House church pastor summoned to court for home-schooling in China

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The pastor of a house church in China’s southern Fujian province was summoned to appear in court earlier this month because he and his wife have chosen to home-school their children, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. According to ICC, the Chinese government is not only continuing its crack-down on churches but is now also impeding parents from home-schooling their children.

Pastor You Guanda from Dianqian Church in Xiamen city was reportedly charged by the government of Hongdunzhen, Shaowu city for home-schooling his children instead of sending them to public school. Guanda and his were summoned to appear before the Shaowu Court.

Guanda’s Dianqian Church follows the Reformed tradition and has refused to join the Chines government-sanctioned Three-Self Church. Dianqian church has also rejected ethnic and religious affairs guidance from local authorities. The Fujian Province government has therefore intensified its ongoing crackdown on the church, ICC reports.

When local authorities banned Dianqian church in 2019, Guanda and other members of the congregation bought a property and used it for living, home-schooling and worship purposes. Nevertheless, their building was destroyed by authorities this year, ICC says.

“While China claims that Chinese parents have the rights to decide their children’s education, akin to its human rights record, it is all empty talk,” ICC reports.

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