Officially, the government says there are approximately 21 million Christians in China. Unofficial figures, such as one given by the Centre for the Study of Global Christianity in Massachusetts, put the number at about 70 million.
Others say the number is much higher. According to China Aid Association, a Texas-based lobby group, the director of the government body which supervises all religions in China said privately that the figure was as much as 130 million in early 2008. If accurate, there may be more active Christians in China than in other country in the world.
This has Communist leaders concerned because current party membership is 71 million.
Most Christians worship in illegal underground house churches as opposed to highly restricted government sanctioned services.
On the surface it is hard to explain why Christianity is growing in China. Less than half of all Christians own a Bible (this is why CFI smuggles Bibles into China). Christians in illegal house churches face persecution, imprisonment, and even martyrdom if caught. Yet, in spite of the government’s best efforts to crackdown, it continues to spread.
While no one knows exactly why Christianity is growing in China in spite of persecution and crackdowns, several factors may provide a clue. Following the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 many disenchanted democrats turned to Christianity. For example, six of the 30 or so student leaders of the protests became Christians. Many others followed.
Christianity is growing especially among the youth. Many Chinese students studied in America, converted there and brought their new faith home. In 2000, says one Beijing writer and convert, most believers were in the countryside. After 2000 they brought their faith into the cities, spreading Christianity among intellectuals.
According to The Economist, so far, Christianity’s spread has been largely a private matter for individual believers. The big question is whether it can remain private. The extent of its growth and the number of its adherents would suggest not.
Clashes with public policy are inevitable: no Christian, one argues, should accept the one-child policy, for example.
But it is hard to avoid the conclusion that Christianity will have a political impact one day. This can only be good news for China and the rest of the world.
(Source: CFI News)
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