The report does make brief mention of the issue of China's house churches, declaring that "normal religious activities--carried out either in venues for religious activities or homes of religious adherents in accordance with religious tradition--are taken care of by believers themselves and protected by law." This should be taken as a clarification of Beijing's position on small group worship and the house churches. While many Western observers wonder why Beijing is afraid of a few people reading the Gospel in the living rooms of China's house churches, these are actually cells of religious networks with millions of members who stay connected through the Internet, receive funding from fellow Christians in the United States and do their best to operate below the radar screen of Beijing's Bureau of Religious Affairs.

In promoting religious freedom and human rights in China, it is incumbent upon us to realize that Beijing's true intention is not to thwart the salvation of its citizens but to prevent the kind of destabilization that millions of organized Chinese--no matter what the purpose of their gathering--can bring about. And if we wonder whether or not religious actors and institutions could actually play such a role in the toppling of a powerful communist regime like Beijing's, we need only look to eastern Europe and the collapse of communism for proof. After all, this is where Chinese leaders got the idea.

1 "The Stealth Normalization of U.S.-China Relations", The National Interest (Fall 2003).

2 "Campaign 2000--Promoting the National Interest", Foreign Affairs (January/February 2000).

3 "Remembering the Future", The National Interest (Spring 2000).

4 "Small Mercies: China and America after 9/11", The National Interest (Winter 2001â€"02).