VIETNAM: Overcoming Difficulties

Source: Christian Aid Missions, May 4, 2017

Vietnam’s new law on religion has generated much debate in the human rights community, but church leaders know for certain only that difficult realities will continue—and that they can speak of them only in hushed tones.

The new law passed in November crystallizes previous ordinances on church registration and controls, and little is expected to change when it takes effect on January 1, 2018. Registering with the Communist government will continue to be difficult if not impossible for some churches, and those that do will be hampered by prohibitions on Sunday school classes and taking Communion, especially in rural areas.

Church leaders unwilling to submit their congregations to religious freedom violations accompanying registration then leave themselves open to arrest.

» Full story describes efforts to support those affected.

» From another part of the world, see Ethiopian State Considers Restricting Christian Activity to Church Buildings (World Watch Monitor).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Missions Catalyst welcomes comments, especially those that provide additional insights on a topic or story as a help to other readers. We reserve the right to screen comments and may provide light editing. Note that comments including links may be delayed so we can make sure they are not spam; we hope you will include relevant links, anyway!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.