A 5-Year Plan to Sinify the Church

It’s real. It’s going on. And the government may be winning some battles. But know this, they will lose the war.

I’m not talking my home country … though America should take notice. I’m referring to China’s Communist Party’s plan to rid their country of any non-Chinese, non-Communist ideology. And I would probably guess they have a long-term plan to do the same globally.

In China, all religions are the target of a ‘sinification’ campaign. It began in 2015, but its history goes back much further. The word sinify goes back to Latin and means to make Sino or Chinese, but the word seems way too ominous to pass by and not see the connection to sin. Bottom line, this is the wordage used by an article an April 3rd article in The Economist.

In summary, this story goes back to the 1860s when James Hudson Taylor, an English missionary, defended and encouraged missionaries to dress and have hair styles of the indigenous culture. The justified reasoning was so not make it appear that to be converted to Christianity would be to become westernized and lose their Chinese heritage.

When Mao took authority, he used brutality to ban and crush all religious activities. Upon his death, restrictions loosened, but not much. Today, there are about 11mill Muslims and almost 80mill Christians.

On 2019, China published its 5-year plan to sinify the officially recognized religions (Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, Catholicism and Protestantism.) Much of the dictates are for the worshippers just keeping the culture non-western … making sure architecture and decor are Chinese. And while that seems harmless, it also goes deeper into pre-approved messages, governmental decor right alongside religious decor (such as a picture of Mao next to the cross,) no training from “external forces” (aka, the west). It condemns house churches. It also emphasizes preachers to promote “core socialist values”.

The inhumanity within the process, the hatred to all things foreign, and the outright disregard for human rights is a blatant war of freedom of religion and a blaring example of Spiritual warfare many are facing outright all around the world. We get all worked up about voting laws, and yes we should notice what our legislators are always doing, but we pay very little heed to the dangerous actions by those in China and other places.

But lest you think this is a problem just ‘over there’ – regardless of where over there might be – it is a problem right here too. Anti-Christian culture is trying to enforce its ideology within the fellowship of believers in our great Republic as well. Just look at the extant the new Equality Act will go to enforce compliance if the bill is enacted. And way too often, the church has surrendered and welcomed in the ways of the world.

The warnings from Jesus to his disciples 2000 years ago are true to his disciples today … watch and pray lest you fall.

Are you watching … staying alert, remaining vigilant?

Are you praying … staying close to the source of your strength, provision, protection?

Stand firm and don’t give the devil a foothold. And if it comes to it, we may even have to pay the price for standing strong on the standards of God’s Word.

And it’s starts with you today … watch and pray. Stay alert and stay connected.

And remember, God wins the war.