Up to 57 preachers have been banned from practicing Christianity in Henan Province’s Sanmenxia City, eastern China, after a woman refused to follow police orders an remove a cross. She also refused to have a flag pole installed and remove other religious images. In the eyes of authorities increasingly included the state-backed mission to stomp out the dwindling faith, she was deemed problematic, according to persecution watchdog International Christianity Concern (ICC). After revoking the huge number of licences, authorities ordered by the Chinese government also manipulated the qualification exams of priests to oust them.

Those who “listen to the government” can pass the exam require to preach, the ICC says, while those who are deemed “disobedient” preachers will automatically fail.

The news comes after a spike in incidents where Christians are being persecuted all over the world.

Chinese officials have claimed Christianity is being used to “subvert” his country’s national security – and have vowed to root out the “stigma of foreign religion” in an indication of the increasingly fierce rhetoric which is characterising the debate.

Xu Xiaohong told the Chinese parliament’s largely ceremonial advisory body Christians needed to follow what he called a Chinese model of the religion.

He said there were many problems with Christianity in the country, including “infiltration” from abroad and “private meeting places”.

Meanwhile in India, a pastor was rushed to hospital after being severely beaten when a group of suspected Hindu radicals attacked Christians taking part in a prayer meeting.

Members of the Full Gospel Evangelical Church had gathered in a church-goer’s house at around 7am local time on March 20, in the village of Paschim Bardhaman, West Bengal.

Reverend Anand Hari had been leading the prayer meeting for about 15 minutes when a mob of 20 alleged Hindu radicals broke into the house, according to Asia News.

Many people were injured, but Rev Hari took the brunt of the assault as the attackers used sticks. He is recovering in hospital.

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