Pastor Zhang "Bike" Mingxuan and other underground Christians have been targeted by authorities in recent days due to a statement released on November 28 by the Ministry of Civil Affairs calling for the elimination of the Chinese House Church Alliance. According to a November 30 report from China Aid Association, Pastor Zhang, the President of the Chinese House Church Alliance, was detained by four officers in Nanyang, Henan province, at approximately 7:00 a.m. When authorities demanded that he sign the Ministry's statement, he refused.
In 1949, The People's Republic of China was formed under Chairman Mao Zedong. He quickly began purging the country of anything that did not coincide with his vision of a communist nation, resulting in millions of deaths. In 1950, China invaded Tibet, forcing its leader, the Dalai Lama, into exile in India and forcing the communist system on the people of Tibet.
In recent years there has been a move to a free market economy. However, that freedom has not carried over into human rights and religious freedom. China's human rights record is one of the worst in the world, with a system of "re-education through labour" which detains hundreds of thousands each year in work camps without even a court hearing. There are more Christians in prison in China than any other country in the world. The only legal churches are those strictly controlled by the government of China. Those who do not wish to follow government policies on religious practice and beliefs must meet in homes and risk being labeled as "evil cults." Such a designation can result in closing down the church, confiscation of property, and charges against the leadership, often resulting in torture, imprisonment and death.
During 2004, several mass arrests clarified the government’s objectives regarding house churches. In a single raid on a leadership retreat on June 11, 2004 police arrested more than one hundred leaders of the China Gospel Fellowship (CGF) house church movement. There has been no respite from individual arrests, imprisonment and torture, either. On June 18, 2004 Ms. Jiang Zongxiu was beaten to death while in prison. These are only a few of the thousands of Christians risking their lives daily in China, whose only crime is faith in Jesus Christ. Thankfully, the government has been responsive at times to international pressure. However, this responsiveness is sporadic and too frequently Western governments have been more obsessed with gaining access into the huge Chinese market than to require basic human rights for the people.
In 1949, The People's Republic of China was formed under Chairman Mao Zedong. He quickly began purging the country of anything that did not coincide with his vision of a communist nation, resulting in millions of deaths. In 1950, China invaded Tibet, forcing its leader, the Dalai Lama, into exile in India and forcing the communist system on the people of Tibet.
In recent years there has been a move to a free market economy. However, that freedom has not carried over into human rights and religious freedom. China's human rights record is one of the worst in the world, with a system of "re-education through labour" which detains hundreds of thousands each year in work camps without even a court hearing. There are more Christians in prison in China than any other country in the world. The only legal churches are those strictly controlled by the government of China. Those who do not wish to follow government policies on religious practice and beliefs must meet in homes and risk being labeled as "evil cults." Such a designation can result in closing down the church, confiscation of property, and charges against the leadership, often resulting in torture, imprisonment and death.
During 2004, several mass arrests clarified the government’s objectives regarding house churches. In a single raid on a leadership retreat on June 11, 2004 police arrested more than one hundred leaders of the China Gospel Fellowship (CGF) house church movement. There has been no respite from individual arrests, imprisonment and torture, either. On June 18, 2004 Ms. Jiang Zongxiu was beaten to death while in prison. These are only a few of the thousands of Christians risking their lives daily in China, whose only crime is faith in Jesus Christ. Thankfully, the government has been responsive at times to international pressure. However, this responsiveness is sporadic and too frequently Western governments have been more obsessed with gaining access into the huge Chinese market than to require basic human rights for the people.
No comments:
Post a Comment