Magyar Egyház, 2001 (80. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2001 / 1. szám
6. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS CONTINUES Open Doors International recently released a position paper on China stating, “The Church in China is growing rapidly, but the spiritual depth of the Church is shallow. Only by taking advantage of every avenue to assist the whole Church in China through Bible deliveries, leadership training, prayer support, and encouragement will we see the continued, solid growth of the world’s largest revival.” The Bible League estimates the size of the Church in China at least 80 million, with an added 5 million each year. Their figures also show that 45 million of these Christians do not have access to a Bible. By continuing to place Bibles in the hands of believers, and by supplying study Bibles to church leaders, they work to strengthen the Church in China. Without God’s Word, believers cannot grow strong. While recognizing the official registered Chinese churches, Open Doors expressed concern for these Chinese believers who worship in rural house churches. “The official government-approved church leaders do not speak for the entire Chinese church. There are many others who can speak for its larger, underground sections but are denied a platform to state their needs, “states Open Doors. “The continuing greatest need in China is for the Bible.” In 2000, The Bible League was able to place over one and a half million Scriptures in China, almost nine and a half million since 1979. Chinese Christians “remain the world’s largest single persecuted community today”, says the Open Doors document. A US State Department report (covering July 1999 to June 2000) states, “Religious repression in China increased over the past years.” The report goes on to say that in some regions, Chinese officials “imposed tight regulations, closed houses of worship, and actively persecuted members of some unregistered religious groups.” In 1999, 21 year old Liu Hai Tau began to preach the Word of God. On September 4, 2000, the police arrested Liu and nine other men in the small church where Liu preached. The police required payment of 5,000 rmb ($610 US) for Liu’s release. Unable to obtain the money, Liu was kept in jail until September 28, when Liu’s parents were called to take him home. When Liu’s parents arrived, they found their son had undergone severe beatings. Liu was immediately taken to a hospital where, because of the extent of his injuries, the doctors were unable to help. Liu died that evening. News of Liu’s death spread quickly through the Christian community in China, and several memorial services were held for this 21-year old man who had been killed for his faith. As persecution of Christians continues in China on many levels, The Bible League is committed, along with other agencies such as Open Doors, to supporting God’s Church in China. They are one of the largest suppliers of Bibles to China’s house churches. They know that, without the Word of God, the Church cannot grow strong in their faith and stand strong against adversity and persecution. In addition to regular Bibles, they are making study Bibles available for those in leadership who have no training or resources, a Children’s Bible and an Easy-to-Read Bible for people with limited literacy. The US State Department has issued its findings on religious persecution in China, stating unequivocally that China engages in organized, severe persecution of religious activity that is not officially registered with the government. Such activities are subject to government oppression and intimidation. The State Department report says, “The (Chinese) government seeks to restrict religious practice to government-sanctioned organizations and registered places of worship and to control the growth and scope of the activity of religious groups...The government’s attempt to maintain a strong degree of control over religion, and its crackdown on groups that it perceived to pose a threat, continued.” The report states that, in some regions, officials “imposed tight regulations, closed houses of worship, and actively persecuted members of some unregistered religious groups.” Some Christian groups in recent years have trumpeted a new openness and freedom of worship in China. But those freedoms are not fully extended to the estimated 80% of the Christians in China - between 60 and 80 million people - who worship in house churches. “Whatever is said of China is likely to be true at some location or time because of its incredible vastness,” says Rev. Dennis Mulder, President of The Bible League. “However, we have worked with trusted and committed partners in this ministry who have been imprisoned, beaten, fined, harassed, and even tortured by Chinese government officials. As the State Department report shows, these events have increased, rather than decreased, in the past two years. Our faithful brothers and sisters in China continue to face persecution.”
