JIAXING, China — Officials in China’s Zhejiang province closed three college campus ministries in April, claiming the organizations were illegal.
In a May 23 report, human rights group ChinaAid states that the Jiaxing Civil Affairs Bureau in Zhejiang province shut down Huaxia Campus Joint Ministry, Huaxia Campus Joint Ministry Center and Huaxia Youth Campus Joint Ministry. The bureau’s website says the three had not received government registration, thus facilitating events as an unauthorized nonprofit organization. The statement deems the groups as “illegal organizations.”
“Campus ministry focuses on preaching the gospel to college students and training young missionaries. … Today, more college students have converted to Christianity while attending school,” according to ChinaAid.
The increase in interest in Christianity, the article states, has raised concern in the Communist Party of China, which subsequently studied the faith of students. ChinaAid says the CPC “believes that (the heightened interest in Christianity) demonstrates that overseas forces infiltrate Chinese culture through religion. After some studies, the campus fellowships of various universities were shut down.”
China is No. 16 on Open Doors’ 2023 World Watch List of places most difficult to be a Christian.
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