In Reply to: By the way posted by Oldtimer on March 04, 2005 at 13:53:09:
I whole-heartedly agree that the nature of Christianity is profoundly changed when it is mixed with political and military power.
Whether or not the Chinese Christians are "nonpolitical" depends on where one's point of view. If the definition of loyalty to one's country is that citizens have no higher loyalties, then Chinese Chrisitans have taken a political position. They are viewed as a threat to the supremacy of the government because they recognize a power greater than that of the state.
I believe that being Christian means loyalty to the Kingdom must always be greater than loyalty to one's country, political ideology, or military power.
I believe that the Chinese Christians are the closest modern parallel to the political oppression early Christians experienced from Rome before Christianity became a state sponsored religion.
Persecution for the sake of the Kingdom does not occur because someone's interpretation of constitutional law denies you the right to post the Ten Commandments in publically owned buildings. Persecuation for Christ's sake does not occur because the System challenges your belief that God's law of love permits the exploitation of women and children.
Persecution occurs when you are imprisoned and tortured for simply joining together in Jesus' name in the privacy of your home or church.