President Trump, the failed businessman and shyster, decided that trade skirmishes with various countries, including Canada, and massive tariffs against imported Chinese goods would be a good plan. This approach is costing American consumers billions of dollars and bankrupting farmers, but the self-proclaimed "very stable genius" carries on as the economy wobbles.
One product that is entering the States duty-free is the bible, or more accurately, boodles of bibles. I had not realized that China is the world’s largest Bible publisher, thanks to Nanjing-based Amity Press which has printed almost 200 million since 1988 in partnership with the United Bible Societies.
That's a lot of bibles printed in a country which has increasingly repressive regulations and laws concerning religious freedom, including for Christians. I've written about the jailing of pastors and demolition of church buildings, not to mention the deal the Chinese government struck with the Vatican on the appointment of bishops and cardinals.
An article in the Guardian earlier this year notes that:
As of 2018, the government has implemented sweeping rules on religious practices, adding more requirements for religious groups and barring unapproved organisations from engaging in any religious activity. But the campaign is not just about managing behaviour. One of the goals of a government work plan for “promoting Chinese Christianity” between 2018 and 2022 is “thought reform”. The plan calls for “retranslating and annotating” the Bible, to find commonalities with socialism and establish a “correct understanding” of the text.
Isn't that chilling, that the government is rewriting the bible for its purposes? While Christian publishers in the United States may be relieved that there won't be a tariff on bible imports, they might ask whether solidarity with Chinese Christians could involve not buying them at all. Just a thought.
Wang Yi, pastor of the Early Rain church, who was arrested last Fall along with his wife.
Photograph: Early Rain/Facebook
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