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 first month of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration has been marked by a troubling surge in antisemitic hate crimes across New York City, even as overall gun violence fell to historic lows, according to newly released data from the New York City Police Department.
Eyal Zamir, Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, convened the IDF’s senior operational commanders’ forum on Monday, underscoring a renewed push to strengthen combat readiness as the military returns to its regular training and exercise cycle following months of sustained operations.
The Trump administration announced Monday that all federal immigration and homeland security officers operating in Minneapolis will now be equipped with body-worn cameras, a move officials say will increase transparency and protect law enforcement amid rising tensions and political scrutiny.
President Donald Trump demanded Monday that House lawmakers swiftly approve the bipartisan spending package passed by the Senate, urging both parties to set aside additional policy demands to bring a partial government shutdown to a rapid end.
President Donald Trump announced Feb. 2 the creation of a new strategic private-sector critical minerals stockpile, a move the White House says will shield U.S. industry from supply shocks and reduce reliance on Beijing’s dominance of rare earths and key metals.
A network of left-wing activist groups working to obstruct federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota has received millions of dollars from a nonprofit tied to the Soros family, according to an investigation by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The United States will reduce tariffs on Indian goods to 18% after President Donald Trump announced a new trade agreement with India following a call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The reduced rate marks a rollback from the 25% “reciprocal” tariff imposed last year, along with an additional 25% penalty tied to India’s purchases of Russian oil, the Wall Street Journal reported.