China Detains House Church Missionary And Co-workers
By BosNewsLife Asia Service
BEIJING, CHINA (BosNewsLife) — A key member and missionary of an unofficial ‘house church’ in China’s Heilongjiang Province faced difficulties Monday, July 7, to worship with fellow believers after Chinese security forces briefly detained him and two co-workers, representatives said.
"The incident is yet another example of the degeneration in human rights and religious freedoms in China as the Beijing Olympic Games draw near," said advocacy group China Aid Association (CAA) in a statement to BosNewsLife.
Jiao Chunbao was reportedly detained by more than 20 government officers and policemen on July 2 in Hegang city, while on on his way to a worship service. "The officials then forcibly escorted Jiao to the local police station [where he was] told that his church was banned from meeting," CAA said. He was allegedly threatened that if meetings continued, he would be re-arrested and placed in long detention.
In addition two female church members, who were not immediately identified, were also briefly taken to a local police station for questioning. CAA claimed that the operation was prepared by government and security officials as well as the Bureau of Religious Affairs and two state-run church groups.
CRACKDOWN
Several other house church groups have also been raided in recent weeks, local believers and independent observers have said.
The crackdown has been linked to worries among Chinese Communist officials about the spread of Christianity in China and concerns that Chinese Christians may use the Olympics in Beijing as an opportunity to gain more international attention for their plight.
China’s government has strongly denied religious rights abuses, saying it is just carrying out the laws of the land. It also announced that China will provide free copies of the Bible during the Olympic Games to athletes, spectators, tourists and anyone else who wants one.
About 10,000 bilingual copies of the Bible will be distributed in the Olympic Village, officials said. However Christians groups argue that more Bibles are needed in the country of over 1 billion people.
Copyright 2008 BosNewsLife. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without our prior written consent.
Worthy News reports from a biblical worldview with a commitment to accuracy, transparency, and editorial independence. Learn more about About Worthy News, our Editorial Standards, AI Use Policy, Ownership of Worthy News, News Tips and Corrections, and Worthy News Staff.
💡 Did you know? One of the best ways you can support Worthy News is by simply leaving a comment and sharing this article.
📢 Social media algorithms push content further when there’s more engagement — so every 👍 like, 💬 comment, and 🔄 share helps more people discover the truth. 🙌
Latest Worthy News
Books by George Whitten
The Eternal Kingdom Revealed https://eternalkingdomrevealed.com
The Eternal Kingdom Revealed traces the Kingdom of God as the central story of Scripture, from before creation to the restoration of all things.
Identity in Messiah Revealed https://identityinmessiah.com
A devotional journey calling believers out of self-doubt and into confident, Kingdom-rooted identity in the Messiah.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.