House Church Asked to Halt Activities

House Church Asked to Halt Activities: "Chinese authorities move to increase restrictions on unofficial churches."

Authorities in China’s southwestern province of Sichuan have requested a large family-based Christian church to halt its activities, the church’s pastor told RFA on Tuesday.

The move came as Chinese authorities intensified their harassment of Christians and cracked down on unofficial churches, called “house churches,” across several Chinese provinces.

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Imprisoned Christian Newspaper Editor, South China Church Leader Li Ying Released Five Years Early

Li Ying

JINMEN, Hubei, China, Feb. 23, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- A Christian newspaper editor and house church leader sentenced in 2002 to 15 years' imprisonment for "intentional assault" was released almost five years before the end of her prison term as the result of a world-wide letter-writing campaign and other international efforts on her behalf.

 

Li Ying, of the South China Church in Hubei province, was released on Dec. 25, 2011. She tearfully told ChinaAid founder and president Bob Fu that during her 10 years in prison, thousands of letters for her were sent to the prison. She said the letters had helped to significantly improve her prison conditions and contributed to her early release. She expressed thanks to ChinaAid and asked ChinaAid to convey her gratitude to the international community and churches worldwide.

 

Li was one of the first prisoners featured by the international human rights group Voice of the Martyrs on its www.prisoneralert.com website, from where concerned Christians could write letters of encouragement to imprisoned Christians. According to Voice of the martyrs, more than 11,400 letters were written to Li through the site since 2004.

 

Li is the niece of Pastor Gong Shengliang, founder of the South China Church, one of the fastest growing house-church movements in China. She was also editor in chief of the church newspaper, South China Special Edition (Huanan Zhuankan). She had been arrested several times and had previously spent a year in prison in 1996.

 

As a condition of her release, Li was required to sign a guarantee to submit to "community correction," which included the requirement that she live only in government-appointed neighborhoods and attend government-appointed churches.

 

In December 2001, Li was one of 17 South China Church leaders who were convicted of "using a cult to undermine enforcement of the law," five of whom were sentenced to death. Li was one of them. But as a result of the ensuing international outcry, a higher court in Hubei revoked the death sentences in September 2002, citing lack of clarity about certain facts and insufficient evidence, and the Jinmen Intermediate Court in October 2002 retried the case. Instead of the crime of "using a cult," the five who had been condemned to death were convicted of "intentional assault."  

 

The five were Gong Shengliang, Xu, Fuming, Hu Yong, Gong Bangkun, and Li Ying. Gong Shengliang was also convicted of rape. Three of them -- Gong Shengliang, Xu Fuming, and Hu Yong -- were sentenced to life imprisonment.  Gong Bangkun and Li Ying were given 15-year prison terms.

5 Months & 600 Arrests Later, Chinese Church Still Defying Beijing

Baptist Press reports that on August 28, five members of a house church in Fangshan, China, woke at 4 a.m. and traveled for two hours to a public square in Beijing in order to worship with members of the embattled Beijing Shouwang house church. On their arrival at 7 a.m., waiting police sent the five back to their local police station. Officials then urged them to sign documents repenting of their decision to support the Shouwang church. All five refused but were eventually released. The Fangshan five are part of a growing wave of house church Christians determined -- despite the consequences -- to support Shouwang Church in its five-month-long stand for greater religious freedom. Shouwang members have attempted to meet in the outdoor venue every Sunday since April 11, after government officials repeatedly denied them access to a permanent worship place. Church leaders prayerfully decided on this course of action as a means of forcing the government to resolve their dilemma. More than 600 arrests have been made over the last 22 weeks, including 15 on Aug. 28 and 12 arrests on Sept. 4. Police arrest the Christians before the service even starts and typically free them within 24 hours. More than 160 people were arrested at the first outdoor meeting of Shouwang Church.

House Church Alliance Leader in China Sentenced to Labor Camp

Government advisor: ‘abnormal growth’ of Christianity threatens national security.

By Sarah Page

DUBLIN, July 29 (Compass Direct News) – Authorities this week sentenced Shi Enhao, deputy leader of the Chinese House Church Alliance (CHCA), to two years of “re-education through labor” – a sentence that requires no trial or conviction, according to the China Aid Association (CAA).

Shi was officially charged with holding “illegal meetings and illegal organizing of venues for religious meetings,” due to his leadership of a house church movement of several thousand people meeting in several venues around Beijing, CAA reported.

Zhang Mingxuan, president of the CHCA, has also faced multiple arrests and detentions since founding the alliance in 2005.

Police have since ordered Shi’s church members to stop meeting for worship and confiscated musical instruments, choir robes and some 140,000 RMB (US$21,740) in church donations. They also raided Shi’s house on June 1 and have threatened and intimidated Shi’s wife, Zhu Guangyun, and their four adult children, according to the CAA.

Police initially detained Shi and other church leaders following a raid on May 31 in Suqian city, Jiangsu Province. Most other leaders were released within 24 hours but police sentenced Shi and fellow leader Chang Meiling to 12 days of administrative detention before formally placing Shi in criminal detention on June 21, according to CAA.

Shi’s sentencing to labor camp comes as China’s government is embroiled in conflict with Beijing Shouwang church, which has attempted to meet outdoors since April 10 after the government blocked the congregation’s ability to secure a permanent worship venue. (Seewww.compassdirect.org, “Beleaguered Chinese Church to Provide Legal Aid to Members,” June 30.)

Last Sunday (July 24) police arrested a further 35 Christians who attempted to meet at Shouwang’s outdoor worship venue; 21 were released by midnight. Police held the rest for at least 24 hours, pressuring some of them to sign statements agreeing not to travel to the worship venue again, according to a statement issued Wednesday (July 27) on Shouwang’s Facebook page.

Police released the final two detainees at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday (July 26), the statement said, but several key Shouwang leaders remain under constant house arrest.

Critics of the controversial stand taken by Shouwang church say that large house churches should split into smaller groups to avoid clashes with authorities, but as CAA has pointed out, Shi was charged and sentenced despite dividing his church in this way.

Joint House Church Petition

On May 8, Autumn Rain church in Chengdu, Sichuan Province informed its members that “In response to the Beijing Shouwang church incident … Elder Wang Yi will join with the pastors and preachers of dozens of house churches in signing a citizens’ petition to the National People’s Congress seeking a resolution of the church-state conflict and a guarantee of religious freedom,” Christian Newswire reported.

Some 17 house church pastors eventually signed the petition, the first of its kind in 60 years of Communist rule, indicating the increasing determination of China’s “third church” – congregations that function openly but decline to register with the government – to secure greater freedom of worship. Protestant churches are required to register through government-appointed bodies such as the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), but Chinese Christians accuse the TSPM of censoring sermon material, strictly controlling the appointment of ministers and dictating questionable theology.

While officials did not respond publicly to the petition, their response to Shouwang’s protest seemed to intensify.

“Before the petition, the suppression of Shouwang church members focused on preventing them from gathering for outdoor worship … Now it seems the authorities want to demonize Shouwang church,” Fu said in an interview with Radio Free Asia shortly after the petition was submitted.

“The security agencies have reportedly held a special meeting that included ministers from the Beijing Joint Ministerial Prayer Fellowship,” Fu added. “The idea conveyed was that this matter with Shouwang had already reached a point of no return, and the church was sure to be disbanded and destroyed.”

‘Explosive Growth’ Threatens

Threatened as officials are by the breakdown of Communist ideology and nationwide protests against corruption and human rights abuses, the government’s conflict with China’s “third church” is critical in the fight to maintain social control.

An article analyzing the “Reasons for the Rapid Growth of the Protestant Church in Today’s China,” written by government advisor Ma Hucheng and published by the China Social Sciences Press in June 2010, gives some clues to the government’s mindset. According to translator Tony Lambert of the Overseas Missionary Fellowship, the article shows that “the experts advising the Chinese government at the highest level recognize the enormous growth of Protestant Christianity as a fact and predict that this growth will be so explosive in the coming decades that it may well change the face of China.”

The government article points specifically to the “system of missionary expansion” within Christianity and its claim to absolute truth.

“On a global scale the Western world promotes ‘universal values’ and a political system with Christian culture at its heart,” Ma states. “Western powers, with America at their head, deliberately export Christianity to China and carry out all kinds of illegal evangelistic activities. Their basic aim is to use Christianity to change the character of the regime in power in China and to overturn it.”

Ma also claimed that Christianity would endanger national security by destroying the “present balance between religions” in China, largely because house churches have “avoided government control” and persisted in “illegal Christian evangelism.”

Ma predicted an increase in the Christian population to around 150 million within 50 years; current estimates range from 60 to 130 million. He also quoted scholar Lu Daji, who estimates that the number of Christians could increase to 200 million within 20 years.

“Faced with this abnormal growth, we must undertake State interference, and take legal and administrative means so that religion does not have a free market and expand out of control,” Ma concludes.

Leader of Chinese House Movement calls on Chinese President Hu Jintao to make sweeping changes

By Michael Ireland
Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

CHINA (ANS) -- Pastor Zhang Mingxuan, president of Chinese Christian House Church Alliance, has written another Open Letter (his sixth) to Chinese President Hu Jintao encouraging him to root out corruption and preserve the rights of Chinese believers during his final year of office.

Pastor Zhang Mingxuan (Courtesy ChinaAid Association)

In a translation of the letter, provided by ChinaAid Association (www.chinaaid.org ), Pastor Zhang says that Hu Jintao, "As the highest-ranking leader of China.has brought progress to a backward Chinese nation." However, in his letter, Pastor Zhang pulls no punches and "names names" of Chinese officials who he claims have broken the law, rather than rightfully upholding it.

Zhang writes: "In the past 30 years, thanks to the reform and openness, we the Chinese have made great achievements in our economic, political life, science and religion. These are the fruits of the policy of reform and openness. These are the pride of our Chinese nation and part of the credit should go to you for your hard work."

Stating that he has written five open letters to Hu Jintao before this one, Zhang says, "but I have not received any replies from you so far.

"Maybe you have not seen them or your subordinates simply forced them out."

Zhang continues: "Now, the true features of a handful of government bandits, swindlers and corrupted officials working under you have been exposed to the world with no place to hide their shameful deeds. While deceiving their superiors, they suppress the ordinary and honest people. These corrupt officials seek their own interests with their power. They violate the laws and disciplines and defy the laws of land use. They also treat the very life of the ordinary people boldly even though the people's complaints are heard everywhere. The government officials and the bandits collude hand in hand and commit every possible evil crime. They expropriate lands at their will and forcibly demolish houses. They persecute human rights defenders and petitioners, who are attacked and are even sent to labor camps while religious believers are similarly attacked, suppressed, arrested and chased away."

Pastor Zhang cites the case, starting April 10 of this year, of the Beijing Shouwang Church which "began to suffer persecution so much that people of the world now understand there is no real religious freedom in China."

Another example cited by Zhang is the case of Chen Guangcheng, the blind man "who has been persecuted because he speaks out and tells people the truth."

Pastor Zhang goes on to state that Shi Enhao, "a loyal Christian pastor," is persecuted and intimidated by Su Dayong, leader of the DSPS (Domestic Security Protection Squad) of Suqian Municipal Public Security Bureau in Jiangsu province, "through bandit-style and thug-style methods."

Zhang says: "They were detained for over 50 days this innocent pastor from Chinese Christian House Church Alliance on the charges of illegal assembly and sabotaging the implementation of law by utilizing superstition. They robbed him of property from his house without going through the legal procedure. They also robbed the church of its donation in the amount of over 130,000 yuan and wrote a receipt of only a little over 50,000 yuan. The rest of the donation in the amount of over 70,000 yuan has not been returned. In the meantime, the musical instruments and choir garments have been confiscated for no known reasons."

Zhang continued: "The Suqian church pastored by Pastor Shi Enhao abides by the law and observes the disciplines. It also abides by the teachings of the Lord Jesus and has played a positive role in maintaining social harmony and stability. This church also teaches its members to love other people as themselves. They pray for Chinese leaders and donate to the disaster-stricken areas in Sichuan and take care of orphans and widows."

Zhang says that after their father was arrested, Shi's son and daughter found Lawyer Zhang Kai from Yijia Law Firm in Beijing and the lawyer went to Suqian Public Security Bureau.

"However, Su Dayong, the leader of the squad didn't even allow the attorney to see his client, claiming the case involves state secrets. Isn't this a joke of the century that a peasant Christian knows classified state secrets? When a true Christian pastor was convicted through planted evidence of sabotaging the implementation of the law by utilizing superstition and illegal assembly, isn't that also the lie of the century and a laughing stock? Su Dayong, Cong Yong, Hu Chunsheng, Sun Fei and other corrupt officials from the Public Security Bureau were like bandits when they robbed Pastor Shi of his property from his home without going through the legally required procedure. So far, we still don't know what has happened to the church's properties, musical instruments and donated funds that they robbed us of. In arresting, beating and robbing people, they have violated the law and undermined the dignity of the state law. Indeed, they are the scum in the Public Security system who violate the law while they are supposed to enforce i t. They accuse the Christian pastor of sabotaging the implementation of the law by utilizing superstition. Isn't that calling black white and white black? Isn't that a defiance of the state law?"

Zhang states the lawyer and the family of Pastor Shi appealed to Suqian Municipal Procuratorate, the National People's Congress, the government, the Discipline Inspection Office, Jiangsu Provincial People's Congress, Jiangsu Provincial Government, Jiangsu Provincial Procuratorate and the Department of Public Security.

"Yet, instead of getting any replies from these agencies, they saw Pastor Shi Enhao was sentenced to two years in labor camp. The authorities asked his son Shi Yongyang to sign on the document, but they did not give his family any documents on the labor camp. Suqian Public Security Bureau defies the legal procedure and the dignity of the law and handles religion in the administrative mode derived from the 1950s. They persecute law-abiding Christians and undermine the social harmony and stability as advocated by you."

While Pastor Zhang says President Hu "advocate(s) [the] rule of law in China, and try to make China develop in harmony and promote ongoing improvement of the rule of law and regulations of the Central Government. these corrupt officials and the law enforcement officers working under you use the power endowed by the Party and the country to persecute the ordinary citizens. They violate the law while they are supposed to enforce it. They harm the relationship between cadres and the people and bring great harm to the people throughout China. The result is that rule of law is only for punishing kind-hearted people."

Zhang also raises another case to discuss with President Hu Jintao, "the beating and detention of the innocent Pastor Zhang Tieling by the Fan County Public Security Bureau of Henan Province."

"In addition to this," says Zhang, "they also sealed his house for six months. The Public Security Bureau connived at the Party secretary of the brigade and let him seal the door of Zhang Tieling's house with bricks. Later, Pastor Zhang Tieling went to Beijing's Tiananmen Square where he cried grievances. Then, Beijing Public Security agency ordered Fan County Public Security to remove the bricks sealing the door to the house of Family Zhang. However, a little over a month later, they once again sealed the door with bricks and cement. Zhang's wife was struck onto the floor by the Party secretary and was hospitalized for half a month due to brain injury. Yet, the Public Security wouldn't deal with this case."

Zhang goes on to say that in June, when Pastor Zhang Tieling went back home to harvest the wheat, the Public Security Bureau took him away and detained him for five days for no reasons, wrongfully accusing Zhang of beating the Party secretary.

"When the Party secretary beat Zhang Tieling's wife, Pastor Zhang Tieling was not at the scene. Yet, they told people a lie that Pastor Zhang Tieling beat people and detained him for five days and seized over 800 yuan of cash from him and his cell phone. Now, they still haven't returned these items to Zhang Tieling. Pastor Zhang Tieling refused to sign on the statement of detention. Now, Pastor Zhang Tieling cannot go back to his house and have to wander around outside. This is the so-called harmony of today! That handful of government bandits and thugs at the grassroots level defy the dignity of the law and they are free to persecute the ordinary people in any way they like and call black white and white black. This is the so-called religious freedom and harmony of China. Your position is too high up there for you to know these details. In fact, they have turned you into a figurehead by overriding your power."

Zhang says that "as a Christian pastor, I have dedicated myself to the Lord for the past 26 years. With the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, I have been again and again rescued from the harm of corrupt officials. In the past 26 years, I have been arrested, beaten and placed under house arrest for 42 times just because I speak the truth and spread the Gospel as a good citizen who believes in Jesus should do. I'm grateful to God and also to the government. This state of ours badly needs justice and fairness. However, what I cannot make sense of is that as a Christian pastor, I have always followed the words of the Lord Jesus and support governments of China at all levels and teach my Christians to abide by the law and observe disciplines. Yet, what I have got in return for all these is my rights as a citizen of China are often deprived. I have applied for a passport on many occasions, and each time they refused to process the passport for me and restricted my freedom of entering and exiting China as a citizen. In my life, I have never violated the law or disrupted the discipline. They violate my citizen's rights to travel just because I am a pastor of a Christian church. Is this the harmony and justice you hope to see?"

Pastor Zhang says that while he knows he may be offending Hu Jintao's dignity, "(but) I am doing so without thinking of my personal safety.

"Even if you misunderstand me or even kill me or imprison me, I still have to tell you the truth in this letter of expostulation. As long as our country can stay stable on a long-term basis, and the corrupt officials and the thugs can be removed, the ordinary people can once again see the clear sky. And as long as Christians can freely worship God, I wouldn't mind dying for this cause. This is because the history of the past two thousand years has proven that Jesus Christ is a true and living God! So many Christians have been imprisoned, detained and fined for the sake of their belief in the Lord. The result of this? The authorities have not only failed to extinguish fire of the Gospel, but the churches have prospered in persecution. As far as China is concerned, in the past 60-some years, the more the authorities arrested, beat and persecuted the people, the more the churches have prospered. Nowadays, tens of thousands house church believers from 56 nationalities are praying for you and for China for the blessings on the Chines e people."

Concluding that President Hu's term of office will soon be over, Pastor Zhang says that, in the last year of Hu's administration, "you can still make contributions to the Chinese people so that the harmonious society, democracy and freedom, human rights and religious freedom as advocated by you can come true.

"In the 21st century, I hope China can become a Christian nation and a civilized powerful country. I implore the Lord Jesus to give His blessings to China."

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** Michael Ireland is Senior Correspondent for ANS. He is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB UK, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649, at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can donate online to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.' Michael is a member in good standing of the National Writers Union, Society of Professional Journalists, Religion Ne wswriters Association, Evangelical Press Association and International Press Association. If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Senior Reporter