One minute into any discussion on religious persecution, someone will undoubtedly mention China. Bring up overseas missions, ERAP or the Apostle Paul on campus, and all good Cedarvillians can recount horrific stories of jailed and tortured believers, Bibles printed without the book of Revelation and government-run "show churches" in Beijing.

All will shake their heads in disgust at the godless and oppressive Communist regime and throw in a token "We need to pray for China." But the situation in China really is not that straightforward. It is not fair to the Chinese government or the Chinese believers to paint with such broad brushstrokes.

To ask, "Is Christianity allowed in China?" is like an inquisitive Chinese asking "Is it hot or cold in America?" You might begin that answer with, "Well, it depends ..." So it goes with religious freedom in China.

Without going into too much depth, a brief study of history reveals that it is completely reasonable for the Chinese government to be suspicious of organized religion, especially Christianity. In the 1800s, numerous imperialistic atrocities were committed in the name of "evangelism."

It cannot be denied that there have been, at certain times and places, significant acts of persecution against believers. These incidents do happen daily and will probably continue in some areas.

The story of the "Heavenly Man," Brother Yun, who recounted his experiences in an event on campus this past fall, is but one example among many. It is also true that heretical "puppet" churches probably do exist in China. For a country as vast and old, everything you've heard about China has probably been true in some place at some time.

However, the sensational headlines of religious persecution do not represent the whole picture. There are an estimated 70 million Christians in a country that is officially atheistic. Furthermore, the China Christian Council boasts 16 million baptized Protestant members from over 50 thousand legally protected places of public Christian worship, 15 thousand of which are actual church buildings.

For every persecuted Brother Yun there are two Chinese believers who attend an unregistered church in plain view of government officials, yet face no drastic confrontation from the government or persecution worse than American Christians face in their secular workplace.

For every Brother Yun there are two believers who are actively involved in the ministry of a doctrinally sound church that is state-sanctioned, but not state-run. These "Three Self Churches" have fervent believers who openly worship and freely share the Gospel with their co-workers and friends.

They are able to buy their own un-smuggled copies of several translations of the entire Bible, and yes, they include the book of Revelation. They participate in Christmas programs, Easter celebrations, and get baptized.

In some cities, they can even take the bus to their favorite Christian bookstore to buy a copy of "The Purpose Driven Life" or load up on bookmarks knitted with their favorite Psalm.

We should be in prayer for the oppressed believers, but to continually depict China as a hopeless land devoid of worship, doctrine or missions is to horribly diminish the testimony and work of the Chinese believers. Pray for those being persecuted, but pray also for those who are not persecuted, that they would continue to take advantage of this freedom.