HENAN – Reports continue to stream from China regarding the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and it’s actions to eliminate Christianity from the country. Crosses have been removed from church buildings, churches have been subjected to electronic monitoring whilst others have been closed. The First Commandment has been declared illegal. The Bible is being retranslated to conform to Chinese culture. Pastors have been imprisoned.
During the past weeks, more stories have emerged that reveal how intense the CCP plan really is.
Close the Seminaries
Bitter Wind reports that “Students face restrictions on attending private or foreign seminaries and face strict ideological control at ‘official schools.’” The CCP is “going to the roots to try to eliminate religious belief before it can even be passed on to new believers.” (Emphasis ours)
In the past year, a private seminary in the Qinghai Province was surreptitiously and without warning demolished by the local government. The students and pastors had secretly fled to another location after receiving an advanced tip about what was about to happen.
This seminary in Qinghai is just one of many that have been forced to close. A theology student told reporters that “The CCP is very clear. The erosion of religion must begin with clergy members.”
Eliminate the Clergy
Chinese Communist Party officials are now confiscating the preaching licenses of older pastors on the grounds that they are too old. “People above 60 years of age are not allowed to preach.”
There is the second of the two-pronged attempt to eliminate Christian clergy. Stop them on the front end at seminaries and make it illegal to preach after the age of 60. In a matter of a few years, current preachers will be “too old” and no new preachers will be allowed into the fold.
Prohibit Printing Christian Literature
Churches are finding it nearly impossible to find printing firms who are willing to print religious documents of any kind. That includes printing and distributing Christian calendars.
The printers are refusing to take on any printing jobs that are considered religious for fear of the Chinese Communist Party shuttering their businesses.
One printer explained, “A desk calendar or a picture to hang on the wall – we’re not allowed to print anything if it has any content related to Jesus.”
Another said, “The printshops that have been cracked down on and forcibly closed are not in the minority.”
Printers are monitored and inspected by personnel from the Bureau for Industry and Commerce. If there is evidence that the printers have produced any religious materials, the printer may be fined (proportionate to the amount printed), have their business closed, or be detained.
The bottom line is that the CCP is now attempting to subjugate and prevent the establishment and growth of Christianity. The movement is entrenched in the CCP from the highest levels all the way down to towns and villages.
Pray for the Christians in China where the CCP does not allow religious freedom.
To read more news on China and the Chinese Communist Party on Missions Box, go here.
Sources:
- Christian Headlines, ‘We’re Not Allowed to Print Anything’ about Jesus, Chinese Print Shop Tells Church
- Bitter Winter, Christian Calendars and Couplets Prohibited in Henan
- Bitter Winter, Preachers of State-Sanctioned Churches Losing Their Permits
- Bitter Winter, The Move to Cut Off Christianity Starts at Seminaries
- Travel China Guide, Spring Festival Couplets