Ten pastors and staff members of the Zion's Light Church in Xi'an, China, have recently been criminally detained on suspicion of "using superstition to undermine law enforcement." Overseas Christians told Radio Free Asia that fellow believers, both inside and outside China, continue to pray for their release. Information circulating within the church indicates that the ten individuals plan to hire lawyers to pursue legal action.
Ren Ruiting, who fled to the United States many years ago due to religious persecution in China, was interviewed by Radio Free Asia on the 26th. She provided an update on the church group's prayer for the "Xi'an Zion Light Church" sent on May 23rd, pointing out that at about 10 o'clock in the evening on May 16th, the overseer of the Zion Light Church, 68-year-old Pastor Gao Quanfu, was taken away from his home by several police officers from the local police station.
The prayer message mentioned that Pastor Jiao Yong, Pastor Tang Bingyi, Elder Wang Yibao, Evangelist Guo Ru, Evangelist Liu Ce, sisters Li Qing and Du Juan, Sister Zheng and 77-year-old Aunt Lian from the same church were taken away one after another. Family members who have received detention notices revealed that most of them were criminally detained on suspicion of "using superstition to undermine the implementation of the law."
On May 25, the Overseas Human Rights Network released a message that ten pastors and co-workers of the Zion's Light Church had been criminally detained on suspicion of "using superstition to undermine the implementation of the law."
Ren Ruiting believes that this charge is rather unusual, and she worries that if the authorities use it, many house churches may be persecuted.
Ren Ruiting said, "In the past, church investigations were mainly related to financial interests and fraud, but this time the charges are quite new. The so-called 'exploitation of superstition' is difficult to define. Is China's official church superstitious? It's completely up to the official interpretation, leaving them vulnerable to manipulation. And the so-called 'undermining the implementation of the law'—which law is being investigated? It's completely nonsense, as if it's specifically targeting house churches."
Pastor Bob Fu, founder of China Aid Association, said in an interview with Radio Free Asia on the 25th that this may be part of the latest round of crackdown on unregistered house churches across the country issued by the Central Government of the Communist Party of China.
Fu Xiqiu said: "It (Zion's Light Church) has been around for a long time. The local government is aware of it. They suddenly raided and suppressed them, using the extremely serious charge of 'exploiting superstition', which can even result in a prison sentence of more than 15 years. It is a crime similar to using what the authorities consider to be a cult to undermine the implementation of the law."
Ren Ruiting mentioned that the Light of Zion Church has a history of forty years, and the pastor who was taken away was nearly seventy years old. Other church members were also taken away from other places. The CCP's ban on house churches is based on trumped-up charges, yet it must be rationalized. For example, in 2019, Wang Yi, the lead pastor of Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church, was sentenced to nine years in prison for "inciting subversion of state power" and "illegal business operations." This would be impossible in the United States, where churches are more cautious with their finances and Sunday gatherings.
Christians call on the Chinese government to abide by the constitutional right to freedom of religious belief
The prayer message for Zion's Light Church also mentioned that the news of Pastor Gao Quanfu and his pastoral team being taken into custody has had an impact on the global Chinese Christian community. Who would have thought that Christians in a country ruled by law would be criminally detained simply for upholding the freedom of religious belief guaranteed by Article 36 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and for following the Lord Jesus' path of walking the narrow way of the cross as a house church? Over the past week, numerous church members, including former members, have been questioned and recorded by the local police station, negatively impacting community harmony and the rule of law.
The prayer message also mentioned that the families of the ten pastors and co-workers of Zion's Light Church have decided to hire lawyers to file a lawsuit, and the lawyers visited the detention center for the first time.
Fu Xiaqiu pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party has no bottom line when it comes to the budget for measures to maintain regime security and stability as discussed by Xi Jinping. Under the US-China tariff war, the economy continues to decline. It is very likely that this is another wave of measures to maintain stability.
Fu Xiqiu also mentioned that he has seen many similar cases unfolding in various places. In recent years, Chinese authorities have frequently accused members of house churches who went abroad to participate in religious activities of the so-called "crime of organizing others to illegally cross the national (border)" or "crime of illegally crossing the national border." There are at least five cases, including churches in Beijing, Shanxi and other places, with their destinations being Malaysia, the China-Myanmar border and other places.
Fu emphasized, "They all hold legitimate passports and pass through Chinese borders through legal channels. None of them leave the country illegally. This trend has aroused widespread international concern about the state of religious freedom in China."
Ren Ruiting also believes that the Chinese government's persecution of Christians and the demolition of crosses never cease. When provinces and cities need to arrest people, leaders often use local churches and Christians as stepping stones, accusing them of illicit activities to boost profits. Families of victims inevitably seek support from other churches, but they worry that being too public will be seen as opposing the authorities, placing them in a dilemma.
Fu Xiqiu called on the Chinese government to realize that suppressing religion will only trigger more social conflicts, respect the international human rights treaties it has signed, protect the basic religious freedom of Chinese citizens, stop the crazy persecution that goes against the historical trend, and not shoot itself in the foot. Moreover, Chinese Christians, including the house churches and the Catholic Church that have been suppressed, have long prayed for China's peace and stability even when they were persecuted.
