FGGAM NEWS just received this news release:
Save the Persecuted Christians Coalition:
China Burns Bibles and Closes Churches as It Intensifies Persecution of Christians
STPC Coalition Supports Brothers and Sisters in Christ in China
WASHINGTON—Christians who want to worship and serve Jesus in China are facing increased hardships, as Bibles are burned, churches closed and crosses destroyed, The Christian Post has reported.
In its coverage, The Christian Post interviewed Pastor Bob Fu, founder of ChinaAid and a member of the Save the Persecuted Christians (STPC) Coalition, which advocates on behalf of 215 million Christians facing heavy persecution worldwide.
“The international community should be alarmed and outraged for this blatant violation of freedom of religion and belief,” said Fu.
This year, two of China’s largest Christian churches have either been torn down, such as the 50,000-member Golden Lampstand Church demolished in January, or closed, like the Zion Church in Beijing just this fall, reports Christianity Today.
Hundreds of Chinese pastors put their lives on the line, reported The Christian Post in September, when they signed a letter protesting the intensified Communist crackdown on Christianity.
“China’s Constitution technically claims to offer religious freedom, but all religious expression and worship is strictly regulated and monitored by the state,” says Dede Laugesen, director of the Save the Persecuted Christians Coalition. “It is becoming increasingly difficult for Christians to gather and worship freely in China, and they live in fear of retribution, persecution or worse—simply for having faith in Jesus Christ. Save the Persecuted Christians Coalition supports our Chinese brothers and sisters in Christ, and we call on Christians across America to do the same.”
Thankfully, America’s political leaders are working to raise awareness about persecution in China. For instance, Vice President Mike Pence addressed the matter early last month in an address at the Hudson Institute, and on Oct. 25, Sen. Chuck Grassley wrote a commentary for Politico titled, “China Must End Its Campaign of Religious Persecution.”
China ranks as No. 43 on the World Watch List for “high” levels of persecution according to Open Doors USA, which tracks Christian persecution worldwide. Conversion to Christianity in China is seen as a “complete betrayal of the community and one’s family,” and it is illegal to teach the faith to one’s own children.
The STPC Coalition works diligently to disseminate actionable information about ways in which Americans can help those in China, and elsewhere, who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ. Especially in light of immense global oppression, raising awareness about Christian persecution is crucial, as violence toward and imprisonment of Christians occurs so routinely it rarely makes the news.
For example, according to Open Doors, 255 Christians are killed worldwide every month. 104 Christians are abducted. 180 Christian women are raped, sexually assaulted or forced into marriage. 160 Christians are detained or imprisoned without trial. And 66 churches are attacked. Every month.
With such staggering statistics, and the knowledge that most of these crimes are not covered in the media, the STPC Coalition developed a dedicated news aggregator—www.ChristianPersecutionNews.com—to capture current instances of persecution that do make the news and to provide readers an easy way to share these heartbreaking stories with others.
One of the simple and economical ways Americans can render support is by encouraging their pastors and faith leaders to visit www.SaveThePersecutedChristians.org and to order a free banner to display in front of their houses of worship. These simple banners feature a graphic “Save Us” plea with a cross and the coalition’s website where Americans can learn about the global persecution of Christians and find out more about what they can do to help stop it.
With so much of the world’s population attacked, imprisoned or exiled for their beliefs—such as Christians in China—the need for the sort of movement the STPC Coalition is working to foster has never been greater. Its efforts are modeled after a campaign that helped free another population suffering from heavy persecution, Soviet Jews, by holding its persecutors in the Kremlin accountable and imposing real costs for its repression of people of faith. The Coalition’s movement in our time aims to provide American policymakers with the popular support they need to effect real change worldwide and lastingly alleviate the suffering of those persecuted simply because they follow Jesus Christ.
