How would you react if someone told you that there was an entity attempting to rewrite the Bible? Not only are they trying to rewrite the Bible, but, in that recreation, they’re calling Jesus a sinner. According to Todd Nettleton, spokesman for The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), a persecution watchdog serving Christians worldwide, the Chinese government continues its efforts to reimagine the Bible.

The Chinese Communist Party, China’s ruling regime, is on a mission to rewrite the Bible through a communist lens. This pursuit has reportedly resulted in shocking distortions of Scripture and Gospel truth. Why would someone want to rewrite the Bible? According to Nettleton, it’s all about control, saying, “The issue for the Chinese Communist Party is control. It is always about control. And they see the Christian message as something that would take control away from the communist party.”

The Chinese Communist Party announced plans to update the Bible to ‘keep pace with the times.’ According to a VOM Facebook post, the revisions include adding ‘core socialist values’ and deleting passages that don’t suggest communist beliefs. In a textbook for high school students released in September 2020, the authors included an excerpt from John 8, revised in their new version.

In the traditional Bible, the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery before them and challenged Jesus, proclaiming, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now, what do you say?” The Bible notes that these Jewish leaders used this question to accuse Jesus. Still, Christ started writing on the ground with his finger and then said some transformational words. In verse seven, He says, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Shaken by Jesus’ words, the people walked away. Christ and the woman were left standing there, then He asks her, “Where are they? Has no one condemned you?” The woman said no, and Christ said, “Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” However, the Chinese Communist Party shared a different version of this interaction. In their version, the crowd disperses. Then, the text says, “When everyone went out, Jesus stoned the woman himself, and said, ‘I am also a sinner.'”

According to Nettleton, the government’s goal is for Chinese nationals to wake up every day and say, “How can I serve the party today?” instead of focusing on looking for ways to serve God. Nettleton also noted that the changed language aims at Jesus’ divinity, which shocked him. While the rewrite is troubling, it’s another attempt by the Chinese government to crack down on the Christian faith. China’s Three-Self Patriotic movement is part of the Protestant denomination controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

“The officially sanctioned Protestant church of China has always tried to kind of co-opt Christianity and use it for communist purposes,” Nettleton said. “But they even in recent years have taken that a step further.” The saddest part is the erasure of Jesus in the church. Nettleton says that images of Jesus have been taken down inside churches and replaced with pictures of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Christian hymns have also been replaced with communist party anthems.

The new Bible translation, it seems, is just another step toward anti-biblical anarchy within the Chinese Communist Party ranks. The Bible is a sacred text for Christians around the world. However, the Chinese Communist Party is attempting to rewrite the Bible to control the people. God is the center of every Christian’s life, and the government shouldn’t be able to control religion. Chinese Christians must do everything in their power to end this religious persecution.