“The Rev. Bob Fu, a former Chinese house church leader who immigrated to the United States in 1997 and founded the persecution watchdog organization China Aid, provided great detail during a United States House of Representatives hearing Thursday about a plan enacted by leading state-sanctioned denominations in China to ‘Sinicize’ Christianity. As China’s crackdown on religion has seen many house churches demolished and thousands of crosses removed from churches nationwide, Fu warned that ‘Religious freedom in China has really reached to the worst level that has not been seen since the beginning of the Cultural Revolution by Chairman Mao Zedong in the 1960s.’ At the center of this new level of persecution is China's new regulation on religious affairs that was released last year but enacted on Feb. 1. According to Fu, the revision of the religious regulations are to actively guide religion to ‘adapt to socialist society.’ In a written testimony, Fu said that under the new regulations, religious activity sites will ‘accept the guidance, supervision, and inspection of relevant departments of the local people’s government regarding the management of personnel, finances, assets, accounting, security, fire protection, protection of relics, health and disease prevent and so forth.’ One way in which they plan to Sinicize Christianity, Fu said, is by ‘retranslating’ the Old Testament and providing new commentary to the New Testament to make socialist ideals and Chinese culture seem more divine. According to its latest outline, Fu said, a retranslation would be a summary of the Old Testament with some Buddhist scripture and Confucian teachings and new commentary for the New Testament. Fu added that the five-year plan advocates for ‘incorporating the Chinese elements into church worship services, hymns and songs, clergy attire, and the architectural style of church buildings. This includes editing and publishing worship songs with Chinese characteristics and promoting the Sinicization of worship music, using uniquely Chinese art forms. In the beginning of every church worship service, the choir of the church has to sing a few communist revolutionary songs praising the communist party before they can sing the worship songs,’ Fu detailed. Hundreds of Christian leaders in China signed onto a statement this month condemning the new regulations, the increased persecution and control the party is taking over the churches. ‘We believe and are obligated to teach all believers that all true churches in China that belong to Christ must hold to the principle of the separation of church and state and must proclaim Christ as the sole head of the church. For the sake of the Gospel, we are prepared to bear all losses—even the loss of our freedom and our lives.’ the statement reads. At its Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in July, the U.S. State Department released a formal statement condemning China for its religious freedom violations. However, the statement was only signed by three other nations.” “China Trying to Rewrite,” Christian Post, Sep. 28 2018
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