This is an intensely dramatic autobiography of one of China's house church leaders, a man who, despite his relative youth, (he is in his mid forties) has suffered prolonged torture and imprisonment for his faith. The book challenges any complacency about the situation in China: persecution is a daily reality for millions. This is the story of how God took a young, half-starved boy from a poor village in Henan province and used him mightily to preach the gospel despite intense persecution.

The book The Heavenly Man was awarded the Christian Book of the Year in 2003 The title comes from the name by which Brother Yun was known amongst the house church networks. He gained that name from one night of interrogation when he would only answer "I am a heavenly man!", instead of revealing his true name, in order to protect other Christians from the police.