China cracks down on Protestants

(The Christian Science Monitor) Prospective Communist Party members in the region of China where Christianity is growing the fastest must renounce religious belief, and current party members must write letters stating their rejection of faith, according to a new mandate by authorities in Zhejiang Province.

The policy comes amid extended and systematic harassment of Protestant churches in Zhejiang. More than 450 church buildings have been desecrated or destroyed since November 2013. Chinese analysts quoted in state-run media say the new vetting of party members for religious belief is part of a larger campaign in Beijing against “hostile foreign forces” infiltrating China.

Wenzhou, the capital of Zhejiang, on the prosperous east coast, is sometimes referred to as “China’s Jerusalem” for its high number of devout Protestants—at least 1 million in a city of 8 million. The area is known for its business acumen and overseas population.