Communist Officials Sever Rooftop Cross in China Amid Ongoing Persecution (Video)

By Leah Marieann Klett 23 Oct, 2018 08:38 EDT

A church rooftop cross was severed by Chinese Communist workers in Wenzhou amid an ongoing campaign to control Christianity in the region.

UCAnews reported that the demolition of the cross at Lingkun St. Michael Church of Yongqiang Parish happened on Oct. 11, with a video published last week showing the operation.

In the video, workers are shown severing the massive cross, which is then removed by a large crane.

Just one day later, Luoyang Catholic Church in Henan saw two of its crosses demolished by authorities. A clip attached to the video of the demolition at Lingkun shows one female church member aiming a stick at an official, seemingly in protest against the demolition, while another woman cries at the scene.

"That is Christianity is in conformity with Sinicization, in other words, in line with socialism," a Catholic believer by the name of John told UCAnews.

Church rooftop crosses have been targeted for years, with Communist officials citing building code violations. However, believers say that the campaign is part of efforts to oppress the growing Christian faith and "Sinicize" religion by demanding loyalty to the atheist Communist party.

In September, footage emerged from the Henan province showing crosses and Bibles being burned. The move was condemned by human rights groups, with China Aid President Bob Fu calling on the international community to be "outraged."

"The international community should be alarmed and outraged for this blatant violation of freedom of religion and belief," he said.

"The situation for Chinese #Christians becomes more dire by the day. We are working tirelessly to put maximum pressure on China stop the persecution," Jay Sekulow, President Trump attorney and Chief Counsel at the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), wrote in a tweet.

Currently, China has around 38 million Protestants, and some have predicted that the country will have the world's largest Christian population in a few decades.

Fu previously told The Guardian that despite the government's best efforts, Christianity will continue to thrive.

"I have hope for the future, these campaigns were done in Roman times, under Stalin and under Mao, and none succeeded," he said. "It will only have the opposite effect, and if Communist party cadres studied history they would see this. Crackdowns will cause the church to grow faster, and help church be more united."

Survey: Hong Kong teens generally identify with traditional Chinese cultural values

In order an effort to promote traditional Chinese culture, the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong, in collaboration with Macao YMCA, Guangzhou Suigang'ao Teenagers Institute, and the Teacher Chang Foundation of Taiwan, has conducted a survey on teens measuring their cultural awareness. They found that Hong Kong youths generally identify with and support the values of traditional Chinese culture.
Global Lutherans celebrate Reformation Day, ‘trusting in the power of grace in a merciless time’.
Yesterday, October 31, was Reformation Day, and Lutherans around the world held various events in commemoration. In Singapore, the Lutheran Church advocated for Christian communion, while the German Lutheran Church encouraged believers to face the challenge of “trusting in the power of grace in a merciless time.”
Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues
American churchgoers are looking for more than biblical explanation from their pastor each week. Many expect the sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues.
2.1M Korean Christians estimated at joint worship service to affirm family, oppose gay marriage, pray for nation
In the afternoon of Reformation Sunday, Oct. 27, some 2.1 million Christians gathered for a joint worship service from 2pm to 5pm in Seoul, Korea to “unite for repentance, revival, and restoration of holiness in our society.” According to organizers, an estimated 1.1 million joined onsite despite the bad weather with another 1 million joining online. The unprecedented joint worship service brought together Korean churches across denominations as they affirmed traditional marriage and family and
Willow Creek Community Church invites believers to write prayer cards for the next president
This past Sunday, Willow Creek Community Church based in Illinois invited believers to “pray for the next president” during the service. The church not only expressed its concern for the upcoming election but also emphasized the role believers should play in the process and the importance of offering prayers for the nation's leaders.

Communist Officials Sever Rooftop Cross in China Amid Ongoing Persecution (Video)

Survey: Hong Kong teens generally identify with traditional Chinese cultural values

Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues American churchgoers are looking for more than biblical explanation from their pastor each week. Many expect the sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues.

Survey: Hong Kong teens generally identify with traditional Chinese cultural values

Global Lutherans celebrate Reformation Day, ‘trusting in the power of grace in a merciless time’.

Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues

2.1M Korean Christians estimated at joint worship service to affirm family, oppose gay marriage, pray for nation

Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues
American churchgoers are looking for more than biblical explanation from their pastor each week. Many expect the sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues.