China: Inside the biggest revival in history

Bestselling author Paul Hattaway gives us a rare glimpse inside China’s underground Church

It has been described as the Chinese Marshall Plan, a 21^st Century Silk Road and a state-backed campaign for global dominance. The “One Belt, One Road” (yi dai yi lu) initiative is President Xi Jinping’s plan to connect Asia, Africa and Europe through a ‘belt’ of overland corridors and a maritime ‘road’ of shipping lanes. The goal is simple: China wants to become the new world superpower, with the most powerful economy and military on earth.

The Chinese are not in a rush, but are determined to gradually work their way towards this vision. The Communist leaders behind this project are hard-line atheists who desire absolute power over what people say, do and even think. Anyone who may pose a threat to their goals is being subdued or eradicated. Contrary to almost all predictions, the last few years have seen persecution against Christians in China skyrocket to levels not seen since the Cultural Revolution (1966–76). These are frightening times for religious adherents in China, and Christians aren’t the only group under threat. The BBC estimates that as many as 3 million Muslims have been detained in concentration camps in the Xinjiang region.

In December last year more than 100 members of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu were arrested, including Pastor Wang Yi and his wife, Jiang Rong. Foreseeing this circumstance, Pastor Wang wrote a letter to be published by his church should he be detained for more than 48 hours. Many thousands of Christians all over the world read the letter when it was released online. In it, Pastor Wang said: “Separate me from my wife and children, ruin my reputation, destroy my life and my family – the authorities are capable of doing all of these things. However, no one in this world can force me to renounce my faith...Jesus is the Christ, son of the eternal, living God. He died for sinners and rose to life for us. He is my king and the king of the whole earth yesterday, today, and forever. I am his servant, and I am imprisoned because of this. I will resist in meekness those who resist God, and I will joyfully violate all laws that violate God’s laws.”