China harasses Christians ahead of Beijing Olympics

sermonindex Mar 13, 2008

~~[b]~~China harasses Christians ahead of Beijing Olympics[/b]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--With increased frequency, the Chinese government is persecuting house churches and banishing foreign Christians from the country, presumably to squelch voices who might draw attention to the plight of religious minorities in the nation surrounding the Beijing Olympics.
"We seem to be seeing a crackdown ahead of the Olympics.

Whether that's to send a message to the church to lay low or whether it is to make sure that anybody who might cause international embarrassment is taken care of ahead of time, I don't know," Todd Nettleton, a spokesman for Voice of the Martyrs, told Baptist Press. "But we do see an increase in the level of arrests, the level of house church services being raided, that sort of activity.

"We also have seen a number of foreigners who are Christians who, when the time came to renew their visa they have been denied a new visa and told that they had to ...

sermonindex Mar 13, 2008

Previous discussion in this slightly older thread.

~~[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=22474&forum=48&8]~~Beijing unveils giant terminal[/url]

With increased frequency, the Chinese government is persecuting house churches and banishing foreign Christians from the country, presumably to squelch voices who might draw attention to the plight of religious minorities in the nation surrounding the Beijing Olympics.

This is sad.

sermonindex Mar 13, 2008

"They want to make sure that they put their best foot forward, and having Christians doing some sort of protest or drawing attention to the religious freedom situation there would not be good PR

Why would any believer do something as stupid as this? I can't see any Christian protesting and drawing attention to themselves. This has to be a fear that the Chinese government has, because as true believers we don't do those sorts of things. It's not in us to do that, we are like a lamb dumb for the shearer. Christ is our deliverer. Freedom came for all Christians everywhere because of years of tyrany under Rome thus the United States was born to be a haven of rest so to speak. As believers we cry out to the LORD for our help, not march up and down King Street trying to get international attention, that is looking to the arm of flesh for help. Communism is a movement of fear, and it's China's perception that Christians will cause them to be an embarressment.

C

Compton Mar 13, 2008

Compliments,

This has to be a fear that the Chinese government has, because as true believers we don't do those sorts of things...that is looking to the arm of flesh for help.

Apparently some do, or else the government there wouldn't have cause to worry. Would some of us be disappointed if the Christians there wanted to draw international attention to their plight?

I have a small but chilling suspicion that there are some zealous Christians here in the United States who need the Chinese Christians to be persecuted for some romantic spiritual fantasy held dear. (Edit: Not a need for cruelty, but a need for heroes.)

Let me be the first to confess that if an arm of flesh wanted to help me through a time of danger, I would be thankful. Indeed, it may be that the (practical) distinction between a spiritual miracle and a political solution are meaningless...for one must lead to the other if we would see Christians over there free from political tyranny.

MC

sermonindex Apr 2, 2008

~~[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7325754.stm]~~BBC report: Olympics 'worsening China rights' - full article[/url]

'~~[b]~~China's human rights record is getting worse, not better, because of the Beijing Olympics, a rights group says.[/b]

According to Amnesty International, China is clamping down on dissent in a bid to portray a stable and harmonious image ahead of the Games in August.

It urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and world leaders to speak out against abuses, including China's handling of protests in Tibet.

US President George W Bush is facing calls to boycott the Games' opening...

~~[b]~~'Beyond reach'[/b]

In a report entitled China: The Olympics Countdown, the London-based group said the Olympics had failed to act as a catalyst for reform in China...'

This does just show how futile politics is, at changing the human heart.