Death Sentence For Christian “Cult” Leader in China
The founder of the South China Church was sentenced to death after a secret trial on December 18, a Hong Kong-based human rights group said.
China
Four weeks without arrest for Chinese pastor Li De Xian
Pastor Li De Xian preached twice this week in his usual Tuesday meeting in Huadu near Guangzhou, China without interference from Chinese authorities. This marks four consecutive weeks without arrest or interference for Pastor Li’s ministry.
Church Harassment in Eastern China Worsens
BEIJING (Compass) — Christian leaders in both the unofficial house churches and the registered “Three Self” churches in eastern China confirmed in June that their situation has become more difficult.
Courageous Christians Imprisoned for 15 Days (China)
The Voice of the Martyrs rejoiced to learn yesterday that Chinese Christian “Sister Tong†has been released from prison following a 15 day prison sentence. A VOM worker in the area was able to pass financial support and encouragement to her.
Groups Say China Trade, Human Rights Should Be Concern of New Administration
(AgapePress) – A coalition opposed to the special trade privileges for Communist China is urging the new administration to reverse the Clinton-Gore policy mistakes of the past eight years.
On Cults, Leaders and Politics in China
ANHUI
“Here we only have one registered church, which is packed out with people standing in the courtyard. However, since the church was opened, none of the accounts listing all the believers’ donations have ever been made public to them. The pastor has dismissed several Christians who originally were responsible for the finances. He also hands over the donations to the Religious Affairs Bureau to use. Not long ago, several elderly believers formed a church, but the Three Self pastor asked the Religious Affairs Bureau not to grant them a license and called the police to come and arrest them. Can such a church be blessed by God? How can it cause the gospel to spread?”
— Letter from a Christian in Anhui dated March 29, 2000
Christian Youth Work Under Attack in China
LONDON (Compass) — Last July, authorities in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui moved to discourage Christian work with young people through an article that appeared in the local Anhui “Xinan Evening News.”
Two Founders of South China Church On Death Row For Church Activities
Two founding members of the South China Church have been sentenced to death following a secret trial.
Gong Sheng Liang, 46, and his niece Li Ying, 36, were sentenced after a secret trial held on December 18 2001 at the Jing Men Court in Hubei Province.
2 Christians killed, others tortured in Chinese Government crackdown
WASHINGTON (BP)–Two Christians have been killed in the Chinese government’s crackdown on pastor Gong Shengliang and his South China Church in central Hubei Province, according to a letter from members of the underground church revealing graphic details and new information about the persecution.
Chinese Christians Pay Ultimate Price
Soon after winning the right to host the 2008 Olympics, China is showing the world that being a non-registered Christian is a most dangerous sport.
VOM Calls on Christians to Pray for Chinese Pastor Sentenced to Death
South China Church Pastor Gong Shengliang to be executed within days if his appeal is denied
The Voice of the Martyrs is making an urgent appeal to Christians around the world to pray for Pastor Gong Shengliang. Pastor Gong was reportedly sentenced to death last month after a court in Hubei Province declared him guilty of using an “evil cult” to “undermine the enforcement of the law” and of “complicity of rape.”
Courageous Christians Imprisoned for 15 Days (China)
The Voice of the Martyrs rejoiced to learn yesterday that Chinese Christian “Sister Tong” has been released from prison following a 15 day prison sentence. A VOM worker in the area was able to pass financial support and encouragement to her.
China’s House Churches Under Renewed Pressure
Thirty-five house church Christians were arrested in Inner Mongolia and 15 were sent to labor camps after police raided a worship meeting being held on May 26 in Dongsheng, the Associated Press reported on May 30.
Families & churches join hands to aid Chinese lay evangelists
BEIJING (BP)–Lay evangelists from numerous house churches in China are not alone as they direct their efforts toward unreached people groups and cities with the gospel.
Martyrdom of Liu Haitao Confirmed in China
On October 16, 2000, twenty-one-year-old Liu Haitao from Henan province in central China died as the result of severe police beatings. Although the immediate cause of his death was a kidney ailment that flared up after police mistreatment and a harsh imprisonment, there is no question his death was the result of his witness for Christ, which makes him a martyr for the faith. Local Christians in the area plan to observe October 16 as a memorial day to the life of the young Christian.
American Aviators Aren’t Alone: Chinese Christians Held Hostage
The continued detention of 24 American aviators by the Chinese government should come as no surprise to Washington.
“The Chinese government is demonstrating its true color and unfortunately that color is Red,” says The Voice of the Martyrs spokesman Gary Lane.
Fears Grow That China Will Class House Churches as Cults
Authorities Urged to Determine Whether Cults are ‘Harmful to Society’ by Alex Buchan LONDON (Compass) — The Chinese government sponsored an International Symposium on Evil Cults in Beijing November 8-10 that urged local authorities not to inquire too closely into the beliefs of accused cults. Instead, authorities were encouraged to assess whether they are “harmful to society” — a catch-all criterion that some house church leaders fear could lead to their own movements being classed as cults. Nearly 60 academics from all over the world attended the Beijing Symposium, and it was full of predictable denunciation of the Chinese folk … Read more
On Cults, Leaders and Politics in China
Letters from Chinese Christians Detail Local Problems and Persecution ANHUI “Here we only have one registered church, which is packed out with people standing in the courtyard. However, since the church was opened, none of the accounts listing all the believers’ donations have ever been made public to them. The pastor has dismissed several Christians who originally were responsible for the finances. He also hands over the donations to the Religious Affairs Bureau to use. Not long ago, several elderly believers formed a church, but the Three Self pastor asked the Religious Affairs Bureau not to grant them a license … Read more
Open Doors Challenges Claims of Religious Freedom in China
When millions of Chinese evangelicals gather for services in their homeland, the worship is rarely music to the ears. Forget the last minute sound checks, voice warm-ups, or instrument tuning. This worship is music to the heart.
Ongoing Harassment of the Church in China
ANHUI PROVINCE
“The most severe persecution happened to us on Sunday, October 17, 1999. They detained 150 Christians and prepared to send some of them to ‘reform through education’ camps for three years. They fined some of us 2,000 RMB. They didn’t even give me a receipt. (Society here is now so corrupt!) But we did not cease to meet.”
— Letter from Mr. Zhang dated March 28, 2000