Cross Removals Continue
The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped cross removals in China. This article from China Christian Daily reports on one cross removal from a historic church in the city of Heifei.
Cross Demolition
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Christians United For China
A call to prayer for the church in China.
Church Cross Catches Fire in Henan
Last month images and video of a cross burning on top of a church in Hunan provoked fears of increased government pressure on churches. Due in part to reports of cross removals in certain parts of China in recent years, some Christians speculated that this fire last month was deliberately lit, spreading fear online that the government stepped up a campaign against Christian churches.
Those fears were unfounded, reports China Christian Daily, who interviewed the pastor of the church. Although the church had agreed with the government to remove the cross, the fire appears to have been accidental.
Why Crosses? Why Zhejiang?
The massive campaign against church crosses in China’s Zhejiang province is in the news again with the release this month of the US State Department’s 2015 Report on International Religious Freedom.
Death of Henan Pastor’s Wife Points to Nationwide Problem
Religious persecution or illegal land grab? Understanding the struggles faced by the people of China, including Chinese Christians.
Deconstructing China’s Jerusalem?
Reading Cao Nanlai’s classic Constructing China’s Jerusalem in light of the highly publicized attacks on Wenzhou churches, the obvious question is whether the “Wenzhou model,” as Cao describes it, is still intact, or whether government intervention has significantly altered the formula of church growth and cultural transformation.
Church-State Relations in Light of the Cross Demolition Campaign
On July 16, the website of the Pushi Institute for Social Science published a long piece titled "Considering the Future of church-state relations in China after the 2-14-2015 Zhejiang Cross Dispute." It had originally been published in the Christian Times. It’s a rather long piece so we have decided to excerpt two parts.
A Bishop Protests
As the cross demolition campaign in Zhejiang Province continues (despite earlier reports of an order to bring it to a close), Protestant and Catholic believers are beginning to push back. Last week a small group of Catholics staged a demonstration outside of the government offices in Wenzhou, calling on the government to halt the campaign.
Crossing the Lines in Wenzhou
The latest episode in the government’s attack on Christian churches in Wenzhou is the drafting of regulations outlining precise limits on the size and location of religious buildings and the size and placement of crosses.
Now, about Those “Cross Size” Regulations
Following more than a year of cross and church demolitions in Zhejiang Province, in May the provincial government published a draft set of regulations governing the construction and location of religious venues, as well as the placement of Christian crosses. The draft regulations were posted on the websites of two government agencies, with a request for comments from the public. One pastor in the province shared his comments with the Gospel Times, who in turn posted it on their site. It’s an interesting look at how these regulations are viewed by a Christian leader, as well a fascinating window into how the religious sphere “talks to” the state in China, employing language the state understands.
One Hundred Churches of Zhejiang
Due to the so-called “Church and Cross Demolition” campaign, the churches of Zhejiang Province have been in the news a lot over the past year. Whether on TV, online, or in our local newspapers, we have probably all seen heart-breaking pictures of demolished churches and crosses.
Is the Church Demolition Campaign Coming to an End?
It was just about one year ago that, while scrolling through my Twitter feed late one night, I spotted something about Christians in Zhejiang trying to prevent the demolition of their church building.