Chinese Law Poised to Curtail Non-profits

UPDATE, May 2, 2016

The law restricting foreign nongovernmental groups (NGOs, also called nonprofits) that the article below said was in process has become law.  The law seeks "to regulate and guide activities conducted by overseas funding agencies within mainland China, safeguard their lawful rights and interests, and promote exchanges and cooperation."   

The law puts a strong emphasis on protecting China's security: Article 5 of this new law mentioned that NGOs "must not endanger China's national unity, security, or ethnic unity; must not harm China's national interests, societal public interest and the lawful rights and interests of citizens, legal persons, and other organizations; [...] must not engage in or fund for-profit activities or political activities, and must not illegally engage in or fund religious activities."

Notice that the law insists that NGOs "must not illegally engage in or fund religious activities."  Decades ago China declared that it is illegal for non-Chinese Christian groups to evangelize in China or to help Chinese Christian groups.  This new law affirms that restriction.  (Read more about this law at China Topix.)

Please make this a recurring topic of conversation with our Father in heaven.  Ask him to continue to frustrate any barriers to the gospel in China.

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316NOW's original post:

China's national legislature is poised to vote the final week of April on a draft law criticized by overseas governments for tightening controls over foreign non-governmental groups by bringing them under direct police supervision.

Police Supervision

The proposed law requires that such groups accept police supervision and state the sources of their funding and how their budgets are spent, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday.

Police would also be permitted to interview administrators and force Chinese partner organizations to terminate any program considered a threat to state security, Xinhua said. Groups seeking to "subvert the state and split the nation" would be banned, it said.

World criticism

The proposed legislation has drawn criticism from U.S. and European officials and business and academic organizations concerned it would severely restrict the operations of a wide range of groups, further limiting the growth of civil society in China and hindering non-governmental exchanges between China and the rest of the world.

Law restricts Christian groups

This law could also be used to severely curtail the work of Christian groups, like 316NOW.  More than that, it will be used to identify and persecute the Christians these religious non-profits are working with in China.

Keep China’s 1.4 billion souls, 95% of which are not Christians, in your prayers.  Ask the Spirit to stand in the way of this legislation.  Ask for much more:  Ask that the gospel sweeps through China and brings hundreds of millions of souls to faith in God’s grace.  Finally, ask the Spirit to use 316NOW to boldly proclaim that gospel so the Chinese Christian leaders who are taught by us are empowered to proclaim forgiveness in Jesus to still more.

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Read the entire article at FoxNews.com.