China: Evangelical Leaders Threatened With Prison For Printing Devotional Materials
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Amid an ongoing systematic crackdown on Christians in China, the ruling Chinese Communist Party has threatened evangelical church leaders in Guangdong Province with prison and seizure of property for printing devotional materials, Christian Daily reports.
Elder Zhu Longfei, Pastor Deng Yanxiang, Deacon Zhu Longjiang, Deacon Wang Weicai and Zhu Qiaoling of Shengjia Church in Shunde, Guangdong Province, were arrested and charged last year with conducting “illegal business operations,” Christian Daily reports. The devotional literature at the heart of the allegations was intended for church use only.
The officials involved in the prosecution are from the Shunde Department of Public Security, the Shunde Religious Affairs Bureau, the Shunde Department of Education and the Shunde Department of Industry and Commerce.
At a pre-trial hearing at the Shunde District People’s Court on March 29, the defendants’ attorney Guo Xiongwei said his clients have been pressured or threatened by officials. “The charge of ‘illegal business operations’ has become a catch-all offense during the pre-trial meeting, and our goal as lawyers is to tear apart this catch-all accusation,” Guo added in a statement to China Aid.
In a website report about the situation facing Christians in China, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy group said: “Persecution and discrimination are slowly spreading throughout most of China.
The Chinese Communist Party’s goal is to make sure churches don’t fall out of line with official viewpoints. In the case of official churches, this means they are encouraged to praise and pledge allegiance to the Communist Party and its ideology. Churches that claim Christ as King are viewed with suspicion, especially since Christianity is seen as a primarily Western influence.”
China ranks 19 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
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