The head of a nonprofit Christian watchdog group objects to recent Pew Research Report suggesting that the number of Christians in China may have declined in recent years due to repression by the Chinese Communist Party.
“A recent Pew Research report measuring religion in China suggests that Christianity in the country has stagnated and may even be in decline,” Global Christian Relief President and CEO David Curry wrote in an editorial in the November 19 for Fox News Digital on the Chinese Christian population.
“But to borrow from Mark Twain, such suggestions seem greatly exaggerated. In fact, many of us who defend persecuted Christians around the world believe that the Christian community in China might even grow,” he continued. .
Curry, which also serves as Commissioner on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), went on to explain that internal research conducted by Global Christian Relief suggests that Pew’s estimates “could be off by as much as 100 million, but no one really knows the size” of China’s Christian population.
The Pew study cites a survey from the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), which says that about 23.2 million adults in China identified as Christians in 2010, while 19.9 million identified as Christians in 2018. Curry and Pew Research both noted such numbers. however, may not be reliable.
“Unfortunately, we cannot know with certainty to what extent survey patterns are affected by political circumstances,” the study notes. “There may be a real increase in the proportion of Chinese adults who identify with Christianity, but that is hidden in the survey measures. For example, it is possible that there has been a growth in Christian affiliation that is offset in surveys by increasing reluctance among respondents. to identify as Christian due to government scrutiny of Christian religious activity. Although this is a hypothetical possibility, there is no way of knowing from available survey data whether this is actually the case.
Curry wrote that “according to analysts at Global Christian Relief and our many contacts on the ground in China, only about one in five people self-report.”
In a recent phone interview with the Christian Post, Curry said the Church in China is “definitely under attack” and faces increased pressure since “President Xi solidified his control.”
“Part of this scenario is trying to downplay faith in general, but Christianity in particular, largely because there are so many Christians, and that’s why the number of Christians is large,” explained Curry. He speculated that the number of Christians in China is between 100 and 120 million people, more than the estimated 98 million. members of the CCP.
Curry said the Chinese government was trying to divide churches, noting that he recently spoke with leaders of a 500-person church in China that was forced by authorities to divide into separate groups of 100.
“This is a very common practice, where they try to take large churches and break them into pieces,” he said, adding that such efforts by the Chinese government are effectively forcing many of them back into hiding.
“They are attacking churches and Christianity, trying to divide it and go after church leaders,” Curry said. “But I think the Church is strong and continues to grow.”
Curry also noted that he was “disturbed” by the warm welcome President Xi received during his recent visit to the United States, and that “business leaders are in for a rude awakening if they believe they can achieve long-term success in reaching Chinese markets. market without understanding the moral structure on which this government is based. »
He further discerned that Chinese-style pressures could soon be exerted on Western Christians.
“I think you’re going to see it first in censorship and then removal of platforms,” he said of potential persecution. “I think you’ll see it in restrictions to banking systems for Christian ministries. I think you will see this in using the tax system to punish or restrict Christian ministries. »
“It’s going to put a lot of pressure on the Church, but I think in the long run the American Church will have a chance to become healthier if it responds correctly, just as I think so far the Church in China is healthier, even if because he is under pressure,” Curry added.
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