A powerful story of forgiveness is found in John 8, involving Jesus and the woman caught in adultery, wherein He famously said, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” Her accusers quietly leave, one after another.
Jesus then tells her that neither does He accuse her, “But go and sin no more”---a part often ignored today by our “tolerant” society.
But now, if the Chinese Communists have their way, the whole story of Jesus and the adulterous woman will be completely turned on its head.
In their version, Jesus Himself stones her to death!
U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, (R) Wisconsin, wrote an article for Foxnews.com, in which he reports that the Chinese Communist Party is now busily at work rewriting the world’s best-selling book.
If they succeed in their venture, we’ll go from “the greatest story ever told” to “the greatest story ever distorted.”
It isn’t enough that the Chinese Communists have burned many Scriptures. It isn’t enough that they actively ban the Bible online through firewalls on social media outlets.
Now, apparently they dare to attempt to destroy it from within, by rewriting it.
Gallagher comments: “Across Henan province, local CCP officials forced Protestant churches to replace the Ten Commandments with Xi Jinping quotes. ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,’ became diktats like: ‘Resolutely guard against the infiltration of Western ideology.’"
Today’s Chinese Communists are following in the footsteps of Chairman Mao, the worst mass-murderer in the history of the world, who called religion “poison.” And the Chinese Communists persecute all religions.
Gallagher adds, “In my work in Congress, I’ve heard unthinkable stories of religious oppression. But I’ve also listened to accounts of underground churches, brave clergy, and steadfast believers every bit as courageous as saints of the early Church.”
I reached out to Wendy Wright, the president of Christian Freedom International, for a comment on this story about the Chinese Communists attempt to rewrite portions of the Bible.
She told me, "Chinese Communists’ totalitarian tactics go beyond what may have ever been done before. Re-writing the Bible is their attempt to manipulate people into blind obedience to communist authorities. We need to pray that all of their lies will be exposed, and the truth of Jesus will penetrate people’s hearts – including those of the Chinese Communists.”
ChinaAid.org, led by Bob Fu, also comments on this story: "This retranslating of the Bible is one of many strategies the Communist Party is using to dissolve Christianity in China.”
A stark contrast of the Chinese Communist attempts to undermine belief in the Bible is the role the Good Book played in helping to shape the United States of America, China’s chief foe in their attempt to become the world’s number one super power.
Although America’s ruling elite today also seems to despise the Bible, there is no question that the Scriptures played a key role in early America. The Bible was the chief textbook in early American history, helping to create a well-educated populace.
It was for the purpose of studying and promoting the Bible that Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, William and Mary, Princeton, and other great schools in America were founded.
Some of our key national leaders have remarked on the importance of the Bible.
•George Washington, an avid Bible-reader, noted, “true religion affords to government its surest support.”
•Ben Franklin, not an orthodox Christian, said during the Constitutional convention: “We have been assured, sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.”
•Thomas Jefferson, also not orthodox, said, “Of all the systems of morality, ancient or modern, which have come under my observation, none appear to me so pure as that of Jesus.” Of course, those teachings are found only in the Bible.
•Andrew Jackson, our 7th president, remarked that “the Bible is the rock upon which our republic was founded.”
•Abraham Lincoln once said of the Bible, “All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong.”
And we could go on and on. That’s why I call the Bible “the book that made America” and have written a whole book documenting it.
Throughout history, tyrants have tried to destroy the Bible and keep it away from the people. In some cases, those tyrants even wore clerical garb. But God has a way to turn the tables on the tyrants and protect His Word.
As the Bible itself notes, “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.”
Dr. Jerry Newcombe is the executive director of Providence Forum, a division of D. James Kennedy Ministries, where Jerry also serves as senior producer and an on-air contributor. He has written/co-written 33 books, including (with D. James Kennedy), What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? and (with Dr. Peter Lillback), George Washington’s Sacred Fire.