More on China’s war against Christianity. This line from the story below is telling: “Critics say it’s the under-the-surface and fast-spreading popularity of Christianity that leads to the Communist Party of China (CPC)-led government to carry out periodic crackdowns against the religion including the shutting down of churches and detaining church leaders.” The Chinese government is deeply threatened by Christianity and is consequently in the midst of an all-out campaign to turn Christianity into a weak religion that is entirely subservient to the Chinese Communist Party, and that doesn’t teach anything that would lead Chinese people away from Communist Party dogma.
This is a matter of grave concern for Orthodox Christians in China and all other Christians as well. The Chinese Orthodox Church is in a vulnerable position, as it is not one of the Christian groups recognized by the Chinese government.
Holy Orthodoxy in China predates this war on Christianity. It has a three-hundred year history in China, with the first Orthodox Christians coming into the country in 1685. In the 1980s, the Chinese Orthodox Church began to experience a revival. Pray that it not be snuffed out. The Order of Saint Andrew, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, requests once again that the Chinese government end these repressive measures, grant official recognition to the Chinese Orthodox Church, and give full religious freedom to all the Christians of that nation.
See ChristianPersecution.com’s previous coverage of China and its war on Christianity here.
“China jails Christian pastor for 9 years on subversion charges,” by Sutirtho Patranobis, Hindustan Times, December 30, 2019:
A well-known Chinese pastor who was under detention for a year has been sentenced to nine years in prison for inciting subversion of state power and illegally running a business.
Wang Yi, a founding pastor of China’s Early Rain Covenant Church in the city of Chengdu in southwestern Sichuan province was among several church members picked up in overnight raids last year.
Wang’s church is unregistered, and is one of the famous “house churches” that operate in China, which requires places of worship including mosques and Buddhist temples to register with the government.
The Chengdu Intermediate People’s Court released its judgment on Monday, saying the pastor was also convicted of illegal business operations.
According to the statement posted on the website of the Chengdu court, Wang has also been deprived of his political rights for three years and 50,000 yuan (£5,460/US$7,160) of his personal property was confiscated.
China officially recognizes five religions: Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Taoism and Islam….
Critics say it’s the under-the-surface and fast-spreading popularity of Christianity that leads to the Communist Party of China (CPC)-led government to carry out periodic crackdowns against the religion including the shutting down of churches and detaining church leaders….
