Persecution

Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. –

Matthew 10:28

A May 2021 report by The Heritage Foundation said the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Christians has taken a disturbing new turn – Chinese Christians are being detained at secretive “brainwashing camps.” Most are detained in “transformation” facilities, in windowless rooms without ventilation, and subjected to verbal and physical abuse. Threats and beatings and intimidations are used to force detainees to renounce their faith. One escapee revealed, “After you’ve been in there a week, death starts to look better than staying there.” Tibetan Buddhists, Muslim Uyghurs, and others are also targeted by the CCP, which wants to erase any form of religious practice that threatens its power.

The persecution of Christians is not new. Over the centuries, though oppressors have done their best to suppress it, the Gospel has continued to advance. According to the Voice of the Martyrs, revival and rapid church growth still characterize believers in China, who refuse to compromise their faith in Jesus Christ.

Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Jesus said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.” While the kind of persecution that exists in China and other places in the world has not yet crossed the thresholds of America, the cultural trends of the day threaten churches, pastors, and other faith leaders, families, and children.

The apostle Paul asks in Romans 8:35, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” Be encouraged by his assurance in the verses that follow that nothing can separate you from God’s love. Hold fast to your faith. Pray for American Christians to grow stronger in faith in Jesus Christ and trust in God’s will for them.