February 22, 2008

Chinese Persecuted Churches

This edition of Crosstalk highlights the relationship between the Christian church and the Chinese government, and how this relationship has far too often been misrepresented.

In addition to the misrepresentation here in America, persecution of Christians continues in China. One example comes from Inner Mongolia. The China Aid Association has learned that the president of the Inner Mongolia branch of the Chinese House Church Alliance was detained along with more than 40 co-workers on Wednesday. The leaders were in the third day of a Bible study when more than 100 police officers from the State Security Bureau and members of the Religious Affairs Bureau disrupted the meeting and detained the ministers. Police officials confiscated the offering along with more than 30 boxes of Bibles and other Christian literature. Bureau officials then searched the personal residence of the president later in the afternoon.

Certainly Christians in America wouldn't support such efforts, right? Vic then described a ministry effort by the K-Love Radio Network of California, an organization that has a station in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area. Recently the network was attempting to raise about $250,000, an amount they said would build about 40 churches in China. Vic wondered if these would be registered churches that would be required to fall in line and become compliant to the government's socialist policies.

This is an important distinction that needs to be made because of China's 50 year old 3SPM church movement. This self-patriotic movement and its goals are described in an article in a September 2000 edition of The People's Daily, a newspaper in China. Vic noted two key points in the article. One point mentioned the desire for revision in regard to the Bible's distinct preaching on the doctrine of Hell, while another point describes these registered churches as "...undertaking theological studies, in order to develop Christian churches to be compliant with the country's socialist society."

Vic then placed a call to Burt Reed at ICM Ministries, the organization that was to be receiving the income from the K-Love fund drive. While Mr. Reed did confirm that this funding would be for building registered churches, he pointed out that K-Love's on-air comments stating that 10,000 Chinese people were accepting Christ per day could not be substantiated.

More Information

Chinese Embassy

202-338-6688

202-588-9760

K-Love

800-434-8400

800-877-5600