National Security Threats

Since Feb. 1, 2018 when the “Regulation on Religious Affairs” took effect, over 10,000 churches have been shut down in Henan Province alone. Unlike previous religious clampdowns, most of the shutdown churches actually belong to the government sanctioned churches in addition to all house churches. The aim is to “contain the overheated growth of Christianity” according to an internally issued Chinese Communist Party (CCP) document. 

 

One example of this is the Zion Church, the largest House Church in Beijing, which was forced to shut down last month after the church refused to install face recognition cameras on its pulpit. Members of the church were threatened or harassed multiple times by the police. In most past persecution cases against churches, the CCP usually used some charges such as “disturb social order or engaging evil cult.” Now under Xi’s new regulation, Christian faith is regarded as a “Party- state security (existential) threat.”  

 

On Oct. 25, 2018, over 240 house church pastors were banned from flying to South Korea to attend our Christian Leadership Training with trainers including the successor of Dr. Chuck Colson of Int’l Prison Fellowship Chairman Jim Liske and Dr. Randel Everett, President of “21 Wilberforce Initiative.”  These church leaders were declared as national security threatsand blocked from boarding their flights from airports all over China. 

 

When facing persecution, the Apostle Paul repeatedly encouraged believers to not be ashamed of the Gospel and to be proud of his chains in the Roman prison. After all, Christ our Lord Savor has suffered on the cross even to death. How can we try to look for a short-cut, easy way out Gospel? A Gospel without righteous suffering is no Gospel at all. 

 

This Christmas season, let’s make a pledge that we will share our faith boldly and unashamedly. After all, as Christ Jesus told us in Matthew10:28, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

 

Merry Christmas to y'all!  

 

Your humble coworker,

Bob Fu