\n<\/p>\n
The Chinese government banned the app Pray.com from being downloaded in the country, removing it from the Apple App Store.<\/p>\n
Pray.com is the \u201cworld\u2019s No. 1 app for daily prayer and Bible-based audio content\u201d and reaches 10 million people around the world, according to a press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n The app\u2019s removal comes ahead of the National Day of Prayer livestream, an event that \u201chas 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Steve Gatena, the founder and CEO of Pray.com, said that \u201cin 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\u2019s National Day of Prayer event in Washington, D.C.\u201d<\/p>\n Co-founder of Pray.com Michael Lynn said, \u201cSince starting Pray.com we\u2019ve 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Michael Potter, also a co-founder of Pray.com, is bringing the issue to the attention of Donald Trump. \u201cI am speaking with former President Donald J. Trump tonight,\u201d he stated. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \u201csinicize\u201d religion in China.<\/p>\n In an opinion piece<\/a> by U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI), the congressman revealed that notable Chinese university textbook\u2019s rewrite of the woman \u201ccaught in adultery\u201d story in the Gospel of John, stating: \u201cThe rewritten Gospel of John excerpt ends, not with mercy, but with Jesus himself stoning the adulterous woman to death.\u201d<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Statements like, \u201cThou shalt have no other gods before Me,\u201d were replaced by: \u201cResolutely guard against the infiltration of Western ideology.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n