Christian Website Forced to Shut Down

International Christian Concern, Christianity Daily 05 May 2022

Woman holding a tablet with a website open; website looks like the Chinese flag is taking over

The "Jona Home" website has been forced to cease operations after more than 20 years of service due to an increasing crackdown on religious content in China. On April 12th, the Christian website posted the following notice: "Due to reasons known to everyone, from now on our site can no longer serve brothers and sisters in Christ. Thanks to all for your company and support in the past 21 years!"

On March 1st, new government measures came into effect, severely restricting online religious content. A licence is now required to post religious subject matter on the Internet, and access to such licences is very limited. See this page for more details on these restrictions.

Looking for more information, some Chinese Internet users asked what had happened to the website through a Chinese communication platform called Baidu Tieba. Not daring to mention the government crackdown, one user simply responded by saying: "[The website closure] has nothing to do with your laptop. You should know the reason."

Ask God to grant wisdom to the leaders of churches and Christian organizations in China, as well as individuals who are endeavouring to reach out with the Gospel message amid a very restrictive environment. May they be sovereignly guided by the Lord, seizing innovative new ways to share the eternal hope they have in Christ. In general, continue to prayerfully uphold Christians throughout the country who are facing opposition and imprisonment because of their faith.

Current Ministry Projects
The Voice of the Martyrs Canada continues to help distribute Bibles to Christians in the country, making it possible for them to have their own printed version of God's Word. Additionally, VOMC works with various mission partners to facilitate a Biblical understanding of persecution and discipleship, while presenting ways to effectively respond and minister within the context of hostility.

Project Funds: Underground Church, Bible, Relief & Development
Country Information
Population
1,413,142,846 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Han Chinese (91.1), ethnic minorities (8.9 - includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) (2021 est.)

Religion (%)
Folk religion (21.9), Buddhist (18.2), Christian (5.1), Muslim (1.8), Hindu (< 0.1), Jewish (< 0.1), other (0.7 - includes Daoist [Taoist]), unaffiliated (52.1) (2021 est.)

Leader
President Xi Jinping (2013)

Government type
Communist party-led state

Legal system
Based on civil law system; influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems

Sources: CIA World Factbook
Pray for China
Pray that the Gospel will be proclaimed throughout China without government interference so many more names can be added to the Lamb's "Book of Life." May there also be a spirit of unity demonstrated among the country's growing churches, further strengthening existing believers and spurring them on in their ministry service and evangelistic outreach within the country's numerous communities.

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