ARTICLE

Worship The State Or Jesus: Chinese Christians Under Pressure

News Image By PNW Staff January 11, 2018
Share this article:

Many Christians in the United States and around the world feel free to put up Christian symbols, such as crosses, scripture passages, and pictures of Jesus, inside and outside their homes.  

Christians in Southeastern China, however, were recently told by state officials to take down these images and symbols.   Instead, they were given posters of President Xi Jinping to display.  

Most of them complied since, in impoverished rural areas, they feared the loss of government support.


In another incident in 2015, over 1,200 crosses were torn down from church buildings in Zhejiang Province and hundreds of house church leaders were arrested.  "Many rural people are ignorant," said one official.  "They think God is their Savior."  The Communist Party prefers that people look to the state for help.

It appears that the Communist Party in China is gearing up to crack down on Christians who are independent of the state-sanctioned church.  

Since the majority of Chinese Christians operate in underground "house churches" outside of government control, officials are concerned that these groups could create negative views of the Party.

The state-approved church, sometimes known as the "Three Self Church" in connection with China's Three Self Patriotic Movement, does not allow complete freedom of worship. 


For instance, Wu Weiqing, pastor of Haidian Church in Beijing, has said, "We have to remember first of all we are a citizen of this country.  And we are a citizen of the Kingdom of God. That comes second."   For most Christians, that philosophy is contrary to true faith.

A new law is scheduled to take effect on February 2 that will prohibit unofficial religious bodies from teaching children, receiving donations and posting information online.  Government officials say that they are concerned about "extremist thought."  

Some observers are predicting that China will soon contain the largest Christian population of any other nation.   Christians already outnumber members of the Communist Party.  But Xi Jinping has said that Party members themselves "should be firm Marxist atheists and must never find their values and beliefs in any religion."  

In addition, he has said that China's youth should "believe in science, study science, spread science, and... have a correct worldview.”


Although the Communist Party in China is reluctant to face worldwide criticism, they are clearly drawing lines that could create conflict. Church leaders would do well to keep a close watch on these developments.

Not long ago, a pastor gave an impassioned plea for the persecuted church in China, that God would grant them freedom and liberty to worship. After the service, he was approached by a Chinese national who happened to be visiting that day. 

He thanked him for his concern but, said he, in China we do not pray for political change or relief from persecution. Rather, we pray that God will give us grace to endure and to glorify His Name.  How many western Christians would be so bold in their faith? 




Other News

July 15, 2025Canadian Police Warn: Embracing Traditional Values Could Make You An Extremist

In yet another disturbing escalation of state‑sponsored madness, a spokeswoman for Canada's national police force, the RCMP, has warned th...

July 15, 2025The Coming Pacific War? China, Taiwan, And The West Prepare For Conflict

The war for Taiwan hasn't begun-but the world is already training for it. This week, dramatic footage emerged from China's southeastern co...

July 15, 2025Welcome To Spain, Where Pastors Face Jail For Offering Biblical Counselling

In a staggering act of spiritual betrayal and moral collapse, Spain’s lower house has voted 311–33 in favor of a bill that would criminali...

July 15, 2025Europe's Quiet War On Christians: The Violence No One Wants To Talk About

Across Europe, Christian believers are facing a surge of hatred that's rarely covered in headlines, barely whispered about in press rooms,...

July 10, 2025We're One Deepfake Away From A Digital Point Of No Return

Last month several foreign officials received Signal messages from what appeared to be U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. These weren't ...

July 10, 2025Europe On Edge: Five Ways The EU Is Preparing For Potential War With Russia

Perhaps most alarmingly-and most revealing-is the psychological transformation taking place in many European societies. Defense ministers ...

July 10, 2025Men Can't Breastfeed - But That Hasn't Stopped Trans Activists From Trying

One of the most disturbing developments in recent years is the growing push to normalize "chestfeeding," a term and practice promoted by t...

Get Breaking News