In August, two Chinese Christian Councils in a county managed by the prefecture-level city of Jiujiang in Jiangxi Province ordered over seventy affiliated churches to replace all cross symbols from their official seals with China’s five-pointed star.

The Chinese flag and national emblem features one large star surrounded by four small stars, which represents the CCP as the guiding force of the nation. Additionally, the star is utilised in all other state-run institutions.

In early September, Jiujiang’s Religious Affairs Bureau ordered official churches to remove Chinese characters for “Christianity” from church seals. “All official churches were ordered to replace their seals so that believers accept the Party as the main leader and follow only it,” a Three-Self Church venue director from Jiujiang said.

In July, a series of cross removals took place in the prefecture-level city of Linyi in Shandong Province by order of the government of Lanling county’s Dazhongcun.

Bitter Winter reports that “numerous state-approved Three-Self Church venues” had crosses toppled from its rooftops along with the removal of other religious slogans and symbols. “Crosses must be removed from all churches because Christianity does not belong in China,” a town official told onlookers as the demolition took place.

Source: christianheadlines.com