China (MNN) — China continues to tighten its grip on believers. Many churches face increasing surveillance and pressure from the government.
“I just got another letter from a pastor in Nanchang,” Erik Burklin of China Partner Ministries says.
“They had a special Religious Affairs Bureau group come to their seminary to educate them on these new regulations.”
(Photo courtesy China Partner)
These regulations are part of a broader effort to control religious life nationwide.
Churches are allowed to operate if they register with the government. Authorities troll and restrict online content like sermons, and the state expects all churches to act in alignment with the Communist Party.
If believers resist, they’re detained or prosecuted. Yet, at the same time, “There’s positive news in China,” Burklin says.
“Churches are continuing to grow, even though the government is very restrictive.”
Lessons from Mao’s era
Things were worse for Christians under Mao Zedong in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Christianity was first viewed as a “foreign” influence, and believers were pressured to cut all Western ties, such as connections with mission-sending organizations.
Then, during China’s Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, all religion was deemed incompatible with communism.
Burklin’s grandparents served as missionaries during this tumultuous time. “My grandparents were kicked out of China because of Communism taking over,” he says.
“People were hiding Bibles. They were meeting secretly in homes. Those were dark days, and yet the Church survived.”
Burklin adds, “Not only did it (the Church) survive during those 30 years, it thrived. It grew.”
(Photo courtesy China Partner)
How to help
Ask the Lord to strengthen and encourage house church pastors.
“Many house church leaders are under more pressure. They’re deemed illegal because they haven’t registered, and many government leaders are after them,” Burklin says.
“[Pray] that God would just sustain them during this tough time.”
Pray for fruitful outreach in February during the Chinese New Year. “Christians are using this Chinese New Year as a tool to witness to their neighbors and family members,” Burklin says.
“Pray that God would have another surge of new spiritual birth during the Chinese New Year.”
Header and story images courtesy of China Partner.
