Sources - Anchored to Infinity by Christian Chen

Overview

Published in 1995, this short book was the first to present M. E. Barber’s history and poems in English. Outside of the original publication of The Verses of a Pilgrim and a few hymns included in several hymnals, it appears that there was not any earlier official publication.

This short book consists of a biographical sketch and forty-two of Miss Barber’s poems. Both sections are invaluable. The sketch bears a clear resemblance to “the anonymous source” that was translated and printed by James Reetzke printed in his first book. The poem collection is less exhaustive than what is provided in A Seed Sown In China.

However, when comparing Chen’s forty-two poems with The Verses of a Pilgrim, we find that he preserved the original publication. This is hugely helpful. Only the table of contents of Verses of a Pilgrim can be find online, and Miss Ballord published the poems by their titles which have long fallen out of use. Some of Miss Barber’s poems even share the same title. Anchored to Infinity, then, is the only way to verify which poems bear which titles. It also clarifies which of A Seed Sown in China’s poems were found outside of the original collection.

Where to buy

This work is currently out of print, but the publishers can be contacted at Living Word Publications.

Acknowledgement

Living Word Publications has kindly granted permission to reproduce Chen’s Foreword throughout the site. His research has provided many anecdotes from Miss Barber’s last stage of ministry.

Notes mentioning this note

Comparing Verses of a Pilgrim with Anchored to Infinity
The Verses of a Pilgrim includes a title at the beginning of each poem. We were only able to find...
Poems - God is Faithful
This short poem is not included in *[[Sources - A Seed Sown In China by James Reetzke A Seed Sown...
Poems - He Looked For A City
The version published in *[[Sources - Anchored to Infinity by Christian Chen Anchored to Infinity]]* has a different chorus; it...

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