Op-Ed: Secret Christians in the PLA?

MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2026

OP-ED

The purpose of this op-ed is to simply plant a seed in the mind of the reader. Could there be a Christian coup of Communist China?  Fanciful perhaps, but growing up through the roots of Chinese society is Christianity.  Once in awhile there is some discussion about the growth of the Christian community in Communist China.  Christians have long been in China.  The Yale School of Divinity has a long history of missionary work in China.  However, the arrival of Communism in China did change things.

Chinese Christianity should be put in context.  The religious demographics of China are highly complex.  It is a combination of Confusianism (technically not a religion, but it might as well be), Buddhism, Taoism, and ancient folk religions not unlike paganism in the West.

Growth of Christianity in China

Even after the Communists expelled missionaries, by 1950, there were still 3 million Christians in Communist China.  The population then was 550 million people so that 0.5% of the population.  By 2025, the Chinese Christian population had grown to 120 million in a population variously estimated to be 1-1.2 billion.  So, roughly, that was 10% of the population.   This growth has happened despite government regulation.

Ongoing suppression

The Communist Chinese government has an ongoing program of limiting and suppressing Christianity in China.  If the size has grown from 0.5% to 10%, those suppression efforts do not seem to be working well, but they persist.

Also, ongoing deals have been cut with the Vatican over appointing bishops.  Meantime, there is the continued growth of underground churches that meet at people’s homes.  Some have been discovered and people arrested but they seem to persist.  The secrecy creates two dilemmas.  We do not know how many of them there are, and we do not know where they have penetrated Chinese society.

Infiltration of key areas in the Chinese government

At 10% it follows that Christianity has likely penetrated the highest levels of Chinese society.  Government?  The military? The elites? Universities?  They are all candidates.  The demand for secrecy suggests cults, private groups and other collections of people who are confronted with difficult situations.  OK, but does this mean any of these groups are conspiring to turn China from Communism to Christianity?  Not likely, but now is the time to present something for your consideration.

Prime Minister Xi made a big mistake a few weeks ago when he got rid of two key generals in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).  Some upset generals started to send warning signs to Xi and his supporters by staging military exercises near Beijing.  By late February, the PLA had given Xi and ultimatum.  Either produce the generals by early April or there will be consequences.

While issues over Taiwan may be on the minds of the PLA, so also is the economy and…the direction of the nation.  That this could be the moment not unlike those moments in history like Rome, Constantinople or Spain when Christianity became the dominant religion.  That the PLA could lead the way should be kept in mind. 

The final thought is that this period of time until President Trump’s  visit in early April will likely be a time of unexpected developments.  So, let’s watch closely.