Marching orders received.
At a national symposium in early August to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement—a fancy name for direct Chinese Communist Party control of many of China’s Protestant churches—CCP officials told religious leaders “to preach the documents of the Third Plenary Session…as part of their sermons and Bible studies” (Bitter Winter, August 14, 2024).
The Third Plenum is one of the important annual bull sessions convened by the Chinese Communist Party to review and refresh party policy, party propaganda, and party discipline.
Pastors attending the Three-Self symposium in Shanghai learned that they must:
● “Study and implement this Session’s and implement this Session’s spirit and align to its message.”
● Support CCP principles and inspire all Christians to be enthusiastic about the Chinese Communist Party.
● Help to further advance the “Sinicization of religion and ‘a stricter legal governance of religious affairs in our country.’ ”
● Make sure that Christians embrace “socialist values.”
● Make sure that congregations “align with Xi Jinping’s ideology…and contribute to the nation-building efforts centered around the CCP led by Xi Jinping.”
● Persuade religious people from other countries that the claim that there is no religious liberty in China is false.
No religious liberty? Everybody in China’s churches enjoys perfect liberty to align himself with CCP messaging, Xi Jinping Thought, and “stricter legal governance of religious affairs in our country.” Spread the word.
Also see:
StopTheChinazis.org: “The Chinese Communist Party’s Religion of Love”
