[Today’s Prayer] Chinese Communist Party Educational Book: “Christianity is a Serious Harm”

It has been revealed that a Chinese official claimed that Christianity is a “serious harm” during a Communist Party education program.

Voice of the Martyrs Korea (hereinafter referred to as Korea VOM) and its U.S.-based partner organization ChinaAid, which are monitoring the persecution of Christians in China, recently reported that “this statement reflects the Chinese Communist Party’s long-standing concerns about the influence of Christianity on the country in terms of ideology and national security.”

Hyun Sook Foley, CEO of Korea VOM, said, “Korea VOM and ChinaAid learned that the Radio Administration of Hebi City, Henan Province, China, declared that ‘Christianity is a serious harm to China’ during an education program for Communist Party members and candidates in 2019.”

(Omitted)

Jeong points out that “the official who made the statement cited the claim that ‘there are 70 million Protestants and 12 million Catholics’ in this lecture and mentioned that ‘Christianity is spreading rapidly.’”

Hyun Sook Foley said, “This number may be lower than the actual number, but it is still similar to the number of Chinese Communist Party members,” adding, “Most scholars and experts estimate that the total number of Christians in China is as high as 130 million, which is far higher than the official number of Chinese Communist Party members, which was reported to be about 99 million in 2023.”

(Omitted)

Christianity is one of the five major religions officially recognized by the Chinese constitution, but China, as a communist country, has always restricted its citizens from practicing their Christian faith. According to Hyun Sook Foley, the Chinese authorities are increasingly restricting Christian beliefs, but they are also desperate to prevent this information from spreading internationally.

“During the large-scale campaign to forcibly remove church crosses in Zhejiang Province from 2014 to 2016, the Chinese authorities found that Christians were very quick to spread news of their persecution in China around the world. They took strict measures to block information about their anti-Christian activities and actions from leaking out,” Foley said.

“The 2019 lecture in Hebi City shows how serious a threat the Chinese Communist Party sees Christianity. Hebi City is in Henan Province, a place where Christianity is growing rapidly and where persecution has become particularly severe since 2018. However, the attitude toward Christianity expressed in the 2019 lecture by the Hebi Radio Administration is not a phenomenon limited to a single province. Since 2018, numerous Christian gatherings have been shut down in every province in China, including some nationwide churches. This incident, in which a local city radio station participated in the Chinese government’s anti-Christian campaign, is a typical example of local groups attempting to serve national security interests, and the Chinese Communist Party continues to view Christianity as a potential threat to national security,” he said.

Source: Christian Today

And he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said to him, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:15-18)

Lord, who built the church on a rock, China claims that Christianity poses a serious threat to national security and is strengthening its persecution of Christianity, but we hear news that in the midst of this, Christianity is growing rapidly in China.

Please have mercy on the Chinese church, which is under various persecutions, such as restrictions on practicing Christianity and the forced removal of church crosses.

Just as the Chinese church confesses that they are not afraid of poverty, hardship, or death, may they become a nation that does not fall due to persecution, but rather rises again even if they fall and continues to wait for the Lord’s return, following in the footsteps of those who went before them!

May the Chinese church, which was built on a rock, now go out to the nations with the Lord’s gospel, preach the Lord’s gospel, and rise up as those who prepare the way for the Lord’s return, and fulfill the vision of sending out 1 million missionaries!

May other souls in the nations hear the Lord’s gospel through the Chinese church and rise up together as those who prepare the way for the Lord’s return, as a holy army!