At the time of the founding of the PRC, Chinese Protestants were a diverse group, including indigenous Protestant groups and liberal Protestants who were critical of the work of foreign missionaries. Substantial portions of China's Protestant communities favored cooperation with the PRC. The purpose of publishing this document was: The declaration had the unexpected effect of swelling the membership of congregations that identified themselves as “self-run.” Most Protestant groups in China joined the movement. Other Protestant leaders included
Jia Yuming,
Marcus Cheng, and
Yang Shaotang. When "
The Christian Manifesto" was published in the ''
People's Daily'' in 1954, it pledged the support of Christians for
anti-imperialism, anti-feudalism, and anti-bureaucratic capitalism efforts. The movement, in the eyes of critics, allowed the government to infiltrate, subvert, and control much of organized Christianity. The work towards establishing the Protestant TSPM was seen to have potential also for Chinese Catholics to create a "three-self" (or, in English sources, often translated "three-autonomies") patriotic organization, even though this language was never used in earlier Catholic missiological discourse like it was by Protestant missionaries. Those who resisted were arrested or killed. But by 1957, some Chinese Catholics eventually established the
Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
After the Cultural Revolution From 1966 to 1976 during the
Cultural Revolution, the expression of religious life in China was effectively banned, including the TSPM. The growth of the
Chinese house church movement during this period was a result of all Chinese Christian worship being driven underground for fear of persecution. In 1979 the government officially restored the TSPM after thirteen years of non-existence, In 1980, the CCP
Central Committee approved a request by the
United Front Work Department to create a national conference for religious groups. The TSPM was one of five such religious groups, which also included the
Islamic Association of China, the
Chinese Taoist Association, the
Catholic Patriotic Association, and the
Buddhist Association of China. The primary role of the TSPM was then delegated to liaison with the Government whereas the CCC serves as an ecclesial organization focusing on the internal management and affairs of the Church. Oversight of religion flows from recognition by the Chinese Communist Party of five religions: Buddhism, Catholicism, Taoism, Islam, and Protestantism, although the CCP's nearly 100 million members are required to be
atheist. Authorities tightly monitor registered and unregistered religious groups, and the TSPM is often charged with being an instrument for the secular Chinese government, which persecutes Christians outside of it. Independent congregations are known as
house churches. The attempt to bring house church Christians into the fold of "registered" meeting places has met with mixed results. In 2018, the TSPM's parent organization, the State Administration for Religious Affairs, was absorbed into the CCP's United Front Work Department. He also called for continued state action against independent Christians stating "For individual black sheep who, under the banner of Christianity, participate in subverting national security, we firmly support the country to bring them to justice". ==Publications==