China needs the talents and the idealism of its growing Christian minority.

A Beijing lawyer has been put in “secretive detention” for advising Christians opposed to the campaign to remove crosses and tear down churches. Expect to see more authoritarianism in China.

In Zhejiang, Chinese government officials are pulling down crosses as Christians protest. Things look bad for China’s religious minorities.

Communists increasingly realize in China that the war against religion isn’t succeeding, and are now looking to support “indigenous” Chinese religions and traditions against Christianity, Islam, and “new religions” like the cult of Falun Gong.

Beijing is targeting charities, non-profits, and other civic groups. This could also signal that its persecution of Christians is about to get worse.

China’s experiments in persecuting Christians have been limited, but if they expand the oppression could wind up strengthening the faith.

Parts of China see heavy persecution of Christians, but in some ways the faith is going mainstream in a country increasingly dependent on churches for economic and political reasons. But an increasingly active Christian body could be as disruptive for China’s government as it is helpful.

Many leaders of Occupy Central are Christians, a fact which could intensify conflict between the government and this religious minority. But the religious factor in the protest points to the more general persistence of civil society in Hong Kong—and its disappearance in mainland China.