A recent report shows that churches belonging to three state-sanctioned patriotic moves in China are effectively needed to sing the Communist Party of China (CCP) national anthem before closing at Sunday’s service. The mission raised serious concerns as it was seen as a deliberate change aimed at replacing God with the center of worship and replacing him with loyalty to the Communist Party.
Voices of Martial Koreans, led by Hyun Sook Foley and its partner organization ChanyAid, have issued a warning that the requirement is part of the Chinese government’s newly announced “blueprint for the 2025 Church Ministry of Music.” The plan focuses on developing new hymns that reflect “herbal therapy” while altering existing worship songs to coincide with socialist and communist ideology.
The plan was officially launched at a meeting in Beijing on May 7th. There, about 40 major church leaders gathered under the direction of three patriotic movements and the Christian Council of China. During the meeting, the government urged only to use songs approved via a church-designated mobile app, and to exclude worship music that did not conform to communist values.
What the situation does particularly surprising, according to critics, is that this goes beyond the music update. “Christians are now forced to have the Communist Party sing hymns and hymns before being allowed to worship Jesus Christ,” said Chainaid President Bob Hu. “This is a blatant form of persecution that is stricken at the heart of the Christian faith.”
The blueprint also mandates the official establishment of music teams within the church, encouraging music to be held with music concerts featuring “sinicized” worship music. This has seen an increasing number of controls over the years, including the installation of CCTV cameras and facial recognition systems in church buildings to monitor attendees, as well as strict internet censorship that restricts access to Christian material. The most recent scale extends this control into the realm of worship music.
Hyun Sauk Foley of Fom, of Korea, expressed deep concern about the development, saying, “The Chinese government has long had worship services, seminaries, sermons, and even church building architecture. However, followers were able to learn true theology through traditional hymns.
According to Foley, since 2021, the Chinese government has banned Christian music apps like hymn nets and song songs, restricting content only to government-approved platforms. “This is an attempt to block theological education through traditional hymns and inject communist ideology into worship,” she said.
But in the face of such oppression, hope remains. “With the rise of internet surveillance, radio broadcasting has become a lifeline for Chinese Christians to access traditional hymns and God’s Word,” Foley emphasized.
“Martyrs of the Martyrs Korea broadcasts two 30-minute radio shows every day across China. These broadcasts feature sermons from House Church pastors and biblical readings, and are the most effective means of sharing the gospel while avoiding internet censorship.”
Foley added that he is considering including traditional hymns in future broadcasts. “We stand up to the Chinese Church so that believers around the world do not need to abandon hymns sung for centuries,” she said.
Originally published by Christian Daily Korea and translated and edited by Christian Daily International Staff.
