Christian Persecution Videos From China

     The Cross

     Jesus in China

                     July 2005

We're back from China! The highlight of our trip was hearing the Canaan Hymns that God gave to His Chinese followers through a faithful peasant girl whom we met. I wish you could have seen the joyful faces of the singers. We don't want to expose these faithful Christians, so we can only give you a small glimpse:

Those glorious songs -- accompanied by an orchestra and chorus of Chinese Christians -- are part of a DVD series called "The Cross - Jesus in China." Part 4 tells the story behind the hymns. It is available at -

www.chinasoul.com/e/cross-news.htm

The Canaan Hymns of China: "Anyone who wants to understand the Chinese Home-church assemblies will want to reflect on the hymns sung by its members. These hymns express the faith, testimonies, and experiences of the faithful and show the world the pure innocence of all those who tread a rocky path.

"In remote villages and prosperous cities, wherever there are Christians you will hear joyful voices of the faithful expressing their devotion through their hymns. Without instruments or the ability to read words or musical scores, these peasants who are Christians are able to sing dozens of hymns without ever taking a rest. ... They are sung not only in the Home-church assemblies, but are also sung in the Chinese Three-self Churches. Some are sung in Chinese congregations all around the world.

"It’s hard to believe that all the melodies and lyrics of the Canaan Hymns were written by a peasant girl named Xiao Min, A girl who can’t even read music. ....

"Canaan Hymns are becoming the holy songs of the Chinese nation. They are the pulse of seventy million Chinese Christians. They reflect the path where so many missionaries walked in the past century."

The Canaan Hymns: "These prayers soar over the highest mountains and melt the ice off the coldest hearts. There is no more bondage. There are no more wars. Hearts receive blessings from above, and destinies are changed. It is going to be an excellent year for the harvest."

History of Persecution in China

Chronology of Protestant Christianity in China

1807 – Robert Morrison, the first Protestant missionary (London Missionary Society) reaches Canton.

1841 – Henry Venn, Secretary of the Church Missionary Society, advocates the principles of self-responsibility and self-support for mission-planted churches.

1851 – The Venn concept is formulated as the Three Selfs: self-supporting, self-governing, self-propagating.

1860 – Following the loss of the Second Opium War, China signs the Treaty of Tianjin, which also grants foreign missionaries the right to share their faith in China.

1900 – Boxer Rebellion; 189 missionaries and children are martyred.

1919 – Communism emerges.

1922 – Anti-Christian movement breaks out.

1926 – Watchman Nee establishes The Christian Assemblies, also known as The Little Flock.

1930s – The northern China province of Shantung experiences a supernatural visitation of the Spirit of God, characterized by deep repentance and public confession of sin by both believers and new converts, accompanied by signs and wonders in healing, speaking in tongues and casting out demons. People from all denominations are affected.

1949 – The Communist Party gains power. Estimates place about 1 million Protestants and 4.5 million Catholics in China. By 1991, estimates claim 50 million house church Christians. Most growth occurs in rural areas where 80 percent of the population lives.

1949-1953 – Foreign missionaries expelled from China.

1950 – Under Mao Tse Tung and the Marxist/Communist regime, the Christian Manifesto calls on the church to expose and oppose imperialism, feudalism and bureaucratic capitalism and help promote an independent, democratic and patriotic China. The Three-Self reform movement is established by the state.

1952 – Watchman Nee is arrested and never released.

1954 – The Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) is formerly organized by liberal Protestant leaders, headed by Wu Yaozong. The name is a prostitution of the “Three Self” principles espoused a century earlier by Christian missionaries. In the TSPM, where the Bible and patriotism conflict, the party line wins.

1954-1966 – Christians abandon the TSPM and establish house churches, a fertile soil out of which explosive growth occurs.

1955 – Wang Ming Tao, an eminent Beijing pastor, is arrested, imprisoned, brainwashed and tortured. He is not released until 1978.

1966-1976 – The Cultural Revolution begins. Red Guards carry out a ruthless campaign to crush religion. All religious activities were banned and church buildings were either closed or destroyed. Hundreds of clergy, including TSPM pastors, were sent to labor camps for re-education through labor.

1977 – A more moderate set of pragmatic policies is pursued by Deng Xiaoping. Christians are released from prison to demonstrate to the West a policy of religious freedom and attention to human rights issues.

1978-1982 – House churches see great multiplication and initially enjoy relative peace. Christians boldly evangelize, worship and teach in large meetings. In one city, 60 percent of the population embraces Jesus Christ.

1982 – The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee formulates “The Basic Viewpoint and Policy on the Religious Affairs during the Socialist Period of Our Country,” known as “Document No. 19.” This document continues as the basis of the religious policy and itemizes “five characteristics” (wu xing) of religion in socialist China: that it 1) will exist for a long time, 2) has masses of believers 3) is complex, 4) entwines with ethnicity and 5) affects international relations. The document concludes that: 1) religious affairs should be handled with care, 2) religious believers should be rallied for the central task of economic construction and 3) religious freedom should be guaranteed, as long as the believers love the country, support CCP rule and observe socialist laws. It acknowledges the mistakes of militant atheism, yet clearly reaffirms the atheist doctrine that religion will wither away and that atheist propaganda should be executed unremittingly.

Mid-1983 – Hundreds of arrests, occasional incidents of torture and other forms of harassment since mid-1983 constitute the first sweeping crackdown against Christian activity since the Communist regime instituted a measure of toleration in 1979. The repression is especially aimed at a zealous Protestant revival occurring among the unsanctioned house churches, which are in increasing conflict with the government-approved Protestant organizations.

1989-1993 – Following the Tian’anmen Square Massacre of June 4, 1989, a great spiritual awakening breaks out among Chinese intellectuals and professionals. Thousands “both in China and overseas” embrace the Christian faith.

1994-PRESENT – Beijing escalates and intensifies efforts to force registration of house churches and end all unapproved religious activities.

1999 – The Chinese government officially bans more than a dozen Christian organizations with house church background. They are labeled as “evil cults” that endanger the health of the masses and disturb the stability of the society.

2004 – In November, Beijing announces new Religious Affairs Provisions (RAP) to take effect March 1.

2005 – Officials claim RAP experiences a “paradigm shift” in official thinking about religious affairs. Most analysts see no real change.

2006 – Chinese Christian intellectuals (house church Christians) are hosted by President Bush at the White House for dialogue, fellowship and prayer. President Bush pledges his intervention if they suffer any repercussions from the government upon their return to China. This is the first time, Chinese house church Christians are received at the White House by a U.S. President.

2007 – Prominent Christian Human Rights Attorney, Gao Zhisheng, writes an open letter to the U.S. Congress exposing the abuses of the CCP against house church Christians and others persecuted for their beliefs and, as a reprisal, is kidnapped and severely tortured for over 50 days.

2008 – The world watches as the Olympic Games take place in Beijing. The same year, incidents of Christian persecution in Beijing alone increase by more than 400%.

2009 – In February, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton publically announces that U.S. concerns about human rights abuses in China must not interfere with the economic crisis, global warming and other issues.