(Shanxi, China) Preacher An Yankui of Zion Reformed made a brilliant statement in court, declaring his case was a case within a case. He hoped to present his case in a court of conscience and wisdom, and he asked the judge presiding over the case to repent from persecuting the Chinese church.
Preacher An Yankui legally left China for a week in January 2020 with his People’s Republic of China passport and a Malaysian visa. But he was arrested by the local police on November 21, 2021, on the charge of “suspected illegal border crossing.” He was tried by the Fenyang Court on August 5, 2022. On November 3, 2022, he was convicted of “illegally crossing the border” and was sentenced to one year in prison and fined five thousand 5,000 yuan (~$700). Recently, Preacher An was released from prison after serving his sentence.
He compared himself with Tang Xuanzang, “As a preacher of the church, I can be compared with Xuanzang; we are both called religious priests. But I am different from Tang Seng. Tang Seng migrated illegally to his destination, but I did not. Tang Seng still made people worship idols when he came back with religious texts; but the Bible that I took with me and believed in teaches people to turn away from idols and return to the true God, for salvation for sinners can only be found through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.”
He explained how shocked he was by the charges he was arrested for. He also admitted to being disappointed with the “crime” he was accused of. But anyone with a discerning eye can see that behind this criminal case is really a religious case. This is clearly a case of religious persecution and persecution of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said that he questioned the police who were handling his case many times, “Why not just clearly and directly say that we want to suppress and persecute the church? Why create these trumped-up charges?”
He questioned the judge, “We are a church, but we are not allowed to gather. Doesn’t that take away the very function and meaning of a church? We are a family, but you break into our homes at will to arrest people and break open our doors to arrest people. Are you not taking away the very nature of a home and family? We are citizens, but I have been detained arbitrarily for a year. You have worked so hard to make innocent people guilty! In fact, you also know that Article 36 of the Constitution clearly states that citizens have freedom of religious belief. In fact, you also know that persecuting the Lord’s church not only violates the Chinese Constitution but also violates the United Nations Universal Human Rights Convention. And more seriously, it violates the divine will of God in the kingdom of heaven! You are going against the will of Christ and His Church. And to persecute the Church is to persecute Christ and to persecute God.”
Preacher An Yankui pointed out that behind this criminal case is a religious case.
Dear presiding judge, the role you play today is the role of the inquisitor. Which religion is the true religion? The others are false. Which god is the true God? The others are false. Which one way is the way to heaven, the truth, and life? All other ways lead to hell.
To judge today’s case, it is necessary to retry the Cultural Revolution sixty years ago, when Christianity was overthrown as “the bull, the ghost, the snake, and God” (牛鬼蛇神). But Christianity was later “rehabilitated;” to judge today’s case, it is necessary to retry the massacre of Western missionaries and Chinese Christians by the Boxers 120 years ago. Later, for the Boxer Rebellion, compensation had to be paid (Fenyang Hospital, Taigu Agricultural University, and Shanxi University were built with the compensation from that time); to judge today’s case, it is necessary to retry the life of our Lord Jesus Christ two thousand years ago. He is the Son of God, but he was tried and sentenced to death by crucifixion by sinners. But after the Lord Jesus was resurrected, that judge, who sentenced him, was condemned by history instead.
He concluded by appealing to the judges for justice and repentance.
Respected chief judge and public prosecutor, the law seeks justice. You are the representatives of the law. I implore you to fear God. Look up at the stars and perform your sacred duty and make a fair judgment. Even if the verdict today is unfair, I still believe that the judgment of today will be less than the judgment of history. And the judgment of history will be less than the eternal judgment. The judgment made by the world is less than the judgment of God.
Even if you try me unfairly and condemn me – as a Christian I am honored that I will suffer for righteousness and not for sin. I suffered for keeping my faith and the truth, not for committing crimes. The Lord Jesus said in the Bible, blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. I have been redeemed by God’s grace from eternal judgment, and I have been saved and justified by faith in Christ. But you have not heard the gospel of the Lord Jesus. The kingdom of heaven is near, you also need to repent!
Elder Li Yingqiang of Early Rain Covenant Church wrote a poem after reading the court statement of Pastor An Yankui:
God’s grace is amazing,
Filled with care and light.
Blessed are those who suffer for righteousness sake,
It really shines like a bright light.
The small trials at the police station,
Torments in the detention center.
The prison is a monastery,
Eat and drink the word of the Lord and pray a lot.
The court becomes a crusade,
To prison to further theology.
So graced with the cross,
The servant is preparing the arrival of the master as early as possible.
Photo: An Yankui and Zhang Chenghao reportedly lost 22 lbs during their imprisonment (ChinaAid source)
Click here to view An’s entire statement in English!
~Yu Bing, Special Correspondent of ChinaAid
