Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

Report: China Could Become the Biggest Christian Nation by 2030

Photo credit: Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images
Photo credit: Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images
Share Tweet
By Carly Hoilman
Writer

May 17, 2017

There have been many reports about the seemingly paradoxical rise of Christianity in nations with high levels of persecution, such as China, but the size and scope of that rise could be far larger than previously imagined.

According to Rodney Pennington of the Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF), China is projected to become the largest Christian nation in the world by 2030. Pennington, who studies church growth, explained this prediction last summer in an interview with The Christian Post.

“We are overjoyed with what the Lord has already done in China,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean the task is finished.”

“While 200 million Chinese believers by the year 2030 may seem ambitious, it certainly gives us a strong goal to pray toward,” he added.

Pennington noted, however, that in order for China to eventually become a key pillar of the global church, many changes would have to take place.

Chinese Christians still suffer persecution on a daily basis, as President Xi Jinping’s government continues to remove crosses, bulldoze churches, and imprison and torture the faithful. Much prayer is still needed.

On Tuesday, CBN News discussed the future of the church in China during its weekly Facebook live show, Christian World News Now.

CBN’s George Thomas explained that while “most of the mainstream media likes to cover China’s military might and its political prowess,” reports often overlook “this incredible move of God.” He specifically mentioned 24-hour prayer rallies held by faithful Christians in hundreds of churches across the country.

“They’re praying for revival — praying that God would do a supernatural work in their nation,” he said.

Thomas called the explosive rise of Christianity in China “remarkable,” given the country’s history of Communism and government-mandated censorship.

“The China of 2017 is not the China of 1989,” he said. “Today, there is tremendous openness and freedom.”

Thomas explained how in the ’70s and ’80s, the Christian faith was forced underground.

“They were literally worshipping in caves … in the sides of mountains,” he said. “And they were very secretive.”

Today, there seems to be a resurgence of bold, unapologetic Christianity in China, where outspoken Christians are openly resisting the government’s attempts to silence them. Some churches, Thomas added, have gone so far as to invite Chinese officials into their houses of worship as a sign of transparency.

And with the global rise of radical Islam, especially in the Middle East, many Chinese believers are fleeing the persecution they face at home and trekking to other countries to spread the Good News.

“God is raising up a new generation of men and women to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to these very difficult places that historically, Western missionaries would go,” Thomas said.

Though its story is far from over, China serves as a clear example of the borderless, limitless work of redemption taking place in a country that many would classify as God-forsaken.

—

Other Must-Read Stories:

— Percentage of Americans Who Believe Bible is Literal Word of God Plunges — and Gallup Reveals the ‘Consequences’

– Kirk Cameron Warns ‘We’ll Destroy Each Other’ If Americans Don’t Take These Key Steps

– Did Crocodiles Really Eat a Pastor Who Was Trying to Walk on Water Like Jesus?

– ‘I Came…to Graduate, Not Go to Church’: High School Seniors Demand Apology After Superintendent’s Alleged God Comments

Latest

  • Christian Persecution

    ‘Watch Out For the Early Warning Signs’: Persecuted Christians in Most Dangerous Places Reveal Where Chaos Started

  • News

    Pro-Life Pregnancy Center Attacked for Second Time in Less Than a Year

  • News

    Bible College Fires Professor Who Tweeted About Biblical Sexuality

  • Faith

    Want to ‘Experience God in a More Profound and Powerful Way?’ How One Pastor’s Biblical Practice Transformed His Life and Ministry

  • Faith

    Franklin Graham Praises DeSantis For Drag Show Kid Crackdown: ‘Doesn’t Mess Around’


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • ‘Watch Out For the Early Warning Signs’: Persecuted Christians in Most Dangerous Places Reveal Where Chaos Started
  • Pro-Life Pregnancy Center Attacked for Second Time in Less Than a Year
  • Bible College Fires Professor Who Tweeted About Biblical Sexuality
  • Want to ‘Experience God in a More Profound and Powerful Way?’ How One Pastor’s Biblical Practice Transformed His Life and Ministry
  • Franklin Graham Praises DeSantis For Drag Show Kid Crackdown: ‘Doesn’t Mess Around’

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • Culture
  • culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Roe
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?