Chinese Government Bans Prayer App

The Chinese government banned the app Pray.com from being downloaded in the country, removing it from the Apple App Store.

Pray.com is the “world’s No. 1 app for daily prayer and Bible-based audio content” and reaches 10 million people around the world, according to a press release.

The app’s removal comes ahead of the National Day of Prayer livestream, an event that “has been a pivotal moment for people around the world to be able to join in collective prayer and worship with the most influential Christians in the United States.”

Steve Gatena, the founder and CEO of Pray.com, said that “in response to these limitations, our team is exploring alternative avenues to deliver our content and services to people in mainland China. As we work on a solution, I want to personally extend an invitation to President Xi Jinping to join us for this year’s National Day of Prayer event in Washington, D.C.”

Co-founder of Pray.com Michael Lynn said, “Since starting Pray.com we’ve grown accustomed to positive relations with China. President Xi has allowed for the printing of nearly 150 million Bibles per year, and President Trump ensured that Bibles were exempt from Chinese tariffs.”

Michael Potter, also a co-founder of Pray.com, is bringing the issue to the attention of Donald Trump. “I am speaking with former President Donald J. Trump tonight,” he stated. “We are committed to overcoming these barriers to ensure that our global community remains connected and supported, especially during significant spiritual observances such as the National Day of Prayer.”

The efforts to ban Pray.com come as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has looked into rewriting the Bible and other religious texts as part of a broader campaign to “sinicize” religion in China.

In an opinion piece by U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI), the congressman revealed that notable Chinese university textbook’s rewrite of the woman “caught in adultery” story in the Gospel of John, stating: “The rewritten Gospel of John excerpt ends, not with mercy, but with Jesus himself stoning the adulterous woman to death.”

Protestant churches in Henan province were pressured by local CCP officials to replace the Ten Commandments with quotes from President Xi Jinping, the representative noted.

Statements like, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” were replaced by: “Resolutely guard against the infiltration of Western ideology.”