This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A new report in the Federalist is warning that the Chinese Communist Party has embarked on a new campaign with the goal of attacking, even eliminating, Christianity.
The new rules, to become effective May 1, are needed to fight "extremism," the party charges, and will require foreign missionaries to get government approval for lectures, sermons and group activities.
"Additionally, the regulation includes a comprehensive set of restrictions that prohibit foreign missionaries from engaging in activities such as 'Recruiting religious believers among Chinese citizens and appointing religious clergy,' 'Organizing and carrying out religious education and training,' 'accepting religious donations from Chinese organizations and citizens,' and producing, distributing, and selling religious materials."
Violators, the CCP charges, are criminals.
A report by Breitbart charges the agenda is "to formally end Christian missionary activity."
And persecution.org explains the reason: Fear of churches.
"The CCP has long viewed independent religious activity with suspicion, arguing that religious loyalty is at odds with the ultimate loyalty demanded by the Communist Party. The government labels independent religious activity as cultish and extremist, regardless of its theological roots, and demands that all Christian religious activity take place within the confines of state-run churches."
The Federalist report explained, "The new regulation is the latest example of the CCP's deep-seated animosity toward all religions, especially Christianity. Between the 1980s and early 2000s, China's Christian population surged significantly, with estimates in 2018 indicating it may range from 100 to 200 million — outnumbering the nearly 100 million members of the CCP itself.
"The CCP, an atheist organization, is alarmed by the rapid growth of Christians. One of the CCP's worst fears is that the devotion to God could erode loyalty to the party and thus threaten its very legitimacy. As a result, the CCP sees Christianity as an existential threat."
China's chief, the report said, has worked to force all faiths and churches to "align" with the CCP agenda, to persecute believers who fail to follow his orders, and use laws the attack religion.
The report explained, "A well-known instance of the sinicization of Christianity is the CCP's insistence on selecting Catholic bishops. This practice clearly violates the Catholic Church's principle that only the pope has the authority to appoint bishops. Other examples of sinicization include authorities' instruction that both Catholic and Protestant congregations must prioritize patriotism over religion. In some impoverished areas, local officials compelled villagers to replace posters of Jesus with portraits of Xi Jinping and Chairman Mao, despite Mao in particular being responsible for the worst mass murders in human history."
The report noted the CCP even has made plans to "retranslate and annotate the Bible to align with socialism and establish a correct understanding of the text."
Primary targets of the CCP now are "house churches," those that do not seek approval of the government to operate.
"The website of China Aid, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting for religious freedom, is filled with stories of religious persecution under the Communist regime," the report said. "For instance, local police in Suizhou City, Hubei Province, arrested 28 Christians from a house church on charges of 'using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law.'"
The 2025 report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, in fact, places China among the worst violators of religious freedom globally.
China previously had banned anyone under 18 from entering a religious site or getting religious education, claiming the goal is to establish "a correct worldview."
"This draconian enforcement has led to the closure of Sunday schools and youth summer camps, as well as legal threats directed at Sunday school teachers, church leaders, and parents," the report said.
