Story number 1 for 17 Apr 2002

(China)–Our newscast begins today in China, where a missions agency is voicing alarm over the number of persecution reports they’re getting. Bible Literature International believes the Chinese government plans to stifle the country’s Christian influence prior to hosting the 2008 summer Olympics. Due to security concerns, we’ll call our source ‘Brian’. “The Chinese government would probably want to crack down early enough before the Olympics, that it would do two things: first of all, it would minimize any religious contact that people coming into China would have. And secondly, that by the time the Olympics came around, they could rehabilitate their image in the world.” An overt government campaign, notwithstanding, ‘Brian’ says the work of the church will continue. “You’re not going to eradicate it, obviously. They’re trying to do as much as they can to eliminate Christianity because, despite some of the good things that have been said about the Chinese government, they’re not friendly to Christianity. Oddly enough, every time they try to it, they find that it grows more.”