Dr. Fu spoke about this issue recently on The Voice of the Martyrs Canada’s podcast, Closer to the Fire.

“Without any exaggeration, the persecution against the Christians and other religious minorities has really reached the worst level we have not seen in 40 years since the Cultural Revolution…. For the first time, we have seen the Communist Party is cracking down on the Church across the board; literally declared a war against Christianity.”

(Photo courtesy of Note Thanun/Unsplash)

He says Chinese censorship efforts especially target Christian youth.

“For the first time, millions of Chinese children were forced to sign a form – these are Christian children – to renounce their faith in public.”

Communist leaders also continue to remove crosses from church buildings. “Even the government-sanctioned churches have been targeted for persecution,” says Fu. “Those pastors who refuse to voluntarily destroy, remove, and demolish their crosses have been facing huge risks of persecution.”

Furthermore, Chinese Christians know their every move is increasingly watched as China embraces digitalized social monitoring.

Fu says, “The government-sanctioned churches, every church pulpit and the four corners of the church have to install face recognition cameras so that they can monitor the congregation – whether there’s any children, there’s any youth under 18 years old, any Communist Party member, any Communist Youth League member, any civil servant, or any police or military service member. These are all forbidden to even enter into the church building.”

We may not know what God is doing in China. But we can pray for Chinese believers to be steadfast in their faith.

Please also pray for the growth of the Chinese Church despite persecution, that faithful disciples would multiply and that the true Word of the Gospel would be known!

Header photo courtesy of The Voice of the Martyrs USA.

Even in Thailand, believers cannot escape government spies. “They have been watched; they have been followed; back home in China, their families have been visited by the police,” Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says.

“The pressure they’re facing from the Chinese government is very real.”

Like a modern-day exodus, more than 60 believers left China in late 2019 to escape persecution and find a place where they could freely worship God. “They looked at what was happening in China with the crackdown against unregistered churches and, as a congregation, they decided to leave,” Nettleton says.

Working closely with U.S. officials, China Aid is trying to secure entry for the persecuted Christians. Learn how you can help here.

If you live in the U.S., consider contacting your elected representatives. “Our leaders, who at least in theory work for us voters, need to know what reality is for Christians in China,” Nettleton says.

“Hopefully, as they have opportunities, they (U.S. officials) can press the Chinese government for more religious freedom, more protection of our Christian brothers and sisters there.”

Mayflower members receive donations from local churches during Christmas.
(Photo courtesy of Xiurong Chen/China Aid)

Ask the Lord to encourage members of the Mayflower Church. Taking a bold stand like this is not easy. “Every time [believers] say, ‘There’s not religious freedom; we had to flee the country to practice our faith,’ that is an embarrassment to the Chinese government,” Nettleton says.

“Even as they’re cracking down on unregistered churches all over the country, they (the government) still want to claim ‘Oh, no, there’s religious freedom in China.’ They see this church as a big defeat to the whole mythology.”

You can also support persecuted Christians who remain in China through VOM USA.

“The Voice of the Martyrs USA works directly with Christians in China. One significant way is by providing Bibles. The state printing press prints a certain number of Bibles, but it is not nearly enough for the number of Christians in China. [VOM helps] to fill that gap,” Nettleton says.

“We also support Christians facing persecution, provide legal representation for Christians who have been arrested and charged with a crime; just really coming alongside and helping in practical ways.”

Header image depicts Pastor Pan, leader of the Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church. (Photo courtesy of China Aid)

“Every week, [a] private Christian school based in Dallas [has] been teaching the children virtually, and they are collecting support financially. China Aid [is] leading the diplomatic effort to try to find a solution for the U.S. government to resettle them,” China Aid’s Bob Fu says.

“We call them the modern-day Mayflower church.”

A coalition of ministries, including China Aid and Voice of the Martyrs Canada, is working tirelessly to secure freedom for the Mayflower church. Want to help? Add your name to a petition seeking U.S. resettlement for this group of persecuted believers.

“This church is regarded as a church plant by the PCA: Presbyterian Church in America. Pastor Pan was ordained by the Philadelphia-based Presbyterian Church in America,” Fu says.

“We hope the Lord will grant them their freedom to move to the United States.”

The Mayflower church, a group of 60 persecuted Christians from China, fled to South Korean territory in late 2019. More about that here. South Korea is denying believers’ requests for asylum, raising fears that the group will be forcibly returned to China.

“They were called traitors. This is the highest political crime, worse than the subversion of state power,” Fu says.

“The Communist Party will mercilessly persecute them.”

Ask the Lord to comfort members of the Mayflower church and give them peace as they await decisions beyond their control. Pray for wisdom for each organization and individual advocating on their behalf.

In 1620, the Mayflower carried dozens of Protestant Christians fleeing religious persecution in England to the American colonies.  The header image displays a replica ship, Mayflower II, at the State Pier in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 2006. (Wikimedia Commons)

China Aid partners with Voice of the Martyrs Canada to help persecuted believers in China. Fu says the oppression extends across national borders.

In 2019, 60 believers fled to South Korea when threatened with prison time for operating a church school. Human rights advocates called this group of believers the “Mayflower Church” for its similarity to the pilgrims who fled England in 1620 due to persecution.

Today, despite multiple appeals, South Korea is still refusing believers’ requests for protection.

“Unfortunately, the South Korean government is being intimidated and threatened by the Chinese Communist Party, so they are not granting this church or any member asylum,” Fu says.

“Some of them [received] the rejection for asylum twice or three times. This could go to the South Korean Supreme Court.”

(Graphic courtesy of VOM Canada)

No safe place for Christians

Almost every province in China saw increased persecution in the last year, International Christian Concern reports. Whereas persecution formerly occurred in “pockets” throughout the country, China’s officials have been stepping up pressure since 2018. Details in the full interview here.

Even churches registered with the Communist Party aren’t safe anymore.

“Thousands of their church members have been arrested, and some suffered severe torture, like in the Early Rain Covenant Church,” Fu says.

“This is a devastating impact because they were supposed to be legally protected, government-approved churches.”

Pray believers will have courage and trust in the Lord. Pray persecuted Christians seeking asylum will be granted a safe place to raise their children in the ways of Christ, all the while experiencing His divine provision, protection, and peace.

“I do believe this new wave of persecution, without exception, will further enhance church growth in China,” Fu says.

In the header image, Dr. Foley of VOM Korea teaches the “Mayflower Church” how to biblically respond to persecution. (Photo courtesy of Do the Word, caption courtesy of VOM Canada)

China Aid is an international human rights organization that seeks to expose the human rights violations of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and promoting religious freedom in the country.

Who is threatening?

The source of these threats? China Aid is pointing the finger at Guo Wengui, a disgraced Chinese businessman who fled to the United States after being accused by Chinese authorities of bribery, fraud, and money laundering. He now runs popular social media platforms,on which he encourages violence against those who speak out against the CCP.

Fu frequently criticizes the CCP, especially their persecution of different religious and ethnic groups.

(Photo courtesy of FB/ China Aid/Bob Fu)

Protestors appeared outside Fu’s home in Texas earlier in October, accusing him of being a spy for the CCP. But officials believe Bob Fu may actually be targeted by the Communist Party itself.

Greg Musselman of Voice of the Martyrs Canada summarizes. “It’s really hard to know exactly who is behind this. But what we do know is that Bob and his family have been under threat and that’s being taken very seriously.”

The purpose behind the threats

The purpose of this campaign is clearer: discredit Fu and stop the work he is doing. Musselman says protestors have been “handing out flyers saying that he’s a fake pastor, [that] he’s an evil cheater. There were even protest signs declaring that he is a Chinese spy.”

Fu has had a lot of influence over the years, Musselman says. “Bob has been in the White House, he’s had many members of the Senate, Congress, even mayors. He is well respected. And what he says is taken with a lot of seriousness.”

Whoever is behind the threats, they want Fu’s influence to stop.

How to pray

Musselman says Fu won’t be silenced by these death threats or protests. “He was arrested for starting an underground church in China. He was involved in Tiananmen Square before he came to the United States.”

Pray that God will protect Bob Fu and his family during this stressful time. Pray that whoever is behind these protests would lose their power and influence.

And pray for your brothers and sisters in China, that they would have grace and strength from the Lord in the face of persecution.

The header image shows Bob Fu. (Photo courtesy of VOM Canada on Facebook)

(Photo courtesy of Joshua Doubek via Wikimedia Commons)

What’s covered under “Feudal Superstitions”? Buddhism and Taoism, but the fact that the campaign is focused on religions is disconcerting to Christians in China. As of late, a few things have cropped up that will likely be trends to note in 2016 for the Persecuted Church.

Todd Nettleton, a spokesman for the Voice of the Martyrs USA, says in the last 18 to 24 months, over 1,500 churches have either seen an entire building destroyed, or had the cross torn off the building. Most of these churches are located in Zhejiang Province–the so-called “Bible belt” in eastern China.

In many of these cases, the government cited various building code violations as the pretext to carry out its destruction. What’s more, “We now hear from our Chinese brothers and sisters that the Central Government in Beijing has looked at that and said, ‘That was successful. We want to expand that into more provinces.’”

(Photo courtesy China Aid/Baixi Church in Yueqing County, Wenzhou, China)

Given that context, VOM partners expect to see more churches in more places in China in trouble this year, says Nettleton. But, that’s not the only new development. “It has affected not only the house churches, or the unregistered churches, it has affected the Three-Self Patriotic Churches–the churches that the government has sanctioned and approved. They’re now coming back and attacking those same churches.”

For years, the Chinese government has, in essence, said, “If the house churches would just register, then everything would be fine for them and they wouldn’t have persecution.” But, that’s not as true now, as registered house churches have fallen afoul of the government.

Church building demolitions and cross-removal campaigns have caused some church leaders to re-think their status, adds Nettleton. “Some of the pastors are withdrawing from the Three Self System because they say, ‘If we’re not protected by this, why should we even be a part of it?’”

(Photo courtesy China Aid)

Although the Party recognizes Catholicism, Protestant Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Taoism, it does so only if they fall within government structures. As of late, what falls under acceptable parameters seems to be redefined. “This [campaign] has been primarily in one particular province, but now the government has kind of issued a study to the other provinces and said, ‘Look what they’re doing. We all need to get involved in this,’” explains Nettleton.

“So, I think we’re going to see this wave of persecution against churches expand across China.”

Pray that, through His mysterious ways, God will use the ongoing opposition against the church in Zhejiang to advance His kingdom purposes there. Specifically, ask Him to embolden the faith of believers throughout the nation, equipping each of them to be powerful agents of His grace. May they continue meeting together for worship despite the present obstacles, and may the body of Christ continue to grow.

(Photo courtesy FB/ China Aid/Bob Fu)

China (MNN) — The Chinese Constitution guarantees freedom of religion.

Yet, according to the 2015 United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Report, the Chinese government took steps to consolidate further its authoritarian monopoly of power over all aspects of its citizens’ lives. In fact, because this has meant unprecedented violations on all faith communities, the State Department has designated China as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) since 1999, most recently in July 2014.

Among the more obvious situations noted: 1,200 Crosses that were taken down from churches in China. China Aid Association President Bob Fu explains, “Of course, to the Chinese Communist government, the official explanation was, ‘The cross has become a distraction for public safety.’” Christians protested. For a time, social media feeds were full of pictures of red crosses in China. “They went on the street in peaceful protesting [and] made little crosses, declaring: ‘If you remove one cross, we will make 100-1000 more crosses to be put up on our houses and cars!'”

Although things seem to have quieted down, Fu says there is evidence pointing to a larger government campaign. “One document says the reason the government has this campaign is to ‘contain the overheated growth of Christianity.'” What’s surprising is where this is happening and to whom. It’s in the so-called belt buckle of China’s “Bible Belt” — Wenzhou city in Zhejiang province. “A vast majority–99%–of those church buildings where the crosses were forcefully removed are officially registered…. [They’re] supposed to be government-protected, called Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) churches.”

The city of Wenzhou is often called “China’s Jerusalem,” and the Christian population is just over 15%. Choosing this city, while the official reasons are unknown, still sends a message. ”I think Zhejiang is just being used as an experimental province for a bigger campaign that could be coming very soon,” Fu observes.

(Photo courtesy FB/ China Aid/Bob Fu)

He noted that because Wenzhou is also one of the nation’s wealthiest cities, perhaps this area was targeted because they could rebuild or repair a demolished or damaged church building faster than anyone else. “Obviously, the government really wants to target the increasing impact of Christian faith in Zhejiang Province and beyond that.”

Does this hint at a cover up? A cover up implies secrecy. China’s actions are anything but secret in this case. Fu says, “In the past two years, the overall situation of human rights, religious freedom, freedom of press, and freedom of assembly–some factors are the worst since the Cultural Revolution.”

Last year, the local government announced a policy called san gai yi chai (three reforms, one demolition), which led to the destruction of many churches in the region as well as the removal of crosses from atop buildings near main roads. Fu says, “Some were taken multiple times, after the believers reinstalled [the crosses], [they were] re-destroyed, [then they were] reinstalled. I think Xi Jinping’s ideological shift from the Central Government has made this happen.”

To explain further, provincial leaders might be currying favor with China’s president Xi Jinping. Once governor of Zhejiang, he has since made statements indicating that he would like to “revive” Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism in China in order to help strengthen the “moral fabric” of the nation.

There is also worry that this is merely a pretense for stamping out Christianity in the region. Fu explains, “The Chinese Communist Party issued the first-ever National Security Blue Book, and in that blue book Christianity is listed as a national security threat. These are not all local phenomenon. It’s definitely a top-down from the Central Government.”

Voice of the Martys USA notes that the policy has been problematic for people like Huang Yizi, a local pastor, who was one of 15 who was arrested for “endangering national security.” He drew scrutiny after protesting China’s increasingly stringent religious restrictions, both in Wenzhou and other parts of China.

(Photo courtesy FB/ China Aid/Bob Fu)

At the same time, prominent Beijing-based lawyer Zhang Kai announced in July of 2015 the formation of a group that consists of 30 Christian lawyers. The group is known as “Lawyers for Protection of the Cross.” The group defends churches under attack under China’s newly implemented religion law. A few weeks ago, Chinese security forces conducted simultaneous night raids in Wenzhou, during which time they seized Zhang Kai, his assistant, and several Wenzhou pastors.

Pray for believers who have been affected by this latest crackdown, asking the Lord to encourage them to persevere under trial. May this outbreak of evil against His people somehow be turned to good (Romans 8:28), while opening the spiritual eyes and hearts of many more Chinese people so they will discover the truth and goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Last month while the Sanya Hosanna Church was holding a morning worship service, several people from the Religious Affairs Bureau and the neighborhood committee disrupted the service and served this notice: "Announcement by the Hongqi Street Community of the Voluntary Dissolution of Irregular and Illegal Religious Meeting Sites."

The committee warned the Christians that officials would take stricter measures if they met again the following week. They also put pressure on the landlord to stop renting the meeting site to the church, which was given 15 days' notice to move out.

It didn't stop there. According to China Aid, a ministry partner with the Voice of the Martyrs, the leader of the church was also restricted from going to Hong Kong to attend a special conference. He was told his attendance might jeopardize national security and national interests.

On the same day, three other Sanya house churches (Elim Church, Bethel Church and XinjuChurch) faced the same kind of harassment. Days earlier, Sanya's Mengai Church, Hexing Church, and three other house churches were shut down. A church in Haikou has experienced similar treatment, and several other churches have been forcibly closed. In addition, some churches in the Baoting county have been shut down.

"Closing a dozen churches in Hainan is an alarming sign that little has changed with Xi Jinping as president," said ChinaAid founder and president Bob Fu. "The government is carrying out its plans to 'eradicate' the independent house church movement, a crackdown that would affect up to 100 million people. China must end this repression if it wants global respect as a rising power."

Pray that these believers will be greatly encouraged spiritually, cultivating a deeper relationship with the Lord as they embrace the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:7-10). Ask that His faithful servants be granted mercy and favor with the officials of the Religious Affairs Bureau and members of the neighborhood committee. May their oppressors discover the joy and peace of personally knowing Jesus, as witnessed in the lives of these Christians…even in the midst of life's challenges.

ChinaAid, a
partner of The Voice of the Martyrs USA, learned January 1 that Gao is being held
at Shaya Prison in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, western China. The notification was signed and dated on Dec.
19 by the prison.

According to
ChinaAid, police took Gao into custody again on April 2010, the most recent
arrest since a 2006 conviction on a subversion charge.

Then, on
December 16, shortly before his five-year probation period was to have ended, the
Chinese government sentenced him to three more years for violating his
probation. The good news was that Gao was still alive, but the bad news was they still didn't know where
he was or if he was healthy.   

Gao is best
known for defending cases of religious persecution, including house church
leaders and members of Falun Gong.

ChinaAid
founder and president Bob Fu says of his friend, "Gao's internal exile
reminds the world of how former Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov was cruelly treated
in Siberia in the 1980s."

Fu goes on to
say that "the Chinese government can use this remote jail to prevent
concerned people from visiting Attorney Gao, but just like Sakharov, Gao's
courageous voice can never be silenced by the four walls of his prison
cell."

Fu said human rights and religious freedom in China have deteriorated to its lowest point since the period after the crackdown on the 1989 Tiananmen Square student-led pro-democracy demonstration.

Fu and several other ChinaAid witnesses were invited by the European Parliament to testify at its hearing on "the human rights situation in China" at the parliament building in Brussels, Belgium.

The next day, the delegation will be in The Netherlands to participate in a human rights forum on "the situation of Christians in China," where Fu will be making a similar presentation on the serious deterioration of religious freedom, the rule of law and human rights in general.

At the EU hearing, ChinaAid will deliver recommendations that were requested to help the European Union set its China policy and address human rights problems in China. In attendance at the hearing will be members of the European Parliament and their assistants.

This is the second time that ChinaAid and Fu have appeared before the European Parliament. In 2009, Fu and two Christian lawyers engaged in rights defense work also testified before the same body.
Fu expressed appreciation to the European Parliament for the opportunity to testify.

"The grave human rights violations by the Chinese government [are] a global issue," said Fu. "We urge the European leaders to take more concrete steps to encourage the Chinese government to improve its record by building an international coalition founded on an unwavering solidarity with the Chinese rights defenders community."

In Ridderkerk, The Netherlands, the ChinaAid delegation will be speaking to an audience of mainly NGOS, representatives of the missionary organizations of several churches, some individuals with ties to China and members of the Dutch Political Reformed Party (SGP), Holland's most orthodox Protestant party, as well as members of the Dutch media.