Hostility toward Christians in China is escalating, which experts say is a “coordinated wave of persecution” driven largely by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Last week, the CCP “arrested more than two dozen pastors across at least seven provinces who are part of the underground Zion Church network,” as reported by The Washington Stand. China Aid, a Christian international non-profit dedicated to supporting persecuted believers, condemned the arrests as “a direct assault on the fundamental human right of religious freedom and a stark reminder that the Chinese Communist Party remains determined to eradicate any form of independent civil faith community that does not submit to state control.”

To explore this alarming development, Bob Fu, president of China Aid and senior fellow for International Religious Freedom at Family Research Council, joined guest host and FRC Senior Fellow Jody Hice on Tuesday’s “Washington Watch.” Hice underscored the CCP’s long-standing control over religious groups, stating, “It’s no secret whatsoever that the [CCP] asserts control over religious groups in China and restricts the activities and freedoms of people of faith there” — a description he noted was “just putting it lightly.” He highlighted the recent increase, pointing out that “there is now a much greater crackdown on churches that’s taking place across multiple provinces” and that this wave of persecution extends beyond China, with some calling it “the most extensive and coordinated wave of persecution against churches in decades.”

“So,” Hice asked, “what can we make of all of this?”

Fu echoed the concern, stating how “within 72 hours, the Communist Party in China basically … launched [the] most … orchestrated by the central government crackdown against the Chinese house church, namely, one of the largest urban house church networks called the Zion Church.” He explained how Zion Church has over 5,000 members spanning across 40 Chinese cities. In fact, he emphasized, the “explosive growth” the church has had likely triggered the CCP’s aggressive response.

According to Fu, the crackdown was executed in a “terrorist style” reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution’s brutality. He detailed how the CCP rounded up “nearly 30 major church leaders, including the founder of this church, Pastor Ezra Dean, and many of the senior pastors across China.” These leaders were targeted with precision, with arrests occurring “at midnight on Sunday in front of their infant daughters and children and their mothers.” The trauma was so severe that some family members were “even hospitalized because of the terrorist style of [the] attack against these church leaders.”

Hice pointed out the contradiction between these actions and China’s official stance, noting that “at least on paper,” the Chinese “Constitution says that it is a country that supports religious belief and so forth. In fact, a spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that their country protects religious freedom.” Fu responded, asserting that the recent crackdown “is a total violation of [China’s] own constitution.”

He went further, stating, “[W]hat happened in China shows the CCP and its leadership, led by … Emperor Xi Jinping, has declared a war against the Christian faith.” Since Xi took power, “hundreds of churches have been under this massive crackdown,” with those who resist facing arrest and sentences of up to 15 years in recent months. Fu himself has been “accused of committing fraud for simply taking the offerings and tithing,” revealing how the CCP is “basically criminalizing the tithing and offering of the churches for the first time since the Cultural Revolution in [the] 1960s.”

“It’s very, very concerning,” Hice remarked. Looking ahead, he asked, “What needs to happen to turn things around? And how would you encourage [those who are concerned] to be praying for this situation?” Fu drew on historical precedent, stating that “history has told us, both from the biblical history and the history for the revival of the Chinese church,” that “the more persecution there is, the more revival there will be.” He urged believers to remain steadfast, concluding with a call to prayer: “[W]e need to pray for the perseverance” and “protection of those who are in jail. … [W]e also need to speak up for them … against this violation and [call on] the CCP to immediately release those innocent pastors who [have] done nothing wrong except preaching the gospel and building healthy civil society in China.”

“We need to pray,” Fu concluded.