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Title: The Chinese Church Post by: Mark on July 27, 2011, 07:26:42 am Please pray for the Chinese Church and the persecution of our Lords followers.
Quote China Church Leader Sentenced to Hard Labor A Chinese house church leader has been sentenced to two years in a labor camp for illegally holding religious meetings. The Associated Press reported that Pastor Shi Enhao, deputy chairman of the Chinese House Church Alliance, was sentenced over the weekend after being arrested June 21 in the eastern city of Suqian. Authorities say the 55-year-old is guilty of "illegal meetings and illegal organizing of venues for religious meetings." The Texas-based human rights group China Aid says the charges stem from his work as pastor of a large house church. "It's kind of anticipated persecution, but not to the degree that he was treated," Bob Fu, president of China Aid, told The Christian Post. "His lawyer was denied access to visit him, so these are totally violations of Chinese law," he said. "So in that sense it's a surprise to me, but in terms of the persecution they are facing...it's just intensified recently." "I think he's a part of the target by the Chinese central government to take down because of his leadership role in the Chinese house-church movement," Fu concluded. The church's several hundred thousand members meet in many different sites around the city. Police also ordered the church to stop meeting and confiscated the congregation's car and nearly $22,000 in donations. http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2011/July/China-House-Church-Leader-Sentenced-to-Hard-Labor/ Title: Re: The Chinese Church Post by: Kilika on July 27, 2011, 03:55:24 pm You don't hear the White House screaming about human rights violations in China do you? Not surprising since communist China holds about a trillion dollars of US debt.
Jesus is those people's only saving grace. As far as the help of governments, they are on their own I'm afraid. The churches in China should be rejoicing they are suffering persecution for Jesus' sake. "Peace [be] to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 6:23 (KJB) "What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be] against us?" Romans 8:31 (KJB) Title: Re: The Chinese Church Post by: Christian40 on July 28, 2011, 04:08:51 am SUQIAN CITY, CHINA (Worthy News) – Pastor Shi Enhao, deputy chairman of the Chinese House Church Alliance, has been sentenced to two years of “re-education through labor,” an extra-judicial punishment handed out by police that requires no trial or conviction of a crime, Worthy News has learned. The sentence is often used for those who have committed minor criminal offenses or for dissidents and adherents of non-government sanctioned religious groups, such as house church Christians and Falun Gong practitioners. Pastor Shi was detained May 31, 2011 by police in Suqian city, in coastal Jiangsu province, and held for 12 days. On June 21, he was criminally detained by Suqian Public Security Bureau. Those familiar with this practice say it is the first step in a legal process that almost inevitably leads to a prison sentence. THE CHARGES Pastor Shi is formally charged with “illegal meetings and illegal organizing of venues for religious meetings.” This charge stems from the fact that Pastor Shi’s large house church of several thousand members meets in various different sites around the city. What makes for even greater significance of Shi’s sentencing on this charge has to do with the events surrounding the Shouwang Church in Beijing, and its controversial decision in April to meet outdoors after being evicted once again from property it lawfully had leased from the Chinese government. Critics of Shouwang’s decision pointed out that when other house churches have grown too large to meet in one place without making local officials nervous, most have avoided clashes with the authorities by breaking into smaller groups which meet in different locations. The fact that Pastor Shi was charged and sentenced despite using this precaution demonstrates that this strategy does not guarantee that authoritites will be appeased. Suqian city police’s Domestic Security Protection Department has ordered Pastor Shi’s church to stop meeting and confiscated the congregation’s car, musical instruments, and choir robes, as well as church donations totalling 140,000 yuan, which amounts to $21,712.50 US. CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION A FAMILY AFFAIR Pastor Shi is not the only person in his family to have suffered persecution at the hands of police for the cause of Jesus Christ. Pastor Shi’s daughters and their husbands have also beeen threatened. Shi Yongyang, Pastor Shi’s son, has been to the police station and signed the sentencing paperwork under police pressure, but they have refused to give him a copy of the signed documents. Pastor Shi and his wife, Zhu Guangyun, are both 55 years old. His mother, Liu Guanglan, age 86, requires round-the-clock care, which is provided by Pastor Shi’s wife. Previously mentioned Shi Yongyang, Pastor Shi’s son, and his wife are both in full-time ministry. Four generations of Shi Enhao’s family have served the church. ChinaAid founder and president Bob Fu expressed shock at the news and strongly condemned the authorities in Jiangsu’s Suqian city for sentencing Pastor Shi. He also called on the church and the international community to express their concern for him and to come to Pastor Shi’s aid. From: http://www.worthynews.com/10749-house-church-pastor-in-china-detained Bible Verses on persecution: http://cgi.godsview.com/cgi-bin/rcdenig/psiseek.pl?topic=persecution |