The Chinese authorities have increased restrictions on Christianity by effectively outlawing the presence of foreign mission workers, but not much will change about the way the church operates in the country, according to an Open Doors Persecution Analyst.
The ruling Chinese Communist Party has taken stronger steps to ensure foreign missionaries cannot work in the country, with revised “Implementation Rules for the Administration of Religious Activities of Foreigners” dictating that they must receive state approval to perform basic Christian activities such as preaching, leading services, and the use of unauthorised Bibles in a public setting.
Open Doors revealed that missionaries from abroad are also banned from recruiting Chinese citizens, running Bible schools or even using the internet for religious means. The latest crackdown on religious liberty follows a trend which has seen Christianity increasingly marginalised.
In an interview with en, Open Doors Persecution Analyst Thomas Müller discussed why the latest infringement on Christian freedom in China may not have as big an impact on the Chinese church as readers might expect.
He said: “Those rules have been in place for several years already and the new set of regulations only tightened them. It is important to see that they apply to state-approved religions, so for the Christian side to the Three-Self Patriotic Movement and to the Catholic Patriotic Association.
“Protestant house churches, and Vatican-loyal Catholic churches, are considered illegal anyway and can face a whole variety of different harassments, starting with being hard pressed to join the official churches. For them, nothing changes. State-approved churches will fulfil the new regulations to the comma, when they invite foreign guests or plan to travel abroad for conferences.”
Asked why he thinks the authorities are pushing forward with restrictions, Müller said: “The motivation is a bit harder to gauge, the main question for me is why now?
“I think the authorities are getting increasingly nervous about any independent entity that is not under the influence or control of the Communist Party. Religions fall under this definition, although they are normally not centrally organised. Christianity is perceived as a Western import, so is viewed with more suspicion.
“A second reason could be that reports continue to emerge which say that people in China, especially youths, are looking for hope and meaning in their lives, as employment and careers get more insecure, and many find meaning in religions, including Christianity.
“…The ultimate goal of the Communist Party is not just co-opting religions, but a less religious religion. This is what the policy of Sinicization is all about in the end. And the new regulations and increased restrictions are just a part of that goal.”
