Ben Solis
As the West is finally waking up to the genocide of Christians in Nigeria, Christians are also facing brutal oppression in Communist China. Recently, the persecution has escalated to levels not seen since Mao Zedong ruled the country.
Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping launched the largest crackdown on Chinese Christians in years. More than 20 clergy and parishioners were arrested, along with a prominent underground church pastor. Christian leaders have reported that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has demolished thousands of unsanctioned churches.
In September, mirroring the hardline tactics of the Soviet Politburo, Xi Jinping decreed that all faiths must “promote the Sinicization of religion and guide doctrines and rituals to reflect Chinese characteristics.” All religions must remake themselves to “adapt to the socialist society,” he said. Under Chinese law, all churches must be approved by the CCP and display government-approved propaganda. It is also illegal in China to attempt to bring anyone under the age of 18 into the faith.
Chinese dissidents I spoke to for this interview described the current situation for Christians as the worst in decades. “These may be the darkest times for our brothers and sisters,” said one former high-ranking CCP official who worked in the Ministry of State Security. He now lives in Germany and is a Christian.
Xi’s crackdown is not a novel approach. In fact, it bears striking similarity to the playbook that the Soviet Union used in its failed attempt to secularize Eastern and Central Europe during the Cold War. Like the CCP today, the Soviet Union adhered to the tenets of Marxism-Leninism, which aimed to erase religion entirely from society. Christians, especially, were portrayed as obstacles to the Party’s vision of a flawless, classless society. From the very beginning, Marxists have treated faith as an adversary to absolute power.
Like China today, priests and pastors in the Soviet Union were ordered to report to government officials and secret police. Their sermons and prayers were scrutinized for e ven the faintest hint of dissent. Those who submitted to the rule of the party received favors, while those who did not were mercilessly persecuted. Some were killed for their transgressions.
In China, Xi’s mandate to “Sinicize” religion is the latest chapter in this saga. Beneath the polished slogans, the CCP is not trying to bend the church into Chinese society but to destroy it entirely, reviving the old dreams of the Soviet Union.
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