Police in China Raid Sunday Church Service, Detain 30 Christians in Latest Religious Crackdown

Part of a propaganda banner which reads, “Prevent and reject the Church of Almighty God’s cult invasions”, is seen at an outdoor exercising court, in Puyang, Henan province, China, in this file picture taken January 12, 2012. (Reuters/Stringer)

Chinese authorities detained 30 members of a house church in southern Guangdong province last July 10 as the atheist state intensifies its ongoing crackdown against Christians.

According to China Aid, a Christian persecution watchdog in the East Asian country, personnel of the religious affairs bureau and the police raided the Olive Tree Church’s Sunday worship service on the morning of July 10. The officials took pictures of the congregation, confiscated church property, banned their church meetings, sealed the church doors and then took away 30 of its members to the police station.

The police freed the detained house church members after a day but four others spent four days behind bars, including a lawyer in England, Tan Xiuhong, and their church leader Jiang Jianping who faced charges of “conducting activities in the name of a social organization without registration.”

This became the worst persecution suffered by the house church at the hands of the Communist state after hundreds of police also raided Olive Tree Church and Ark Church on Sept. 21, 2014, and detained six members, including the British lawyer. Authorities then charged the Christian members of the house churches of “using a cult organization to undermine law enforcement.”

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SOURCE: Chiqui Guyjoco 
The Christian Times