ZHUMADIAN, Henan (China Aid) — Elderly Christians, incapable of traveling the long distance to a state-run church, were forced to meet illegally in their homes after officials banned their gathering place in China’s central Henan province.

Last May, authorities falsely accused a house church in a village in Zhumadian, Henan, of “heresy” and belonging to a cult and banned gatherings after receiving repeated false reports from members of the government-run Three-Self Church. A local Christian said the officials took the church property, such as chairs, to another church, forcibly uprooting the original church and accusing it of “heresy” and following the “wrong path” for establishing private religious locations.

At first, village officials gave the church permission to gather at a patch of land, but the official church intervened and tried to get the Christians to join their congregation. Following their church’s closure, the elderly members of the church began holding services in their homes, since the nearest Three-Self Church was too far for them to travel. However, they were forbidden to use their own residences, leaving them without a church.

Continue reading this story >>

Become a Christian News Network Supporter...

Dear Reader, has ChristianNews.net been of benefit and a blessing to you? For many years now, the Lord has seen fit to use this small news outlet as a strong influential resource in keeping Christians informed on current events from a Biblical worldview. With much compromise and many falsehoods in modern-day Christianity, we strive to bring you the news by keeping Christ and His word in focus. If you have benefited from our news coverage, please prayerfully consider becoming a Christian News supporter by clicking here to make a one-time or monthly donation to help keep the truth of God's word widely and freely published and distributed. May Christ continue to be exalted through this work!