That’s the gist of a report from religious liberty and human rights magazine Bitter Winter stating a conference held last month with state-aligned religious leaders declared the CCP‘s intent to “change the face of world Christianity.”
According to the report, the “Training Meeting for Key Pastors of the Northeast China Christian Region” held in late June was the launch of a “grandiose” plan from Chinese President Xi Jinping and the CCP.
In a speech centered on “Christianity adapted to a socialist society,” one speaker predicted the Three-Self Movement would help amplify the message of “the successful experience of the Sinicization of Christianity.”
While the term “sinicization” has been used by CCP authorities to describe bringing Christian groups in line with cultural and historical Chinese traditions, critics argue that the “fundamental purpose of the Sinicization of Christianity is to transform and alienate Christianity.”
By doing so, according to the human rights group ChinaAid, the CCP “hopes to reduce Christianity to the point that it operates as a tool, turning it into ‘Pseudo-Christianity.'”
The effort comes as Chinese Christianity has exploded from roughly 4 million adherents in the 1950s to over 60 million as of 2020.