Communist authorities are attempting to remove the cross from China. But Chinese Christians are responding in dramatic ways.<\/p>\n
The cross is, of course, the universal symbol of Christianity, and it speaks powerfully to God\u2019s justice, mercy, power, and love. The late John Stott once said, \u201cI could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. The only God I believe in,\u201d he said, \u201cis the One Nietzsche ridiculed as \u2018God on the cross.\u2019 In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?\u201d<\/p>\n
How indeed?<\/p>\n
The cross has undeniable power to draw us to the Savior. In China, by some estimates, more than 130 million people have embraced the cross and become Christians. Journalist David Aikman, in his book \u201cJesus in Beijing,\u201d predicts that as many as one-third of China\u2019s population may become Christian within the next 30 years.<\/p>\n
Perhaps that\u2019s why the cross is under attack in eastern China right now. For the last two years, the government in the province of Zhejiang has torn down or otherwise destroyed at least 1,200 giant red crosses from church buildings. The city of Wenzhou is at the epicenter of the action. Wenzhou is known as \u201cChina\u2019s Jerusalem\u201d and it\u2019s no exaggeration. The city is home to a million Protestants and more than 300,000 Catholics. And so the visibility of the city\u2019s nearly ubiquitous crosses, no doubt, has been a huge embarrassment to Communist Party rulers.<\/p>\n
So it\u2019s no surprise that they\u2019re attempting to remove them. According to The Guardian , \u201cTowering red church crosses \u2014 visible for miles around \u2014 once dotted the city\u2019s skyline but many of the most prominent [have] been forcibly removed since the campaign began. In some cases, entire churches have been reduced to rubble.\u201d<\/p>\n
One anonymous church leader told the British newspaper that authorities were attempting to transform Christianity \u201cinto a tool that serves the [Communist] Party,\u201d adding, \u201cWhat they are doing feels like something from the Cultural Revolution era.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Christians in China aren\u2019t taking it lying down. Many are writing letters of protest; some have begun engaging in civil disobedience. Christianity Today reports that members of one church where the cross was removed staged a sit-in, holding banners with the words \u201clift up the cross\u201d and \u201cprotect religious freedom.\u201d Last month, 20 priests protested outside government offices, unfurling a banner that said, \u201cMaintaining religious dignity and opposing the forced removal of crosses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others are noticing, too.<\/p>\n
Mervyn Thomas of Christian Solidarity Worldwide said, \u201cThe ongoing campaign to forcibly remove crosses and demolish churches in Zhejiang has had a profoundly negative effect on Catholic and Protestant churches in the province … Many church leaders,\u201d he continues, \u201chave patiently and repeatedly tried to negotiate and enter into dialogue with the local authorities; the protests and petitions … are a sign that their concerns have not been addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not all. Christianity Today also reports: \u201cNow Chinese Protestants and Catholics are joining together to put red crosses \u2014 albeit much smaller ones \u2014 back in the public eye… In an online campaign, church leaders in … Zhejiang have called on Christians to craft hundreds of small wooden crosses, paint them red, and display them at home or on their cars.\u201d One church leader told The Guardian , \u201cEach time they take a cross down, we will put more up. We are even considering making flags and clothes with cross patterns. We will make the cross flourish throughout China.\u201d<\/p>\n
But doing this is risky. Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports that more than 100 people were detained or arrested in connection with cross removals last year, and another 38 were beaten or injured during protests. When Chinese Christians say they\u2019re going to take up their crosses, they really mean it.<\/p>\n
So what about us? The Bible tells us that when one member of Christ\u2019s body suffers, we all do. We can stand with our brave brothers and sisters in China by praying, and urging our elected leaders to make an issue of religious freedom in all of their dealings with China. Chinese Christians are willing to take a stand for the cross. The question is, are we?<\/p>\n
________<\/p>\n
Copyright (c) 2015 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. “BreakPoint” is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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