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China: Government Directs Christian Groups to Emphasize Identification with Chinese Culture

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – China’s governing Communist Party has instructed state-approved Christian church organizations that they must “strictly” manage their religious affairs in a manner that emphasizes their identification with the Chinese communist government and with Chinese culture and nationalism, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports.

Ruled by an oppressive, authoritarian government that considers Christianity a threat to its power, China ranks 16th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.

The recent directive came through the Chinese Communist Party’s senior political adviser Wang Huning during a summit held last week by Protestant religious leaders of the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China and the China Christian Council, SCMP said.

Wang is chairman of the national committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, which oversees religious matters in the country.

Addressing the Christian groups at the 11th National Chinese Christian Congress, Wang said they “should adhere to the direction of sinicization of Christianity” and “interpret the doctrines that conform to the development and progress requirements of contemporary China, the core values of socialism and the excellent traditional Chinese culture,” SCMP reports.

“Beijing has tightened its oversight of religions including Islam and Christianity under Chinese President Xi Jinping,” SCMP notes in its report. “In 2015, President Xi introduced the concept of ‘sinicization of religion,’ seen as an effort to strengthen national security and counter foreign influence,” SCMP said.