“The Three Self continues to live at the beck and call of the Religious Affairs Bureau, or to give it its most recent official name, the State Administration of Religious Affairs (SARA). This is the political agency that reports to the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party on how China’s religious life is being administered and controlled. Privately, Three Self officials often complain about the interference and restrictions imposed even on China’s ‘open’ churches by SARA officials. They decide how many pastors the Three Self can ordain in any six-month period, how many meetings Three Self pastors can hold in any one-month period, and who is permitted to teach and graduate from China’s seventeen official Protestant seminaries.

“All SARA officials are Communist Party members, and thus are not permitted to adhere to any religion.”

—Jesus in Beijing