NEWS//China’s official church harassed
As China continues to reshape the Christian church into a tool to promote its socialist agenda, not even officially sanctioned congregations are safe from harassment.
Bitter Winter examples
Bitter Winter, a magazine on religious liberty and human rights in China, reported on several Three-Self churches that have recently been destroyed or molested.
Muslim and Buddhist harassment
China is also harassing Muslims and Buddhists. Hundreds of thousands of Uyghur Muslims have been incarcerated (Washington Post). In Tibet, “any display of religious practices is being suppressed by the communist regime—from harassing monks and destroying temples to controlling which lamas are allowed to reincarnate” (Bitter Winter).
Local police wrecked East Street Church in Central China’s Henan Province. The podium was torn apart, the wooden planks dismantled, the floors were ripped up, and valuables—crosses, chairs, air conditioners, etc.—were looted (Bitter Winter).
In Jiangxi Province, six churches have been harassed or closed within days of Easter. Officials commanded a fully licensed Three-Self church in Yangbu to sell its church. Three days later, village officials tore down all religious symbols, painted over the cross on the podium, and removed all chairs. One of the officials proclaimed that “believing in Jesus is prohibited as per government policy.” The church was closed.
In another area of Yangbu, officials removed the cross from a Three-Self church. Members were told higher-level government demanded a ban on worship services in all Protestant places of worship.
Three days later, four village officials removed all chairs and religious symbols from the church and proclaimed it closed.
Two other Three-Self churches in Yangbu had their crosses removed. The buildings were converted into activity centers. In another Yangbu village, officials used kitchen knives to scrape off the cross and other religious symbols from the walls of a local Three-Self church. “You can dance in the church, but can’t worship God,” one of them told the congregation while removing the cross. “If you don’t agree, we’ll use an excavator to demolish the church” (Bitter Winter).
Church Leaders example
ChurchLeaders.com published this example.
International Christian Concern (ICC) reports that a state-run church in Qinghai province was destroyed on Easter Sunday. ICC’s Regional Manager for Southeast Asia, Gina Goh, said, “Under President Xi Jinping, even the Three-Self churches are no longer safe from the crackdown against churches. The government would like all churches to believe in the Chinese Communist Party, not God” (ChurchLeaders.com)