Spared death, Chinese house church leader wants public trial this time
Attorneys for a Chinese Christian leader who barely escaped execution in January want his retrial to be conducted in public this time, according to sources close to the case.
China
2 Christians killed, others tortured in Chinese government crackdown
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.
Refugee Camp Destroyer as Part of Ongoing Persecution of Ethnic Minorities in Burma
A refugee camp on the Thailand/Burma border has been overrun by troops sent by the Burmese military junta.
Chinese Church Member Martyred, No Word Yet on Trial of Hong Kong Businessman
Word has just been received out of China that authorities there recently martyred a member of the South China Church. Voice of the Martyrs sources have learned that the Public Security Bureau (PSB) informed family members of sister Zhong Ju Yu last summer that she was beaten to death while imprisoned in Hubei Province.
Chinese House Church Leader Granted Time to Appeal Death Sentence
The forty-six-year-old founder of the “South China” house church movement, Gong Shengliang, was granted a reprieve from his death sentence, which was due to be carried out on Saturday, January 5. Gong was given a stay of execution, relatives said.
VOM Calls on Christians to Pray for Chinese Pastor Sentenced to Death
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.”
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.
Marilyn Manson Fans Draw Evangelicals To North Carolina Concert
GREENSBORO, NC (AgapePress) – It was a smaller than expected crowd, with only about half of the 2,400 tickets having been sold. So the evangelicals stood out all the more. Not because of their angry signs, but because of their own numbers and their gentle witness.
Report on global religious liberty is challenge to U.S., Abrams says
WASHINGTON (BP)–The State Department’s second report on global religious liberty presents a challenge for the U.S. government to act against persecution, the chairman of a federal commission said.
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
High Profile Prisoner Released, but Others Arrested in China
HONG KONG (Compass) — Zhang Rongliang, also known as David Zhang, is at large in China despite receiving a three-years’ hard labor sentence in December 1999. Reliable reports from central China say he was able to buy himself out of jail. But Born Again movement leader Xu Yongze remains incarcerated, despite having completed his three-year sentence on March 15, and 10 more house church leaders were arrested in southeast China in May.
Making Theology Compatible With Socialism
Under the cover of “theological construction,” or making theology compatible with socialist society, liberal leaders of the Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) and the China Christian Council (CCC) have launched a wide-ranging attack against evangelical theology in China.
Xu Yongze Released from Labor Camp in China
LONDON, August 7 (Compass) — China’s most famous house church prisoner, Mr. Xu Yongze, is free. The 58-year-old founder of the Born Again movement was released on May 16, after serving a three-year “re-education through labor” sentence for establishing an illegal organization in China.
Refugee Camp Destroyed As Part of Ongoing Persecution of Ethnic Minorities in Burma
A refugee camp on the Thailand/Burma border has been overrun by troops sent by the Burmese military junta.
Heavy shellfire preceded the attack on the Ler Per Hur camp just inside the Burma border which was later torched by the soldiers on December 29.
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.”
Saudi Arabia Is Again The World’s Worst Persecutor of Christians
Turkmenistan has moved to fifth place on the Open Doors World Watch List of worst persecutors of Christians, behind Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Laos and China, causing “great concern” to persecution watchers around the world.
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.