(Worthy News) - In its ongoing persecution of Chinese Christians, China’s government is inspecting and restricting the publication and distribution of books and other Christian literature produced by churches, CBN News reported Monday.
Literature published by a church must now be approved by institutions tasked with regulating religious materials.
According to persecution watchdog Bitter Winter, government officials inspected all the literature at a church in Ganzhou's Zhanggong district last month, and decreed that only Bibles published by the two Chinese Christian Councils could be distributed. The church was threatened with closure if any other literature, including children’s homework books, were found. "It's illegal for them to do so, but they can do as they please because China is the land of the Communist Party," a member of the church told Bitter Winter.
An insider at China’s Religious Affairs Bureau was quoted by CBN News as telling Bitter Winter: "Even materials printed for personal use are purged. It's even illegal to print out unofficial Bibles downloaded from the internet."
These actions are part of a continued governmental crackdown on Christian citizens. As CBN News has previously reported, Christians are being forced to replace crosses and other symbols of Jesus with portraits of China's communist leaders Xi and Mao.
"As crosses are being removed throughout the country, those who refuse to cooperate will be accused of opposing the Communist Party," a Christian quoted by CBN News said. "We are pressured to give up our faith, but we will persevere."