A watchdog organization that releases a report each year on the global persecution of Christians highlighted the “dramatic increase of persecution against Christians” in China in analyzing its new World Watch List, and lamented that if the Chinese government continues to escalate its mistreatment of Christians, it may become the “single largest violator of human […]
(Bitter Winter) — As reported by ChinaAid, on September 1, 2019, the owner of Wheat Bookstore, an online Christian bookseller, was taken into custody for selling religious publications from Taiwan, the United States, and other countries that were not approved by the state. Following the arrest, a nationwide investigation was launched to track down the people […]
(Bitter Winter) — From September to Dec. 1 last year, at least 15 charismatic house church venues in Zaozhuang, a prefecture-level city in the eastern province of Shandong, were subjected to crackdowns, resulting in congregations being dispersed. A meeting venue in the city’s Taierzhuang district was cleared out in early November. According to a congregation […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of State has issued a statement condemning the conviction and sentencing of Early Rain Covenant Church pastor Wang Yi, who was tried in secret in China on Dec. 26 and sentenced to nine years in prison days later for “inciting subversion of state power” and so-called “illegal business activities.” […]
(International Christian Concern) – On Dec. 30, China’s state-run media Xinhua reports that as of February 1, 2020, new administrative measures will come into force for any religious groups operating in China. Two years after the 2018 revised Regulations on Religious Affairs have been put in place, the new “Administrative Measures for Religious Groups,” which […]
(Church in Chains) — Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC) in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, has been sentenced to nine years in prison following a secret trial on Dec. 26. The People’s Intermediate Court in Chengdu found the pastor guilty of “inciting subversion of state power” and “illegal business operations.” […]
(Church in Chains) — On Dec. 26, the long-awaited trial of Wang Yi, pastor of Early Rain Covenant Church, was held in secret in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province. The trial took place on the 46th birthday of his wife, Jiang Rong. Wang Yi, 46, has been held in government detention since his arrest in […]
(Bitter Winter) — As the CCP is stepping up its efforts to suppress Christianity, multiple house church venues across the country have been crushed for refusing to join the state-run Three-Self Church. One such venue was destroyed in late October in Gaoqiang village in Lin’an county, administered by Hangzhou city in the eastern province […]
(Church in Chains) — Dec. 9 marked the first anniversary of the raid on Early Rain Covenant Church and the arrest of Pastor Wang Yi, who is in jail awaiting trial, and his wife Jiang Rong, who was released on bail in June and is under house arrest. In the week following the raid at […]
CHENGDU (Church in Chains) — On Nov. 29, elder Qin Derfu of Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC) in Chengdu, Sichuan province was sentenced to four years in prison for “illegal business operations.” It emerged at the trial that the charge related to 20,000 Christian books used by the church. The authorities reneged on a promise […]