Tag: Cross Demolition
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.
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.
Increasing Awareness and Understanding
Four ChinaSource Publications
This past month, there have been two stories of particular interest and relevance to Christians in China and to foreigners who serve there. One was the announcement by the authorities in Zhejiang Province of a draft regulation limiting the size of church buildings and the size and placement of crosses on churches. The second was the central government's publication of a draft Foreign NGO Management Law, which would govern how foreign NGOs can operate in China. If enacted as proposed, each of these could have far-reaching consequences to both the local and foreign Christian communities in China.
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.