China is cracking down on Christianity.
The latest series of attacks on Christianity comes from the Chinese government’s new five-year plan, called “Principle for Promoting Chinese Christianity in China for the Next Five Years.”
The plan will attempt to “de-westernize Christianity,” basically by eradicating basic tenets and making it harder to practice.
Currently, approximately 67 million Christians live in China–about 5% of the population. Some groups estimate there to be many more who don’t publicly acknowledge their faith, because of the government’s sanctions.
Just hours after the “Principle for Promoting Chinese Christianity” framework was adopted, the Chinese government moved quickly to begin the crackdown.
The government replaced posters of Jesus Christ with pictures of their president, Xi Jinping.
They also banned Christian children from attending church, and seized and banned the Bible–including digital versions that existed online. The only Bible legal in the country is now a government-sanctioned version.
In addition, hundreds of small, private churches have been shut down–forcing Chinese Christians to worship in secret.