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
Iran’s sweeping internet blackout has entered its fourth week, leaving millions of civilians cut off from global communications as the conflict with the United States and Israel intensifies.
The United States has surpassed 10,000 strikes on Iranian targets since launching Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, marking a major milestone in the ongoing military campaign, according to U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is considering calling up the National Guard to assist federal agents at airports as long lines and delays intensify during the ongoing partial government shutdown.
Video has emerged showing protesters booing and chasing away Anthony Albanese and Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke at the nation’s largest mosque after the government banned an Islamist group following a recent massacre of Australian Jews.
The White House issued a stark warning to Iran this week, signaling that further military action is imminent if Tehran refuses to agree to terms aimed at ending the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel, and the Iranian regime.
Dutch authorities have foiled a planned attack on a building housing a synagogue and school in the western town of Heemstede, detaining two teenagers suspected of preparing an explosion or arson with terrorist intent, officials said.
Israel has carried out a rare and far-reaching military strike on Iran’s Caspian Sea port of Bandar Anzali, targeting a logistics hub used by Russia and Iran to transport weapons, according to the Wall Street Journal..