(China – December 31, 2024) Since 2018, numerous sites for Christian gatherings in China’s provinces with some of the largest populations of Christians have been forcibly shut down. This marks a systematic campaign of persecution against Christianity by the Chinese authorities, following the large-scale campaign to forcibly remove church crosses in Zhejiang from 2014 to 2016.
Learning from how Zhejiang Christians were able to quickly disseminate news about the persecution, authorities in Henan implemented strict measures to block information flow regarding these events. Recently, some media professionals revisited a Communist Party lecture widely overlooked by the public that portrayed Christianity as a threat. This significant material sheds light on the deeper motivations behind Henan’s extensive persecution of Christianity around 2018, providing crucial context for these actions.
The Chinese Official openly declared Christianity as a great harm to the Chinese nation
In 2019, the Hebi Municipal Radio Management Bureau, an official organization responsible for political propaganda under the Henan Provincial Government, conducted a training session for Communist Party members and applicants, during which it declared, “Christianity is a great harm to the Chinese nation.”
The content of this originally internal lecture has since come to light. Against the backdrop of a national ideological stance that views Christianity with hostility, local government departments deemed it necessary to demonstrate their political correctness. They saw no issue in openly publishing this anti-Christian content on social media platforms like Weibo. In which, Christianity was explicitly described as a major threat to China’s national security. This revelation starkly exposes the Chinese Communist Party’s clear and antagonistic stance toward religion.
However, the related Weibo post was deleted just two days after it was published. Despite this, the internet and individuals concerned about religious issues in China continue to remember the incident vividly. Christianity is one of the five officially recognized religions or religious groups explicitly protected under China’s Constitution. By openly opposing constitutional provisions and misjudging Christianity as a significant threat to national security, government agencies themselves violate both the Constitution and public opinion. While the Constitution mandates the government’s responsibility to protect Christianity, it instead acts unconstitutionally, using legal pretenses to persecute Christians and the Christian faith itself.
During this internal Chinese Communist Party’s activity, the projected presentation clearly displayed the phrase: “The Great Threat of Christianity to the Security of the Chinese Nation,” highlighting the theme of the internal learning discussion.
According to journalist Jennifer Zeng, who operates a blog titled “Inconvenient Truths,” the images can be traced back to a special party lecture that was held on April 22, 2019, by the Radio Management Bureau in Hebi City, Henan Province. The course emphasized several key points.
Chinese Christian population exceeds number of Chinese Community members
The opening remarks of the presentation acknowledged that Christianity was rapidly expanding in China, citing claims of 70 million Protestant believers and 12 million Catholics—numbers that surpass the membership of the Communist Party itself. Some scholars and experts studying Christianity estimate that the total number of Christians in China could be as high as 130 million.
The lecture detailed the characteristics of Christianity’s expansion, noting its “broad coverage, strong momentum, rapid growth, proactive offensive strategies, numerous unreasonable demands, and backing from foreign forces.” These attributes were identified as posing significant ideological risks.
The official account of the Hebi Municipal Radio Management Bureau further promoted the information about this event, stating that:
“in recent years, Christianity has been rampant and spreading in our country. To ensure that all party members correctly understand Christianity and prevent ideological deviations, this study session was organized and achieved effective results. On the morning of April 22, the Hebi Municipal Radio Management Bureau held a special party lecture titled ‘The Great Threat of Christianity to the Security of the Chinese Nation,’ which yielded very positive outcomes.”
Chinese Official’s continued persecution of the Chinese Churches in “Cultural Revolution-style”
The journalist believes that the Chinese Communist Party’s inherent distrust of religion as a potential rival likely continues to shape its policies and actions toward Chinese Christians. This development highlights the persistent tense relationship between state control and religious freedom in China, suggesting that Christian and Catholic communities under CCP’s surveillance will face ongoing challenges in the future.
The internal rhetoric of local Chinese governments reflects the CCP’s longstanding concerns about the ideological and national security impacts of religion. Chinese Officials have stated that the rapid growth of Christianity could threaten the dominance of an atheistic societal framework and the stability of the CCP regime.
An incident in Henan Province involved an article titled “The Great Threat Christianity Poses to the Security of the Chinese Nation,” originally published in issue 430 of the “Global Vision.” The article enumerated the “threats” Christianity poses to national security and called for its criticism and restriction. The content of the article has been criticized for carrying a “Cultural Revolution-style” ideological tone, reflecting the government’s ongoing control and vigilance over religious activities.
Henan Province, as a region with relatively active religious activities, has seen the rapid growth of Protestant Christianity, which may have prompted authorities to intensify regulatory measures. The involvement of the Municipal Radio Management Bureau has also been interpreted as a reflection of local institutions serving national security interests. This behavior further highlights the authorities’heightened focus on the intersection of religion and ideology and its potential impact.
(Reported by Special Correspondent Gao Zhensai of ChinaAid)