China Situation
China has been a persecution and civil rights violation hotspot for decades, but with the upcoming Olympics next year in Beijing, increasing attention is being focused on the abuses in that country. And rightly so! There are many things to focus on.
The government in China has worked very hard to build an image of tolerance and freedom, but the truth is far different. Under the propoganda, all Christians live in constant threat, and many go through untold suffering. Just last week, for instance, Chinese authorities raided a Vacation Bible School, using what eyewitnesses described as "brutal force," seriously injuring at least two, arresting 10, and traumatizing 150 children. Ten police vehicles were involved in stifling this children's group!
The China situation has become such that US Congressman Frank Wolf, a man who has been fighting against persecution for decades, said this month that the "China of today is worse than the China of yesterday, or of last year, or of the last decade." Persecution is only one of the many human rights abuses that he detailed in China, but many others effect persecuted Christians–the gulags, the overall lack of legal safeguards, and even the trade in human organs "harvested" from executed prisoners.
We need to pray for the Christians of China, and for the leaders that persecute them. Especially now that the "eye of the world" is following the Olympics to China, it is time to pray. If you would like a jumpstart on your prayers, visit the Open Doors "China Prayer Countdown."