A history of persecution in China
Today I'm working on writing the text to Remember's new Country Focus bulletin insert on China. My research let me to this excellent overview of persecution from China Aid.
What amazes me is the different layers of persecution in China. It really has come from all angles over the past centuries. When the first missionaries arrived in the 1800s, they fought cultural battles, spirit worship, and scorn. With the Boxer Rebellion, that cultural persecution was institutionalized in the government. That all changed again with the advent of communism in China, and Christians were persecuted by a government that was founded on atheism and violent anti-Christianity. Under the rule of Mao Tse-Tung, Christian denominations were forced to disband, and churches were forced "underground."
Today, Chinese Christians still face the persecution of communism, combined with almost unbelievable cultural trends–leading to forced abortions, for instance. Chinese Christians face persecution from every different direction that I can imagine. They face governmental regulations that deny them the chance to practice their beliefs (or force them to violate those beliefs!), the hatred of friends and neighbors, police misconduct or inaction, and the fear of discovery and retribution every time that they worship.
Persecution can, and does, come in so many different forms. Not just in China, but all across the world, Christians face differing levels and sources of persecution when they stand for the truth. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." The powers of evil use every source that they can to bring suffering to God's people.
And yet, despite all of that attack, James 4:7 gives us a powerful promise: "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." The growing, thriving underground church in China is a testament to the love and power of God to fulfill that promise.