by Luke Booker, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Nine Chinese Christians have been sentenced to up to four years in prison and fined amounts up to a million yuan (more than $136,000), according to a religious liberty and human rights magazine.
The charges stem from 2021 arrests, when Christians bought legally published Bibles in Nanjing but were accused by the Chinese government of running a criminal evangelistic enterprise by purposely reselling them below cost, according to Bitter Winter.
The Christians were convicted of illegal business operations because, although the Bibles were legally published, they belonged to an unregistered house church that refused to join China’s government-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement, according to the International Christian Concern.
Earlier this year, the Chinese government boasted about its intensified crackdown on independent religious groups in 2024. “China’s public security authorities intensified efforts to dismantle cult organizations in 2024,” the state-run Global Times reported. “They have worked to curb the growth and spread of cult organizations, mitigating potential threats to national political security and maintaining social stability.”
In the 2025 World Watch List by Open Doors, China is ranked 15th out of 50 for severe Christian persecution, up four spots from the previous year. This rise is due to stricter regulatory enforcement, resulting in the shutdown of unregistered churches and heightened scrutiny of official ones. Open Doors estimates there are about 96.7 million Christians in China.
Since the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949, Christianity has experienced significant growth, increasing from 4 million Christians to an estimated 58 million Protestants and 9 million Catholics by 2010.
Despite ongoing intense persecution and strict government controls, current estimates suggest that there are between 80 and 100 million Christians in China, including both officially registered members and those in unregistered house church communities.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Iran is preparing for a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin, as confirmed by Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani on Monday. “Putin’s trip to Tehran is currently being worked out, preparations are underway,” she stated, according to Russia’s state RIA news agency. The Kremlin has yet to comment on the potential visit.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced Monday it will disband and disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, a fight that has claimed over 40,000 lives. The announcement, made through the Firat News Agency after a congress in northern Iraq, marks a significant shift in the region’s geopolitical landscape.
Advocacy group Amnesty International, which campaigns for the abolition of the death penalty, has named China as the world’s “lead executioner.”
Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, has been released and safely handed to Israeli forces, several sources confirmed.
Edan Alexander, an American citizen “who until recently most thought was no longer living,” will be released later on Monday, U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued an urgent evacuation warning Sunday to residents of Houthi-controlled ports in Yemen, hours before multiple airstrikes reportedly targeted Ras Isa, Hodeidah, and Salif.
President Donald Trump announced plans to sign an executive order Monday to slash U.S. drug prices by 30% to 80% through a “Most Favored Nation” policy.