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 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a renewed foreign surveillance authority, advancing a key national security measure while exposing deep divisions within Republican ranks. The legislation, known as the Foreign Intelligence Accountability Act, passed in a bipartisan 235-191 vote and now heads to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has developed plans for a “short and powerful” wave of military strikes against Iran, as tensions continue to escalate and nuclear negotiations remain deadlocked, according to reports cited by Axios.
Britain’s King Charles III has told the U.S. Congress that despite an age of uncertainty and conflict in Europe and the Middle East, the United Kingdom and the United States remain united in defending democracy.
South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison for stock manipulation and bribery, with her legal team saying she will appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
Tensions along Israel’s northern border intensified Wednesday as Israeli forces and Hezbollah exchanged fire, underscoring the fragility of a supposed ceasefire. Israeli military leadership made clear that, on the ground, active combat operations are still underway.
Two Jewish men were seriously wounded in a knife attack in north London, in what authorities are calling a terrorist incident targeting the Jewish community. The assault took place in Golders Green, a neighborhood with a significant Jewish population, intensifying concerns over a growing wave of antisemitic violence across Britain.
Iran’s economy is rapidly deteriorating under the strain of war, with more than one million people out of work and inflation soaring to crippling levels. According to The Wall Street Journal, another million jobs have been indirectly affected, as businesses shut down and supply chains collapse across the country.