The CCP's Persecution Of Christians Must Stop
As faith leaders come to Washington this week for the International Religious Freedom Summit and the National Prayer Breakfast, they should be thinking about what’s happening to Christians in China.
Under Xi Jinping, the Chinese Communist Party has made it clear that religion is only allowed if it serves the Party. Churches and sermons are watched and monitored and religious texts are censored or rewritten to match CCP ideology. Many Christians have no choice but to worship in secret, meeting in unregistered “house churches” just to practice their faith.
Last October, the CCP launched one of its biggest crackdowns on Christians in decades. Police arrested Pastor Ezra Jin and dozens of members of Zion Church across the country. Their supposed “crime” was sharing religious content outside of Party-controlled channels. Zion Church is one of China’s largest independent Protestant churches. In 2018, it was forced mostly online after it refused to let the government install surveillance cameras inside the church.
Pastor Jin, whose daughter is an American citizen, is still being held along with at least 17 other members of Zion Church. They are sitting in detention centers awaiting trial, likely in harsh and brutal conditions. Other Christian leaders remain imprisoned as well, including Pastor Gao Quanfu of Light of Zion Church and Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church.
Religious freedom is a fundamental human right. People in China should be able to worship openly without fear, pressure, or punishment from the state. The Chinese government’s persecution of Christians and other religious believers needs to stop.
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