[Today’s Prayer] “China Replaces ‘Christian Symbols’ in Churches with ‘Pictures of Party Leaders’”

According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Chinese authorities have been carrying out a major overhaul of religious spaces, replacing Christian symbols in many churches with pictures of Communist Party leaders and slogans.

The Christian Post (CP) in the United States reported the news, saying, “This is an aggressive policy to integrate the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) into religious practice.”

“There have been numerous instances where crosses and religious imagery have been removed from churches and replaced with portraits of President Xi Jinping and the late Chairman Mao Zedong,” the USCIRF report said.

According to the report, the changes are part of a campaign to “sinicize religion” that requires religious expression to conform to the ideals of the Chinese Communist Party. “Authorities have ordered the removal of crosses from churches and replaced images of Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary with pictures of President Xi Jinping,” the report said.

“The Chinese Communist Party sees underground Catholics as a threat because they reject ‘government authority to control religious doctrine and manage religious activities,’” Asif Mahmood, a commissioner with USCIRF, told CNA.

According to the Telegraph, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in London dismissed the findings in response to the USCIRF report, calling it ideological bias and interference in China’s internal affairs. “China protects freedom of religious belief as provided for by law,” the embassy said.

But personal accounts from Chinese Christians show a marked increase in state surveillance and interference in religious activities, especially since regulatory changes in 2018. These measures have led to a breakdown in traditional religious practices and a mass exodus of believers seeking freedom from persecution

Source: News

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

God, many churches in China are being stripped of their crosses and are losing the essence of the church by doing what the Chinese Communist Party tells them to do.

In addition, China's leaders are attempting to destroy the church by directing it to change its teachings to state-approved ones.

God, we repent before you this hour on behalf of the churches in China. God, who never takes pleasure in idolatry, forgive all the sins of idolatry, as we bring the sins of the Church of China before your cross, where you shed your blood.

You have given revival to this nation and established the Church with faith. God, let them remember this favor and return to the cross with gratitude.

Let us not bow our knees before the laws of the world, nor be afraid, but in everything by prayer and with thanksgiving!

Let the holy Chinese Church rise up, guarding its heart and mind in every moment and fulfilling the mission You have given them, to the end!

We believe that when we bear all the hardships and persecutions and obey God's word and the gospel to the end, the global churches will also bear the hardships and persecutions with faith and rise up!

Rise up, the Chinese Church that is not afraid of death!

One Million Missionaries in the Chinese Church Rise Up!