowledgments

List of Abbreviations

Notes About the Lisu Language and Its Usage

Introduction: Tso Lo Hamlet

Voice: Mie Hui Qing

1. J. O. Fraser and the Beginnings of Lisu Christianity

2. Linguistic Borderlands

Voice: A-na

3. The Evangelization of the Nujiang Valley

Voice: Yu Ping An

4. Fixing the Boundaries

Voice: Isaiah

5. The Easter Festival

Voice: Timothy

6. “Let’s Pray for Each Other”

7. Copying the Bible by Torchlight

Voice: Jesse

8. Hymns of the Everlasting Hills

Voice: Naomi

9. Building the House of Prayer

Postscript

Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Aminta Arrington is Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies at John Brown University.

Reviews

“This original and insightful study of the indigenization of Christianity among Lisu communities in China’s southwestern borderlands is thoroughly researched, convincingly argued, and beautifully written. Aminta Arrington draws on extensive ethnographic information, archival materials, and local Lisu publications to contextualize the making of Lisu churches in the new century.”—Joseph Tse-Hei Lee, author of The Bible and the Gun: Christianity in South China, 1860–1900

“A compelling story about the contested Christianity embraced by the Lisu. The author shows how the Lisu have made translated Western hymns their own, how they express their faith in practices rather than in creeds, and how they perpetuate these practices, which serve as boundary markers that help maintain Lisu identity as one of fifty-five minorities in China.”—Michael Rynkiewich, author of Soul, Self, and Society: A Postmodern Anthropology for Mission in a Postcolonial World

“Songs of the Lisu Hills provides real insight into Lisu history and religious experience and into the theological possibilities behind those joyful songs.”—Nathan Faries Journal of Ecclesiastical History

“This book is highly readable and suitable for readers who are interested in ethnic Christianity in China. At the same time, its scholarly contribution stands out, especially in its anthropological approach to the situation of Lisu Christianity after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, which can effectively complement the historical research orientation of established studies. In addition, the book’s emphasis on a research perspective of world Christianity and the path of practicing Christianity is conducive to promoting the development of ethnic Christianity studies in China.”—Wei Xiong Religious Studies Review

“A fascinating blend of the Lisu’s Christian history, communal practices, and personal stories.”—Linda Banks and Robert Banks Mission Studies