Persecution makes a comeback in China
The new laws will put the state firmly in charge, giving the Communist Party the ability to hire and fire church leaders and change religious doctrine to make it more Chinese.
That means churchgoers will have to pledge loyalty to the Communist Party first.
China is set to launch a nationwide crackdown on the Christian churches.
The Communist Party has just enacted much tougher laws that criminalise Christians if they don't pledge loyalty to the state.
The Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned that all religions now have to become 'Chinese' and the new laws will attempt to bring churchgoers and their leaders under party control.
Christianity Today sums up what the new regulations are likely to include:
- No religious activities that are not approved by the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) .
- No one may provide a venue for religious services that are not approved by SARA.
- No one may use their home for religious practices that are not approved by SARA (including home or family Bible studies).
- No publishing religious materials without approval from SARA.
- No foreign or domestic donations may be made to any religious organization that hasn’t been approved by SARA.
- No one may call themselves a pastor without the approval of SARA.
- No international religious exchanges may happen without the approval of SARA.
- No one may study theology at school without the approval of SARA.
Across Beijing, church leaders are waiting for the first round of arrests and detentions. It seems the harassment has already begun.
Matthew Carney's report from the (Australian) ABC is worth listening to. You get the feel of what it is like for the ordinary Chinese believer.
There are 25 million believers registered with the official church and around 75 million believers in unregistered churches. By 2030 China may have the largest Christian population in the world.
