Bush in China: Where to pray?

The New York Times reports that President Bush wanted to worship in a house church while visiting China, but was barred by the government, and instead will pray at a government-approved congregation:

"While he evidently will not worship at an underground church, Mr. Bush does plan to attend services on Sunday at the Beijing Kuanjie Protestant Church, one of the most prominent of those officially registered by the government. (And then, that night, he will watch Kobe Bryant and the rest of USA Basketball play China.) Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, who was among a group of advocates who met with Mr. Hadley last week to discuss China, said the problem with the balance Mr. Bush was striving for was that it too readily accepted the Chinese authorities’ conditions. Referring to the decision to visit an authorized church, he said: 'It’s not an affirmation of religious freedom. It’s an affirmation of government-controlled religion.'"

China is considered a "country of particular concern,'' for "ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom,'' by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. But it has also been an area of enormous church growth in recent years, and many Christian denominations view China as the next big prospect for evangelism.

(Photo above, by AP, shows President Bush, with his daughter, Barbara, and wife, Laura, arriving in Seoul this morning.)