Tag: Three-Self Patriotic Movement

China: Christian students under pressure to give up their faith

November 27, 2018 China China, Churches, Education, Hebei, Shandong, Sichuan, Three-Self Patriotic Movement, Youth, Zhejiang

Group of Chinese students on Tiananmen Square, in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

Municipal authorities in a city in China’s northern Hebei province have been given directions on how to handle students and teachers who express their religious beliefs, reports religious-liberty magazine Bitter Winter. Foreign teachers and students are not allowed to preach or promote religion, and local students are prohibited from speaking . . . Read More

China: Cultivate ‘patriotic’ clergy, Henan officials told

November 2, 2018 China Catholics, Chengdu, China, Churches, Fujian, Fuzhou, Henan, Human rights, Police, Proselytism, Religious freedom, Sichuan, Sinicisation, Three-Self Patriotic Movement

Local government officials in China’s central Henan province are being encouraged to cultivate “patriotic” clergy for leadership positions in the Catholic Church, according to a document outlining how to implement the new religion regulations. The guidelines, published in a confidential document titled ‘Supervision and Self-Inspection Framework for Implementing the Central . . . Read More

China introduces three-person teams to monitor religious groups

October 23, 2018 China Catholics, China, Churches, Sinicisation, Three-Self Patriotic Movement, Wenzhou

In Wenzhou city – also dubbed “China’s Jerusalem” – teams of three government officials will now monitor the activities of religious groups by keeping their meeting-places under observation, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Alongside other requirements, the groups must align their teachings with the agenda of the government. The teams . . . Read More

China: More church closures as Party tightens rules for its religious members

August 31, 2018 China Beijing, China, Churches, Communism, House churches, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Liaoning, Protestants, Sinicisation, Three-Self Patriotic Movement, Xi Jinping

One of China’s largest “house churches” in Beijing has been threatened with closure by the government following its refusal of a request to install cameras in the church building, reports Reuters. Zion Church received a letter from the city authorities in April, asking it to install 24 closed-circuit video cameras . . . Read More

Chinese church closures, demolitions continue

August 17, 2018 China China, Churches, Jinan, Shandong, Sinicisation, Three-Self Patriotic Movement

Remainders of the Catholic church in Qianwang, Licheng district, after it was razed to the ground.. (Photo: still from video)

More than 20 churches have been closed this year in China’s north-western city of Xining and to prevent further closures the government should quickly approve applications of churches that want to become state-approved, says Wang Ruiqin, associate secretary-general of the state-aligned Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and China Christian Council (CCC). . . . Read More

China’s ‘underground’ churches told to seek ‘guidance’ from state-approved bodies

June 22, 2018 China Catholics, China, Communism, Henan, House churches, Jiangxi, Religious freedom, Sinicisation, Three-Self Patriotic Movement, Xi Jinping, Zhejiang

A house church meeting in China in 2005. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

A newly implemented directive from the Chinese government forces Protestant ‘house churches’ and Catholic ‘underground’ communities to seek “guidance” from recognised religious organisations. A notification from the State Administration for Religious Affairs, issued earlier this month, requires organisers of religious activities at temporary sites to also apply for a permit . . . Read More

China: ‘For Christians, the “grey” area is shrinking’

April 16, 2018 China Beijing, Bibles, China, Churches, Communism, Nanjing, Three-Self Patriotic Movement, Xi Jinping

China's Communist Party is trying to suppress rapid growth among religions.(Photo: World Watch Monitor)

China’s Christians may not be surprised by recent tighter government control of religious affairs, including a ban on online Bible sales. But they are unsure what comes next. Following this month’s announcement that Bibles could no longer be made available online, large websites like Taobao, Jingdong, Weidian, Dangdang and Amazon . . . Read More

Prominent China church demolished – second in month

January 12, 2018 China China, Churches, Communism, House churches, Protestants, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Three-Self Patriotic Movement, Xinjiang

Explosives are set off in the Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen, Shanxi province, in a still taken from a video.

Chinese authorities demolished a church in northern China this week, the second in less than a month, ahead of new regulations on religion due to come into force on 1 February. Explosives were set off inside the Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen, Shanxi province on Tuesday (9 January). According to . . . Read More

China passes new religious regulations ‘to prevent extremism’

September 8, 2017 China Children, China, Communism, Islamic extremism, Sinicisation, Three-Self Patriotic Movement, Xi Jinping

China has passed a new set of rules regulating religious affairs, a year after the proposed amendments were released to the public for the first time. The new rules, announced yesterday, show no significant alterations to last year’s proposals, though there is noticeably less detail given regarding those who will be . . . Read More

China bans children – and their teachers – from churches

September 8, 2017 China Children, China, Communism, Fujian, Henan, Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu, Three-Self Patriotic Movement, Wenzhou, Zhejiang

Unofficial estimates say that there are close to 100 million Christians in China, more than are members of its Communist Party, due to hold its 19th five-yearly National Congress in mid-October. But in several provinces, children were banned from attending Christian camps over the summer holidays while notices were issued . . . Read More

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