Why Hudson Taylor Dyed His Hair Black

Knowing millions of people were dying every year never having heard the name of Jesus, Hudson Taylor committed his life to sharing the Gospel with the people of China.  

He was 21 years old when he arrived in China, only four years after becoming a Christian. On one trip to the interior of the country, Taylor stopped at nearly sixty settlements that had never been visited by a Protestant missionary. 

As he traveled and shared the Gospel, Taylor noticed people were more interested in observing his English dress and manners than in hearing the message. He then realized the importance of practicing culturally relevant evangelism so he adopted both Chinese dress and culture. 

Becoming all things

After adopting local dress style and nearly blinding himself applying black hair dye, Hudson more easily blended with those in whom he was seeking to reach with God’s love. He wrote, “You would not know me were you to meet me in the street… I am not suspected of being a foreigner.” Hudson followed the example of the apostle Paul who said,

I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel.
-1 Corinthians 9:22-23

China inland mission

With the help of his wife, Maria, Hudson founded China Inland Mission (CIM) and recruited men and women from the working class to share the Gospel with people living in inland China. The initial fifteen missionaries sent out with CIM were expected to adopt the dress and culture of the locals in which they were evangelizing. They were also expected to rely on God to meet their material needs rather than receiving a missionary salary. 

Over the next 30 years, China Inland Mission (later renamed Overseas Missionary Fellowship) expanded to every province in China and had over 640 missionaries, eventually growing into the largest foreign mission organization in the world by 1914. Taylor’s greatest influence was with the thousands of like-minded missionaries of the CIM and later, faith missions who sought to evangelize the “unreached inland frontiers.” 

Do you have a passion to reach those who do not yet know the Gospel? Are you willing to be culturally relevant as you share the Gospel?