The growing crackdown on unofficial churches deepened on 9 September when authorities closed one of the largest churches in Beijing.
The church had faced growing threats from authorities, including eviction, since it refused to comply with a government order to install closed-circuit television cameras at its worship site.
Bob Fu, president of advocacy group China Aid, said authorities have begun to enforce rules requiring registration in order to exercise increased control over ideologies. He said: ‘The Communist Party has started to burn Bibles and coerce millions of believers in the Christian faith and other religious minorities to sign a written pledge to renounce their basic religious beliefs. The international community should be alarmed and outraged at this blatant violation of freedom of religion and belief and demand the Chinese regime stop and remedy this dangerous course.’
Church leaders have decided they will continue holding services outdoors.
Pastors’ declaration
In response to rising persecution, 279 Chinese pastors issued a public declaration on 12 September calling for full religious freedom.
Pressure on Christians has increased since February 2018 when new religion regulations came into force, and in September further measures were announced to control online activity and ban the live streaming of church services.
Credit rankings
Meanwhile, the authorities have introduced a state ranking system for its citizens’ economic and social reputation, which is being rolled out and will be mandatory for all by 2020. Proponents argue that it will help eliminate problems such as food safety issues, cheating, and counterfeit goods. Building on that, China’s officially defined aim is to enhance trust and social stability by creating a ‘culture of sincerity’.
Each person has a ranking number, which is arrived at using a complex algorithm: the data includes employment record, number of children, location, marital status, debt, criminal record, driving record, and others including purchases, online activity, friends, health, insurance, dating behaviour, and even private messages.
This ranking number is used to trigger various rewards and punishments. For those with high numbers, it means easier access to loans and jobs, and access to travel abroad. Further up the ladder it enables visas to travel abroad. However, those with lower scores are penalised in all these areas. Even talking to a Christian is likely to mean a loss of status and reputation and could affect one’s job.
