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
Several European countries were on high alert Wednesday as Lithuania’s president and prime minister were rushed to underground bunkers and residents of the capital, Vilnius, urged to take shelter during a warning issued after a drone violated the country’s airspace. The turbulence came after Russia warned it could attack Baltic countries despite being part of the NATO military alliance, while Britain reported Russian Air Force activity dangerously close to its spy plane.
The U.S. special envoy to Greenland suggested Wednesday that Washington could still seek greater control over the Arctic island, saying it was time for the United States “to put its footprint back” on Greenland.
In an unprecedented move for an American leader, U.S. President Donald J. Trump said Wednesday he plans to speak with Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, after China’s and Russia’s leaders condemned Washington’s “irresponsible” foreign policy.
Hungary’s new Prime Minister Péter Magyar and his governing Tisza party have submitted their first constitutional amendment to parliament in a move that would prevent longtime premier Viktor Orbán from ever returning to power.
Russia threatened to attack Baltic nations if they assist Ukraine in launching drones into Russian territory, despite their membership in the Western NATO military alliance.
An Israeli Christian leader is urging the government to formally recognize Christians as a distinct community with stronger political representation, citing what church leaders and advocacy groups describe as growing harassment and discrimination against Christians in Israel.
Israel moved closer to early elections Wednesday after a bill to dissolve the 25th Knesset passed its preliminary reading with overwhelming support, exposing the deepening fractures inside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition.