Believers Community News

CRACKDOWN ON CHINESE CHRISTIANS IS INTENSIFYING

An influential Protestant church in China says prominent leaders have been arrested in what appears to be a growing crackdown on the underground church movement. Nine people were detained in early January after police raided their homes and the church office in Chengdu, in central China, the Early Rain Covenant Church said. Five were later released.  

The Communist Party has long pressured Christians to join only state-sanctioned churches led by government-approved pastors. But Christian groups say the grip has tightened noticeably, with arrests becoming more common and prompt.  

More than 1,000 miles away in Wenzhou, authorities have been demolishing the Yayang Church building, video obtained by non-profit ChinaAid, which monitors religious persecution, shows. ChinaAid said it was told by multiple sources that hundreds of armed and special police officers have been deployed to stand guard outside the building.  

Sometimes known as “the Jerusalem of China”, Wenzhou has more Christians than any other city in the country. Residents living near Yayang Church have been “driven away,” while those working in the area have been instructed not to take photographs or record video, ChinaAid said.  

This latest wave of arrests and destruction of churches shows the Communist Party’s resolve to snuff out churches that do not align with its ideology, Christian groups say.  

China promotes atheism and controls religion. The government said in 2018 that there were 44 million Christians in the country, but it’s unclear if that number includes those who attend the many underground churches. 

bbc.com/news/articles/ckgl8jgdxypo