Randy Alcorn had a great post yesterday on whether or not Chinese Christians are still persecuted in their country. Many have made claims in recent years (and even more now with the Olympic exposure) that persecution like that is a thing of the past and that Chinese people have complete freedom of religion.
From Randy Alcorn’s post:
Those who deny persecution often say they visited China and saw Bibles for sale in a store, or a registered church. (That’s true; registered churches are permitted to have Bibles.) An American Christian leader assured me that he and his ministry preached the gospel in China and had cordial meetings, even friendly ones, with communist government leaders. I rejoice in this. But he then spoke of the “misconception” that Christians are still persecuted in China. Unfortunately, the documented incidents demonstrate it’s not a misconception, but a reality.
A Chinese Christian told me “somewhere in China the sun is always shining, and somewhere the snow is always falling.” In other words, there’s always freedom somewhere and persecution somewhere else. Visitors to China rarely go to the countryside where much persecution takes place. They will not be given an audience with persecuted Christians. Believers will not step forward to share their stories with visitors who are escorted by or traveling under the favor of government officials!
None of the NBC Olympic features will include Christians dismissed from teaching at Chinese universities, or unregistered church pastors tortured in prison. No news teams will be permitted to visit such places.
It is irresponsible to claim that Christians are no longer in prison or beaten or discriminated against, simply because the visitor doesn’t see this happening, or because Chinese officials and government tour guides say it doesn’t happen. Should we believe the government (who denied persecution even under Mao), or the actual Chinese Christians, most of whom remain in unregistered churches, despite the great cost of their doing so?
I’ve been very torn during these Olympics. I absolutely love watching the games. I appreciate the fact that so many countries can come together to compete peacefully. I appreciate the diversity we get to witness and how we can enjoy the coming together of so many different cultures while at the same time all be part of the human race. It can be beautiful. But I am hesitant to support something that is rewarding a country that has done, and still does, so many horrible things against the cause of Christ.
Randy’s conclusion:
In a context of praying for human government, Scripture says “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).
As we watch the Olympics, may our love for the people of China grow, and may we pray for our brothers and sisters there, most of whom gather illegally and are shunned by a godless power-hungry government.
Let’s be careful to distinguish the Chinese people we see in the Olympics-related broadcast features (which I thoroughly enjoy) from their government. For the Chinese communist party has proven time and again to have a blatant disregard for human rights. This includes the right of Christians to gather without placing themselves under the dictates of an atheistic government which demands a lordship that only Christ deserves.
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Right on time, this story out today about Chinese officials confiscating bibles from some American Christians in China who had brought Chinese bibles to distribute.
