Persecuted Church in China Vows to Continue Gathering, Meet Christmas Day Despite Arrest of 100 Members

Despite persecution, the Christian population has grown steadily in recent years. There are now an estimated 100 million Christians in China, many of them worshiping in so-called underground churches.

By Leah Marieann Klett
Gospel Herald

Early Rain Covenant Church -- China's largest underground church -- has vowed to meet Christmas Day despite a recent crackdown which saw the arrest of 100 church members, including Pastor Wang Yi.

A member of Early Rain Covenant Church in Sichuan who did not want to be identified told the BBC that despite Beijing's stepped-up crackdown on independent religious practice, the church will continue to operate.

"We will continue the gathering. The church is shut down so it's impossible to have a big gathering, but there will be small gatherings on Sunday and on Christmas Day."

The church member added that ultimately, such persecution might even increase the profile of the faith in China.

"Without repression, people may doubt about our religion. But when repression occurs, pastors and members' reactions will make people who don't believe realize the charm of Christianity."Earlier in December, police raided the church and arrested Pastor Wang and his wife Jiang Rong. Over the following two days, at least 100 church members, including Wang's assistant, were also taken away.

The church member told the BBC that the lock on the church school had been broken, churchgoers' homes had been ransacked and some were "under house arrest or are followed all the time."

Both Wang and his wife have since been charged with state subversion, one of the most serious crimes against the state and a charge that carries a potential jail term of 15 years.
After he was detained, the church released Yi's statement explaining and defending his nonviolent resistance to China's "evil" and "wicked" rulers.

"I firmly believe that Christ has called me to carry out this faithful disobedience through a life of service, under this regime that opposes the gospel and persecutes the church," he concluded. "This is the means by which I preach the gospel, and it is the mystery of the gospel which I preach."

Police have accused Early Rain of operating without registering with authorities, as required by the updated Regulations for Religious Affairs. Churches which do not belong to the government-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement and are illegal under Communist rule.
The Early Rain member who did not want to be identified said the idea of the Three-Self Patriotic churches was "hilarious", saying they "don't spread genuine gospel, but spread the thoughts of loving the Party, loving the country".

Another Christian in Chengdu told the BBC such churches were "against Jesus, against gospel."

Website: Gospel Herald

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Another 60 Christians Arrested from Chinese Church Where 100 Were Already Detained

Early Rain Covenant Church in China Photo: Facebook/ Early Rain Covenant Church

By Stoyan Zaimov
Christian Post

Another 60 members of the underground Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China, were arrested this past Sunday, in an ongoing crackdown against the Protestant congregation.

Police have reportedly been attempting to force churchgoers to pledge to leave the church.

This time, according to World Magazine, the arrests took place at a park where the congregation had decided to meet, due to the church building being shut down in a previous raid earlier in the month when 100 worshipers were detained.

The church members had been praying and reciting part of their Catechism, reading: 

“What is your only comfort in life and death? That I am not my own but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Several other Christians who met at a separate location in the field of a nearby university were also taken by police.

As ChinaAid noted, the church's pastor, Wang Yi, has been charged with "inciting subversion of state power."

Some of the 100 Christian leaders and students who were arrested earlier in December had to leave their children unattended. A prayer letter released by the church after the arrests claimed that at least three believers who were detained by the Communist Party authorities had been tortured.

Photos of the injuries from the alleged torture have since emerged online, showing bruises and others signs of beatings that the Christians suffered.

One church member, who wished not to be identified, told BBC News that the lock on the church was broken, some of the churchgoers' homes were ransacked, and a number of believers were "under house arrest or are followed all the time."

"On Sunday, some members tried to gather at other places for worship but got taken away as well. The Church building has been manned with police and plain-clothes officers, not allowing anyone to enter to do worship service," the church member added.

She revealed that police have also been pressuring congregants to sign documents asking them to leave the church and take their children out of its Bible school.

Several other underground churches have been shut down this year, with both Catholic and Protestant congregations heavily targeted by the administration of President Xi Jinping. Video footage from this year shows Communist officials severing crosses from church buildings and demolishing churches altogether.

Wang had written a letter in the event that he would be taken by Chinese Communist authorities. It was released last week.

In it, Wang expresses how he is “filled with anger and disgust at the persecution of the church by this Communist regime, at the wickedness of their depriving people of the freedoms of religion and of conscience."

The Early Rain Covenant Church pastor said that following the Bible, he accepts and respects “the fact that this Communist regime has been allowed by God to rule temporarily."

“At the same time, I believe that this Communist regime’s persecution against the church is a greatly wicked, unlawful action. As a pastor of a Christian church, I must denounce this wickedness openly and severely,” he added.

“The calling that I have received requires me to use non-violent methods to disobey those human laws that disobey the Bible and God. My Savior Christ also requires me to joyfully bear all costs for disobeying wicked laws.”

Website: Christian Post

Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of this nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest, and Google and like us on Facebook.

China: Christian Schoolchildren Forced to Tick 'No Religion' Box

A villager climbs up the steps toward a cross near a Catholic church on
the outskirts of Taiyuan, North China's Shanxi province, Dec. 24, 2016.
Picture taken on December 24, 2016  (Photo: Reuters/Jason Lee)

By World Watch Monitor
Christian Post

More than 300 Christian children in two high schools in Zhejiang province, which has been referred to as the "Jerusalem of the East" for its strong Christian presence, have been asked to fill out a form stating that they did not follow a religion, World Watch Monitor has been told by a trusted local source.

While "it is normal for a school to ask parents to fill out a form which includes questions of faith when a child is first enrolled in school, for many years this hasn't been an issue," our source, who wished to remain anonymous, explained.

Schools in China are government-controlled and financed and therefore Communist in ideology, and Christian children have sometimes faced "shaming" incidents, "but the extent of such shaming was to prevent them from joining the Communist Youth League, thereby denying them any of the perks that come with a progression to Communist Party Member later in life," World Watch Monitor was told.

"In this case, however, the children were handed a questionnaire in class about faith, which is not normal. It seems this is part of the new push to identify Christians and give them pressure of one sort or another.

"Children in this part of China would write 'Christian' because of 1) their innocence and 2) they come from families of fervent believers who do not compromise their faith."

In the first school, which has around 200 Christian students, the teacher demanded they rewrite the questionnaire, stating that they had "no religion." But when filling out the next questionnaire, half of the children maintained that they were Christians. According to our source, following further warnings, in the end all but one child complied.

In the other school, which has around 100 children, it was the class prefect who forced the Christians to resubmit their papers, stating that they had "no religion."

'Limit Any Growth of Christianity'

Our source said children in China are pressured in a variety of ways: "In these cases it would be using words only. It seems teachers recently were tasked with pressuring children by separating them from the other students to 'counsel' or talk to them sternly about the 'consequences' of talking about being a Christian believer at school, urging them to write "no religion" on their questionnaire. This is for the child's sake and to limit any growth of Christianity among young people through evangelism or simply becoming known as the ones who could answer questions other pupils may have about Christianity."

Children who do not comply are reportedly denied access to opportunities at school, such as being elected as class representatives for special events. They could also potentially face the danger of not receiving a leaving certificate from their school and therefore not be able to attend university. Such incidents are also recorded in the child's personal file, which is held by local government departments and the information can hamper their future employment opportunities, our source said: 

"Of course these are all hypothetical scenarios and would be determined largely by the level of involvement of the individual school, its teachers and principals, but generally the sense is one of bias against Christians."

The pressure is also felt by parents, who worry about their children's prospects and fear they will abandon their faith.

Background

In February, China introduced revised regulations on religion, which included banning under-18s from attending church or receiving any religious education.

In August, hundreds of church leaders signed a public letter, calling on the government to stop its "violent actions" against Christians. They cited the demolition of crosses on church buildings, which particularly affected Zhejiang, as well as removing expressions of faith like crosses hanging on Christians' homes, and forcing churches to join religious organizations controlled by the government. In the letter, they said these practices were not just "unjust" and an "abuse of government power" but also "infringe on the human freedoms of religion and conscience and violate the universal rule of law."

Last week U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said China was "taking a hammer and sickle to the Cross,"

"Burning Bibles, destroying churches, and jailing Muslims by the million is only part of the Chinese Communist Party's audaciously repressive assault on conscience and religion," he said, adding that the U.S. would respond by ensuring "a tougher China policy, one with widespread, bipartisan and even global support."

This article was originally published at World Watch Monitor here. 

Website: Christian Post

Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of this nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest, and Google and like us on Facebook.

Chinese Officials Burn Bibles, Close Churches, Force Christian to Denounce Faith Amid 'Escalating' Crackdown

The suppression of religious freedoms is part of an official 

government campaign to “Sinicize” religion by demanding 

loyalty to the atheist Communist party. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

By Lukas Mikelionis 

Fox News

The Chinese government is destroying crosses, burning bibles, closing churches and forcing Christian believers to sign papers renouncing their faith as the crackdown on religious congregations in Beijing and several provinces intensifies.

The suppression of religious freedoms is part of an official campaign to “Sinicize” religion by demanding loyalty to the atheist Communist party and removing any potential challenge to the party’s power in the country.

“The international community should be alarmed and outraged for this blatant violation of freedom of religion and belief,” Bob Fu of China Aid, said.

Bob Fu傅希秋@BobFu4China

#China CCP starts burning the Bible and crosses in Henan. Last time burning Bibles campaign happened in late 1960s by dictator Chairman Mao’s wife Jiang Qing in Shanghai. She was arrested in 1976 but Christians grew to millions. Will Never be successful河南文革重现，烧圣经十字架

7:31 PM - Sep 5, 2018

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“The situation for Chinese #Christians becomes more dire by the day. We are working tirelessly to put maximum pressure on China stop the persecution,” Jay Sekulow, President Trump attorney and Chief Counsel at the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), wrote in a tweet.

The persecution of Christians in China is nothing new. A report by the watchdog group Freedom House found that Christians and other religious groups in China have been persecuted since 2012, Fox News reported.

A third of all religious believers in China who belong to a faith group were also found to face “high” to “very high” levels of persecution, which ranges from bureaucratic harassment and economic exploitation to harsh prison terms and even violence, the report said.

View image on Twitter

Jay Sekulow

✔@JaySekulow

The situation for Chinese #Christians becomes more dire by the day. We are working tirelessly to put maximum pressure on China stop the persecution: https://aclj.us/2wLOU90 

6:05 PM - Sep 5, 2018

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But experts and activists say the Chinese government is now waging the most severe suppression of Christianity in the country since religious freedoms were granted by the Chinese constitution in 1982. The escalating anti-Christian campaign coincides with President Xi Jinping recent consolidation of power that made him the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, the notorious communist leader responsible for millions of deaths.

Activists reportedly filmed footage of what appeared to be piles of burning bibles and forms declaring that the signatories had rejected their faith. The authorities allegedly forced the believers to sign the forms or risk being expelled from school or loosing welfare benefits.

A Christian Pastor in the Henan city of Nanyang, whose name was not identified out of fear of retaliation by the authorities, reportedly confirmed that crosses, bibles and furniture were burned during a raid on his church on Sept. 5.

He added that local authorities were in discussions with the church about reforming it, but no agreement had been reached. According to Chinese laws, religious believers are allowed to worship only in government-sanctioned congregations. 

But many millions of Christians belong to underground or house churches that ignore government regulations.

Officials reportedly disputed the allegations raised by Christians, saying authorities respect religious freedom.

The anti-religion campaign affected not only Christian denominations. Around 1 million Uighurs and other members of Muslim minority groups in the country's northwest have been detained in indoctrination camps where they are forced to denounce Islam and profess loyalty to the Communist Party.

The Chinese government denied setting up the camps for indoctrination, but stressed the importance to tackle extremism.

China has an around 38 million Protestants, and some have predicted that the country will have the world's largest Christian population in a few decades.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Website: Fox New

Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of this nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest, and Google and like us on Facebook.

14 Christian House Church Leaders Abducted in China Amid Communist Crackdown on Faith

Chinese Lawyers Who Have Stood Up For Christians Have Also Been Persecuted 

By Stoyan Zaimov
Christian Post

Fourteen Christian house church leaders who are part of the Middle Eastern evangelism network have been abducted by government security agents in China.

ChinaAid reported on Wednesday that the Christians, who weren't named, are being held captive at an undisclosed location by state authorities in the coastal Zhejiang province.

"This massive, enforced disappearance of 14 peaceful church leaders shows the Communist Party has no regard to rule of law and its citizens' religious freedom rights," said ChinaAid President Bob Fu.

The group, which monitors the crackdown on churches and arrest of Christians and human rights activists in China, said the Communist government continues to deny believers religious freedoms and basic human rights.

"ChinaAid urges international leaders to speak out against this blatant abuse against religious freedom and human rights, and calls on China to immediately and unconditionally release these innocent Christians," the group declared.

Back in January, Christians shared their fears that the persecution could get worse following the government's destruction of an evangelical megachurch in the northern Shanxi province.

Chinese military police detonated explosives inside the Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen, destroying the house of worship which was owned by the Christians who worshiped there.

A video of the demolition was shared worldwide, showing the moment the church collapsed.

"My heart was sad to see this demolition and now I worry about more churches being demolished, even my own," a local pastor who wasn't named said at the time. "This church was built in 2008, there's no reason for them to destroy it now."

A Catholic church was also destroyed in a similar fashion in December, while at least 1,200 church rooftop crosses have been forcefully removed in Zhejiang province since 2015.

Chinese authorities have been known to raid worship services and detain dozens of Christians at once, such as what happened to 13 believers in Guangdong province in November. Police officers raided Qingcaodi Church, a small house church in Jingmen, with believers seeing their Bibles and other church-owned material confiscated.

Christian Post report continues here

Christian Human Rights Lawyer Disappears After Being Recaptured by Chinese Officials; Friends Beaten

By Stoyan Zaimov
Christian Post

Concerns for Gao are rising due to his declining health, including tooth loss and other issues. The watchdog group warned that authorities might treat him even worse after this past summer's escape.

"Though we are glad to know that Mr. Gao enjoyed brief freedom that was taken away from him for more than a decade, we are concerned about his treatment after being recaptured," said Gina Goh, ICC's regional manager.

"In most cases, the Chinese government treats human rights advocates and Christians on the same level as terrorists once they are imprisoned, often putting them through torture and solitary confinement. Given Gao's successful escape, he is subject to retaliation from law enforcement," she added.

"We hereby urge the Chinese government to stop its unlawful detention of Mr. Gao immediately."

China Aid elaborated on Gao's problems, noting that according to Li, the lawyer "had no teeth and had not eaten a decent meal for three years because of constant bleeding and toothaches."

Gao was initially scheduled to receive dental treatment when he escaped, but he refused to go out of fear that he would be found.

Gao has published writings and defended victims of various human rights abuses in China, and over the past decade he has disappeared and was officially detained by the Communist government on a number of occasions.

Back in 2016, Gao talked about the three years he spent in solitary confinement for standing up to the Chinese government, and said in an interview that it was his Christian faith that helped him through the isolation.

Prominent Chinese Christian human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng reportedly managed to briefly escape house arrest. But he was rearrested and his whereabouts are now unknown, a persecution watchdog group has found.

International Christian Concern reported on Wednesday that Gao's friends, Shao Zhongguo and Li Fawang, had helped the activist escape from his home in Shaanxi in August.

Gao hid in a vacation house in Jiexiu city for 23 days until he was recaptured by a large groups of state officers.

Li and Shao were also captured. Li briefly saw Gao when he was about to be sent back to Shaanxi for detention but "the encounter was so brief that Li was unable to utter a word to Gao. Gao's whereabouts became unknown after they parted ways," ICC reported.

"Both Li and Shao suffered mistreatment in detention. They were shackled, rejected daily necessities, beaten, fed leftover food, and Li, who suffers from diabetes, was denied medicine for the first few days and lost his eyesight as a result."

The Christian lawyer's wife and representatives have not been able to confirm what exactly happened to Gao, with the Communist government sharing little information.

The wives of several Chinese human rights lawyers imprisoned and tortured by the government spoke before the U.S. Congress in May.

Christian Post article continues

Persecution Unveiled has been called by God to prick the consciences of this nation and all free people to speak up and act on behalf of those who have no voice.  Follow us on  Pinterest, and Google and like us on Facebook. 

China Tells US to Back Off on Religious Freedom Criticism, Claims America Isn't Role Model for Human Rights

By Stoyan Zaimov
Christian Post

China is pushing back against the U.S. State Department's annual religious freedom report that highlights the Communist government's persecution of Christians and religious minorities, stating that the U.S. needs to solve its own problems with white supremacist violence.

Bob Fu, president of persecution watchdog group China Aid, told The Christian Post, however, that China is "incorrect" in drawing a comparison between the two issues.

"The Chinese government is directly responsible for their abuses, while the U.S. government is not necessarily responsible for racism," Fu said in an email on Thursday.

"In Charlottesville, racism occurred because a group of white nationalist individuals who are not affiliated with the government acted on their prejudices, and many U.S. officials went on to condemn their actions, demonstrating that this is not a human rights abuse that can be tied to the government," he continued.

"China, on the other hand, implements local and national policies that specifically target specific groups of people and even goes so far as to hold official conferences about how to properly execute these policies. This denotes a direct government responsibility for the abuses."

The 2016 International Religious Freedom Report, released earlier this week, provided an update on the religious freedom situation in 199 countries around the world.

It criticized China for a number of reported human rights abuses, such as one incident in April 2016 in Zhumadian, Henan province, where the pastor of an unregistered church and his wife were buried alive while trying to save their church from government-ordered demolition. While the pastor survived, his wife, Ding Cuimei, died.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying argued in her response on Wednesday that China protects religious freedom.

"The so-called U.S. report ignores the facts, confuses right and wrong and makes wanton criticism of China's religious freedom situation," she said, according to Reuters, adding that America is not "perfect" either.

State news agency Xinhua further commented on the violence at last weekend's rally between white nationalist socialists and Antifa counter-protesters in Charlottesville — in which one protester was killed by a man who plowed his car into a crowd and two police officers were killed when their helicopter crashed — by suggesting that the U.S. is better off dealing with its own problems first.

Christian Post continues

Tell Chinese Authorities: Release Arrested Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin Now!

By Citizen Go

Chinese authorities have detained and re-located a Roman Catholic Bishop, Peter Shao Zhumin, away from his home diocese, because, following the death of the senior Bishop in his diocese (Bishop Zhu), he (Bishop Shao) was set to be installed as the new, senior Bishop (and, full administrator) of Zhejiang (Wenzhou) - which boasts a Catholic population of 120,000.

What is the "crime" for which Bishop Shao has been detained and taken "on a trip" by police (according to Asianews.it)?

The answer is that he was appointed as Bishop by the Vatican, and not by the Communist-Party-controlled "Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association", thereby making him a Bishop of the so-called "Underground Church" in the eyes of the authorities.

It is accepted, however, that, even though "unofficial", Bishop Shao had openly served as Co-Adjutor Bishop (i.e., Assistant Bishop) under the late Bishop Zhu, who was part of the "official" Church. This fact was widely known by the authorities for at least 5 years.

Either way, Bishop Shao's detention and exile is a regrettable and retrograde step where religious freedom is concerned! Especially for a country like China, which has, in recent years, made some strides in the right direction.

But, in order to welcome China into the "Developed World" of human rights, the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities- like that suffered among Christian converts in Tibet, or among the Muslim Uighurs - as well as systematic programs which try to erase Christian symbols from the landscape - like the demolition of 1,200 crosses in Zhejiang Province - must end.

And, specifically, in the case of Bishop Shao, China must recognize that the Vatican is the spiritual and juridical headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.
As such, Bishop Shao is a licitly appointed bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, and has the right and duty to lead the flock of faithful in the Diocese of Zhejiang (Wenzhou).

Sign Petition for Release of Bishop Shao