Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
China: The Economics of Religious Freedom
China: The Economics of Religious Freedom
Apr 28, 2026 3:15 PM

Here’s a summary of a piece over at Forum 18:

Economics has a large effect on China’s religious freedom, Forum 18 News Service notes. Factors such as the need of munities for non-state e, significant regional wealth disparities, conflicts over economic interests, and artificially-induced dependence on the state e all provide the state with alternative ways of exercising control over munities. Examples where economics has a noticeable effect on religious freedom include, to Forum 18’s knowledge, the Buddhist Shaolin Temple’s business enterprises, clashes between Buddhist temple personnel and the tourism industry, the demolition of a Protestant church in Zhejiang Province, the expropriation of Catholic properties in Xian and Tianjin mercial development, the dependence of senior state-sanctioned religious leaders on the state for personal e, petition between and amongst registered and unregistered religious groups. Perhaps the greatest beneficiary of economic clashes is the state, which can use both control of e and also favouritism in economic conflicts to restrict religious freedom.

The Voice of the Martyrs News & Prayer Update also passed this along from the China Aid Association:

A pastor in the Three-Self Church in Pinglu County, Shanxi Province was prohibited from preaching and forced to leave the church by the Religious Affairs Bureau. The Pinglu Church invited a Hong Kong-based American pastor, Dennis be (Chinese name Bao Dening), to visit the church. The evening of July 9th, the head of the Pinglu Religious Affairs Bureau, Zhang Lianjie, came to the church and tried to dismiss the Bible classes and forbid the children to listen to Bible stories. He returned the next day with more officials, forcing the elders to retract their invitation to Pastor Bao Dening. In spite of immense pressure, church activities continued. On July 24th, Zhang came again and announced that a meeting would be held the next day to “discuss” Pastor Hu Qinghua’s leaving Pinlu. All the members of TSPM (Three-Self-Patriotic Movement) and CCC (Chinese Christianity Council) were to be at the meeting. The meeting began at 6 p.m. and the elders enumerated the achievements of Pastor Hu since taking charge of the church. The meeting continued till 11 p.m., but no matter how hard the elders insisted, Zhang Lianjie declared that Pastor Hu Qinghua had to leave Pinglu Church immediately. Pastor Hu Qinghua has left Pinglu, but he still tries fort and encourage the brothers and sisters in Linglu Church, by phone, to stand firm in the truth.

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
The Lost-and-Found Art of Self-Branding
Re-creating the self has e big business, not to mention a matter of cultural and political controversy. But this is not a new phenomenon. It’s as old as the Garden of Eden. Read More… In Genesis 1:27, we read the following: “God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” We are beings inextricably linked to God, yet we are constantly striving to separate ourselves from our Creator. It’s...
The “National Apostasy” of John Keble
Perhaps not a name familiar to many, yet 190 years ago today John Keble lit a fire of church renewal that continues to burn, even beyond the parishes of England. Read More… From the 1830s onward, a movement developed in the Church of England that sought to reclaim a classic High Church tradition within Anglicanism that gave weight to the apostolic succession, sacraments, the Christian year and festivals, and liturgical order. Some, though not all, within this group sought to...
What Good Is a Christian Alternative Without Christ?
During his first term, George W. Bush promised that faith-based organizations that fought addiction and poverty would not be muted in their proclamation of the gospel. The heads of those organizations didn’t believe him. Read More… My last entry in this series on passionate conservatism movement concluded with a question: Would John DiIulio, head of the George W. Bush administration’s faith-based office, insist that religion-based programs, to be eligible for federal grants, be devoid of religious teaching or evangelism? I...
The Forever (Catholic) Philosophy
How do we know what’s real? For that matter, how do we know what we know? An introduction to philosophy in the Catholic tradition is a great place to look for answers. Read More… If you are looking for an accessible introduction to philosophy in the Catholic tradition, James M. Jacobs’ new book, Seat of Wisdom, is a great place to begin. To be sure, any entrance into philosophy takes patience and hard thinking, and Jacobs’ book is no exception,...
Identity Politics Is All That’s Left
George Hawley’s 2016 book, Right-Wing Critics of American Conservatism, received high marks for its balanced approach. Now he’s taken a look at the conservative response to identity politics. Unfortunately, a faulty methodology has upset that balance this time around. Read More… In a series of academic books, George Hawley has proven himself to be a thoughtful writer and thinker on American politics and its disputatious conservative and progressive elements. He is also that rare breed in contemporary academia who generally...
Oppenheimer and the Last Great America
Director Christopher Nolan had brought to life more than just the birth of the atomic age in his biopic of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. He has forged worlds. Read More… The last major director we have is Christopher Nolan. As you watch his movies, you think about what it means for there to be masters of the art: people who seem to know the tools of the art so well that they are plete control of what they’re doing, yet...
Is Mere ‘Tolerance’ Intolerable?
A word like tolerance is often waved about as a symbol of open-mindedness and laudable fairness. But when it is a mere cultural expedient—a Pilate-like “What is truth?”—it can lead to an awful resentment and the worst kind of intolerance. Read More… Berlin is a city saturated with history. Everywhere—on every corner, in every park, behind every wall and in every building—one stumbles on a piece of that which once was, scattered by the wind of time and silently reminding...
Who Is a Libertarian?
It’s plicated than you think. A new book takes a detailed look at all the peting definitions, and enormous resources that the libertarian movement brings to discussions of a free market and a free people. Read More… In their new book, The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism, Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi have created an exhaustive and fascinating history of the libertarian movement and its animating philosophies. While for many, the term hardly existed...
The Problem of Cults in Kenya
Although the overwhelming majority of Kenyans are Christians, religious con men still have a hold on many of the poor. Bringing them to justice is difficult owing to corruption, government connections, and constitutional freedom of religion. But is what they are practicing religion at all? Read More… As of 2021, Kenya’s population was estimated to be 54.7 million, and as of 2019 “approximately 85.5 percent of the total population is Christian and 11 percent Muslim. Groups constituting less than 2...
Sound of Freedom Is a Clarion Call for More Christians in the Arts
The box office success of this Jim Caviezel–starring true story of a Christian hero has gladdened the hearts of conservatives while provoking snide dismissals from many in the mainstream press. Will this prove inspiration for a Christian cinematic renaissance? Read More… This year’s Fourth of July moviegoing experience was a surprise. The top draw at the box office was not a feel-good blockbuster but a thriller about child sex trafficking. It’s called Sound of Freedom and stars Jim Caviezel, of...
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved