Christians in America speak ominously of a “war on Christmas.” This war seems to consist mainly of fights over the appropriate placement of manger scenes and the kind of holiday greeting you’ll hear from your Target cashier. This does not qualify as a war. It has risen to the level of a quarrel, maybe even a dispute, but it does warrant as dramatic a label as “war.”
If you want to know what a real war on Christmas, and indeed on Christianity itself, looks like, turn to China. Christians in Hong Kong wore black to church this past weekend to protest the persecution of their brothers and sisters by the Chinese communist authorities. President Xi Jinping has been organizing raids on churches across the country. Last week, a church in Guangzhou was shutdown and hundreds of books were confiscated. A week before that, another church was invaded and dozens of worshipers were arrested. They were then tortured and starved.
A few months ago, school children in the Zhejiang province were required to fill out forms declaring their religious affiliation. They were urged by their teachers to declare themselves irreligious. Christians might face “consequences,” the children were warned.
Christians endure violence and oppression around the world, especially in countries like North Korea, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and many others. And the persecution is not always conducted by governments. In Indonesia, 90,000 soldiers are being deployed to guard churches during Christmas services. What does it tell us that such a force is needed just so that Christians can celebrate the birth of Christ? – READ MORE