In 1900, during the Boxer Uprising, over 230 western missionaries and 32,000 Chinese Christians were killed. This is considered the largest such martyrdom in missions history. After Chairman Mao Zedong declared the People's Republic of China in 1949, many sought to "purge" society of anything that would point to religion-especially the "foreign religion" of Christianity. This caused China's people to endure great hardship ever since. Mao's Great Leap Forward in the late '50s and the Cultural Revolution in the '60s and '70s left millions of China's people dead or victimized.
Even in this modern day, many suffer for their faith. Young Christian students are denied entrance to universities, or are assigned the worst jobs if they are fortunate enough to attend and graduate. Members of China's house churches, if caught, are spending decades in prison or at work camps just for possessing a Bible. Women are forced to be sterilized or have unwanted abortions because of the "one child per family" policy.
Christians outside of China need to realize in a new way the sufferings of Chinese Christians. We are so comfortable in our religious freedom that we never remember to consider those who are willing to pay the ultimate price for their faith.
The Bible League
Founded in 1938, the Bible League is committed to making God’s Word available to spiritually hungry people all over the world. It is one of the world’s largest, nondenominational Scripture placement agencies. The Bible League partners with local churches in more than 55 countries to place Bibles into the hands of Christians who need them. These Christians are also trained to share God’s Word with others in their communities.
For more information about the great need for Bibles in China—and how you can help—go to http://www.bibleleague.org/
