On Easter Sunday, thousands of worshippers flocked to China’s largest church in a nation that is now set to have the highest population of Christians than any country in the world within the next 15 years.
The Liushi Church, founded by a British missionary in 1886, has a 206ft crucifix which can be seen for miles around, and with twice as many seats as Westminster Abbey, it has a capacity for 5,000 people.
"Miracle"
When the £8 million building opened last year, one theologian declared it as a “miracle that such a small town was able to build such a grand church.”
40-year-old church visitor Jin Hongxin said: "It is a wonderful thing to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It gives us great confidence.
"If everyone in China believed in Jesus then we would have no more need for police stations. There would be no more bad people and therefore no more crime."
Dramatic growth
Despite China officially being an atheist country, Christian congregations have grown dramatically since churches began reopening in 1976 following the death of Chairman Mao.
According to the Pew Research Centre’s Forum on Religion and Public Life, China’s Protestant Community has grown from one million in 1949, to 58 million in 2010, which far outweighs the 40 million in Brazil and 36 million in South Africa.
According to religious expert Professor Yang, that number will increase to 160 million by 2025, which could place China even ahead of the United States.
Professor Yang predicts that by 2030 China could have 247 million Christians, making it the largest Christian population in the world.
Persecution
Meanwhile, a staff member for the Christian charity, Open Doors, in China said the church continues to grow despite persecution:
“For now, the Chinese Church expects it can continue to grow both in size and in depth. The government will keep close watch, that’s for sure, but severe oppression is something of the past. I like to say the government is improving, but on the other hand; there are still some Christians in jail because of their faith and Christians among the 400+ minority groups (officially classified in 56 categories) are still persecuted by the society and sometimes the government.”
“The majority of the Christians in China say they are currently experiencing a growth in freedom. But, according to leaders of unregistered churches, materialism is nowadays a much bigger threat for the church in China than persecution.”
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