I had been visiting House Churches in eastern China for several years, when I was shown a report commissioned by a department of the Chinese Government on the recent rapid growth of Christianity.
It was published in 2010, while Hu Jintao was the leader of the Chinese Government. It seems to have been largely ignored until Xi Jinping became leader and now he is acting vigorously on its warnings and recommendations. Dual portraits of him and Chairman Mao now appearing in public show that he is pursuing a similar path to his notorious predecessor. Churches have been destroyed, House Churches declared illegal and many of their leaders imprisoned or ‘disappeared’. Not since the days of Mao has there been such a determined attempt by the Government to eradicate Christianity, which Xi Jinping has declared to be a foreign religion.
Communist paranoia
Reading this report is revealing, because it exposes the Communist paranoia towards the spread of Christianity in China, seeing it only as a malign political force whose main aim is nothing less than the overthrow of the Communist Party! Here is a synopsis of the report; ‘An Analysis of the Reasons for the Rapid Growth of the Protestant Church in China Today’ by Ma Hucheng, Researcher on Religion.
Part One. Reasons for the rapid growth of Christianity:
1. Government Policy
When the Communist Party instituted the, ‘Open Door’ policy in 1979, allowing freedom of religious belief, it created a favourable environment for the growth of Christianity and for foreign Christian influences to enter China.
2. Social Factors
Religion was no longer regarded as backward. Chinese society began to seek religious answers to some of its problems.
3. Weak Local Governance
Local Authorities didn’t know how to react to the rising tide of Faith, so they gave up trying. Illegal evangelism was unchecked.
4. International Influence
Western powers have used Christianity strategically to infiltrate their views on human rights and values into China. By so doing they hope to change China’s social system, values, worldview and traditional religions. Western cultural imperialism and Christianity have spread throughout China. Overseas church organisations see China as virgin territory for spreading its gospel, and they have devised a strategy for reaching all levels of Chinese society. Political, economic and military powers support the Chinese Church, in order to make more and more converts and to expand their influence in China. But also quieter and covert methods are being used – charitable work, cultural exchange, economic co-operation and tourism, etc.
Part Two.
However, these four factors are insufficient to explain the rapid growth of Christianity. There are causes integral to Christianity that need to be examined;
1. Christianity is exclusive in its claims, believing it alone has the Truth.
2. Christianity is a missionary religion.
3. Christianity has political power behind it.
The dangers of a Christian monopoly in China
1. It will seriously damage the balance of traditional Chinese Religions, Buddhism, Daoism and Folk Religions.
2. It will affect national security. The basic aim of the West is to use Christianity to overturn the character of the Chinese regime. The confrontation between China and America is an ideological one – Socialist Atheism versus Christian Theism. America wants to Christianise China.
3. It will change the religious map of China, causing social clashes and upheaval. Tensions will rise as Christianity confronts China’s traditional beliefs.
4. If China loses control of Religion, the West will use Christianity as a spiritual tool to threaten China’s independence. There is no alternative therefore for State interference to prevent Christianity expanding out of control.”
Conclusion
Christianity is now seen by the Communist Party as a serious threat to its hitherto undisputed rule. This is due to its rapid growth during the past 40 years. This report makes abundantly clear the reasons for its alarm. An earlier report had estimated church growth to be around 80 million. It warned the Government that if this figure were to reach 300 million, it would be unable to control it any further. This explains Xi Jinping’s decisive move against the church at this time.
