At a gray church on the outskirts of Wenzhou in eastern China , Christians from across the county keep a nervous watch . Some stand behind the iron gate ; others sit just inside the church door . For more than two months they 've waited , preparing themselves to protect the cross on top of their church . `` If I have to , I am going to hold it in my arms and protect it , '' one elderly man says . `` They have no right to tear it down , that is why we have to defend our church . '' Like many here , it 's too risky for him to give his name . Wenzhou is known as the `` Jerusalem of China '' and throughout this year the local Communist Party authorities have demolished scores of churches and forcibly removed more than 300 church crosses . Chinese church leaders say it 's the worst anti-Christian crackdown in decades . `` What the government here is doing is so barbaric , they 're like bandits and we are furious with them , '' says Chen Zhi'ai , a respected church leader in the Wenzhou area . `` Today we 've seen the fundamental symbol of our faith violated and it hurts us deep inside our hearts . '' Crackdown . The local authorities are mostly targeting state-sanctioned churches , long tolerated by the ruling Communist Party and often touted as a sign of religious freedom in the officially atheist country . Scores have been injured in the crackdown , as congregations throughout the region try to stop the government teams . In late July , hundreds of police tried to storm the gates of the Salvation Church in Pingyang County in Wenzhou . Like other attempted demolitions , they moved in in the middle of the night , and scenes of extraordinary defiance unfolded on the church 's CCTV video as club-wielding police beat their way in . They appear to lose their resolve when an older man is rushed away by ambulance . A blow to the head fractured his skull , say church activists . But several weeks later , they came back with reinforcements and tore down the cross . It now lies under a cheap plastic shroud at the foot of the church 's stairs . `` They wanted to drag it away , '' says a church caretaker who would n't give his name . `` But we refused . Now it is too big for us to move . '' Illegal structures ? The local government denies the crackdown on Christianity . They say the demolitions are part of a broader campaign to target illegal structures in the province . They say church demolitions represent only a tiny fraction of their work . But leaked party documents single out churches and folk religious sites in the so-called `` three rectifications and one demolition '' campaign . And church leaders like Chen say that the demolition campaign is merely a front for a crackdown to curtail Christianity 's influence in the region . Church leaders say that the central government has ignored all their complaints and petitions . They fear that the Wenzhou demolitions could be a test case for the party , an opening salvo in what could become a wider national campaign . `` The leaders think Christianity is a foreign religion and it is part of a foreign culture , which they define as 'western ' culture , '' says Chen . `` They see our growth as an invasion of western culture into China . '' Since Chairman Mao 's death in 1976 , Christianity has taken hold in China . Though it is still a minority religion . `` Christianity has been growing very rapidly in China in the last several decades , '' says Fenggang Yang of Purdue University in Indiana . `` There is very little sign that it is slowing down . '' `` It moved from a largely rural religion , came into the cities and became very popular with entrepreneurs . Many converts are now the youth . '' He estimates that in a few years China will have more Christians than Communist Party members , which stood at more than 85 million in the last count . And in just 15 years , China could overtake the U.S. as the country with largest Christian population in the world . Chinese state media have disputed those claims . 'Social glue ' Back at the gray church , the Christians have managed to keep the demolition crews away for now . Their striking red cross sits above the church 's spire . They often sing hymns to steel their resolve . `` The Cross Is My Glory '' by a Taiwanese composer has become a rallying cry in Wenzhou . The congregation do n't look like typical Chinese activists . There are elderly faithful with their grandchildren , wealthy-looking businessmen and clean-cut students . Chen says , far from hurting the party , Christianity has been a refuge and social glue for many Chinese as income gaps rise and Chinese look for meaning . `` We help promote social harmony , '' he says . But Chen has a warning . `` If they keep doing things this way , there is a saying 'those who play with fire will get burned , ' '' he says .
Chinese keep watch to protect cross on Wenzhou church . Authorities have demolished churches and removed hundreds crosses . They say the demolitions are part of a broader campaign to target illegal structures . anti-Christian church leaders say it 's the worst Chinese crackdown in several weeks later .