Isobel Kuhn

My wife likes Isobel Kuhn and so, after 10 years of marriage, I've just read 'By Searching', the first volume of her autobiography. It tells  the story from her going to college to her leaving for China. I feared it would be a kind of Christianised 'Anne of Green Gables'.  If I'm honest it's a bit too mystical for me. Too many accounts of opening the Bible at random and finding an appropriate verse. If only preparation for sermons were that easy. There's something about autobiographies which I struggle with. Anyway my wife loves this book so I finally read it.

There are some fantastic things about it. Firstly the opening page:

''Of course no one in this enlightened age believes any more in the myths of Genesis and ... '' But here Dr. Sedgewick paused in his lecture as if a second thought had occurred. With a twinkle in his eye, he said, ''Well, maybe I had better test it out, before being so dogmatic.'' Facing the large freshman class, who were hanging on his words, and pulling his  face into gravity, he asked: ''Is there anyone here who believes there is a Heaven and a Hell? Who believes that the story of Genesis is true? Please raise your hand, '' and he waited.

Up went my hand as bravely as I could muster courage. I also looked around to see if I had a comrade in my stand. Only one other hand was up, in all that big group of perhaps a hundred students. Dr. Sedgewick smiled. Then, as if sympathetic with our embarrassment, he conceded: ''Oh, you just believe that because your papa and your mama told you so.'' He then proceeded with his lecture, assuming once for all, that no thinking human believed the bible any more.''

Nothing has changed has it, really?

Secondly, Isobel Kuhn went away from the Lord, having gone to College and facing the challenge of liberalism her faith crumbled. 7 years later at the request of her mother she went along to an adult Sunday school in the church. The man sitting behind her leaned forward and said 'Isobel it's great to see you I've been praying for you for the past 7 years.'  It was this the Lord used to bring her back. We don't know his name, we know nothing else about him but that he spent 7 years praying for a lost sheep to come back. It's inspirational.

Thirdly, someone wrote a reference for Isobel saying she was proud, disobedient and likely to be a trouble maker. The reference was unfair and undeserved but she told her friend Roy B. His response was

''Isobel what surprised me most of all was your attitude in this matter. You sound bitter and resentful. Why, if anyone had said to me 'Roy B. you are proud, disobedient and a trouble maker,' I would answer: 'Amen, brother! And even then you haven't said the half of it!' What good thing is there in any of us anyway? We only have the victory over these things as we bring them one by one to the Cross and ask our Lord to crucify it for us.''

Credit where credit is due to Roy B.  Most of us are so full of self pity and stung by criticism when it comes, we need faithful friends like Roy B.

I find missionary biographies are slightly difficult to read and guilt inducing but they are worth it. People like Isobel Kuhn and Carl Trueman, who've given up so much, includung comfortable living, to suffer in far off lands are always worth reading.