(China — June 21, 2025) In China, the Christian Church continues to face increasingly harsh government repression. The well-known leaders of Shanxi Golden Lampstand Church, Pastor Yang Rongli and her husband, Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, who have persisted and shepherded tens of thousands of Christians over the years, have once again been arrested and are facing sentencing.
According to Greg Musselman, host of the Closer to the Fire podcast, and pointed out by Dr. Bob Fu, President of ChinaAid Association, the Chinese government is cracking down on church leaders who participate in overseas religious activities with new charges such as “illegal border crossing,” aiming to sever the Chinese Church’s connection with the global faith network.
A Bible lesson for Children in Puyang, Anhui, was also raided by police, with children as young as five or six detained along with their teachers, and two female Christians were subjected to violence. Dr. Fu pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party is attempting to comprehensively block religious freedom through measures involving education, travel, and social credit. However, as 2 Timothy says: “All who are determined to live a godly life will be persecuted,” and the Church, under oppression, has instead become stronger, bearing witness to the power of faith and the hope of revival.
Pastors Yang Rongli and Wang Xiaoguang’s perseverance and the threat of heavy sentences
Dr. Fu, in a podcast interview with ChinaAid’s partner, Voice of the Martyrs Canada, explained that in China, simply because Christians worship in their own homes or unauthorized or unapproved places of worship, it is regarded as “disturbing public order,” even if no one is actually disrupted. This is a rather vague law.
In early 2000, Golden Lampstand church was totally destroyed by the Chinese military police with dynamites. Pastor Yang Rongli and Wang Xiaoguang were persecuted in the past. This was the second time after pastor Yang Rongli was released from her previous sentence, and she was arrested again with her husband and other pastors, this time after more than three years of arbitrary detention in prison without a trial.
Dr. Fu revealed that he knows this pastor and his wife; they have a son, and he used to study at an underground seminary in Beijing. Now, he is under strict surveillance and without freedom of speech.
Dr. Fu pointed out that under the brutal crackdown of the Chinese communist party, the Chinese Church has been a residual church. They have chosen to obey the Lord by following the biblical teaching of the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus to spread the gospel from Jerusalem to Judea and all the way to the end of the earth. The Chinese persecuted Church feels very strongly that the only hope for China for Chinese souls is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not peaceful political reform legislation, not an economic Prosperity agenda. Not through trade, it really is the soul, and the mind and spirit renewal is the only solution for the deprived Communist party’s ruling. So, that is why they know they will face persecution and torture. That their family members will be in jeopardy for their wealth, health, and safety. However, they chose to persist by putting the gospel mandate first.
Golden Lampstand Church is led by Pastor Yang Rongli and her husband, Pastor Wang Xiaoguang; they have over 50,000 members in the Church; it is a massive Church Network in the Shanxi area. It was part of the spiritual fruit of Hudson Taylor and his China Inland Mission. Hudson Taylor and the China Inland missionaries went to Shanxi Province. It is called China Inland Mission because Shanxi Province is part of the Inland of China, in a very remote area.
However, the gospel has been a huge Revival over the years, and Pastor Yang, Pastor Wang, and many of their co-workers have labored tirelessly and joyfully for the gospel. The fruits of the Spirit have been vivid through their ministry. Even the local government had been very respectful. They were even a little afraid because of the impact of the churches, their leadership on society, and its positive impact until the very high-level Chinese Communist party government leaders chose to make a major crackdown in the early 2000s and arrested a number of them and destroyed the whole church building. However, the Church has never stopped gathering and worshipping the Lord. They continue to evangelize among the community and do good deeds in humanitarian work, supporting the elderly, the needy, the sick, women, and children. That is why the Church has been the salt and light in the community.
Greg Musselman mentioned that he teaches the theology of persecution and discipleship taken from Glen Penner’s book In the Shadow of the Cross. In China, many of these leaders, like the couple pastors Yang and Wang, grew up understanding that there is a huge cost to taking up the cross and following Jesus; it is not some foreign theological concept, and the Church continues to grow.
Greg continued: “Because again, and we and I talked about at the beginning, and we have talked about this on a previous podcast, this is the worst persecution in China in over 40 years. Again, as you mentioned, when the persecution intensifies, the Church grows, and I know that is not the case everywhere in the world.”
Dr. Fu emphasized that to the Chinese and many in the persecuted areas, the Christians have never treated persecution as a surprise. “Because they know from both Church history, the biblical history, and in the history of Salvation from the book of Acts that Jesus has never taught the gospel of just comfort zone, “Happy joy and go to heaven,” he prophesied and made a promise that he sent his disciples to this world. The world will not welcome them. The gospel has never been a tool for self-comfort or economic prosperity. It means way more than that. Because what Paul says is that anyone who wants to live a Godly life shall and will be persecuted. Therefore, persecution is inevitable if you are faithful in carrying out the gospel and the Lord’s ministry faithfully and persistently. That is why the Chinese Church understands that persecution will always come when you are faithfully sharing and preaching. When revival comes, the darkness will never welcome that revival. Persecution is a passive way for the devil to react to revival.
In the Chinese Church, whenever the gospel is being administered faithfully and on a large scale, that is when the persecution will come. And then, during the persecution, God used those testimonies and witnesses. In the middle of persecution, that unspeakable joy in the middle of imprisonment, and that amazing Spirit of forgiveness amid torture and persecution, these are all the package of witnesses by the Holy Spirit and, in return, attract more people to the Kingdom of God and the gospel and the Church. It causes more revival, and more revival brings more persecution.
Dr. Fu calls this the “Theology of the Cross.” The cross is not just a one-sided story of death, persecution, and brutality; in the Kingdom of God, through the resurrection of Jesus, it has become the source of life, resurrection, and eternal joy, as Paul described it as an unspeakable joy. When he wrote that letter in prison, like what he did with Silas when they were in prison, they were not self-pitying or complaining; they were praising the Lord. They were dancing and worshipping the Lord, and it was then that the gospel was vividly demonstrated. With the shackles broken and the earth shaking, the revival arrived as those prison guards begged for the gospel.
Overseas Training Becomes the Crime of “Illegal Border Crossing”: Church Leaders Face New Kind of Persecution
Greg mentioned the recent trend of where Christian leaders being charged with the legal border crossing for religious studies as they are traveling overseas.
Dr. Fu explains that, as Christians are aware, the Church is Ecclesia, and the universal Church is the Holy Catholic Church. Jesus is the head of all the saved people of God and one body of Christ with one head that is Jesus Christ.
Chinese Christians have long received help from overseas missionaries and have benefited from studying the Bible abroad or attending Christian conferences. In recent years, the Communist Party has begun targeting those who travel abroad to attend prayer meetings, Bible study training, expository preaching conferences, or theological seminars, choosing to charge them under the legal term “illegal border crossing.” In 2021, Pastor Du Mingliang from Shanxi Province was sentenced to five years in prison for traveling abroad to attend a Bible study conference. The most well-known example is Pastor John Cao, who was sentenced to seven years in prison for organizing Christians to help Kachin children from Myanmar’s ethnic minority.
In recent weeks, we have learned that another four Christians have been criminally arrested for traveling to South Korea and Malaysia to attend Christian conferences.
(Note: In 2025, Dong Yanmei of Sichuan was detained after returning from a Christian conference in Malaysia, charged with “organizing others to illegally cross-national (border) frontiers.” An Yankui and Sun Chenghao of Shanxi (2020–2022), as well as Zhang Yaowen of Fenyang and his four co-workers, were all sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment for participating in overseas religious activities.)
This shows that the Chinese Communist Party is trying to cut off the fellowship between the Chinese Church and the Universal Church.
“The Communist Party is trying to cut off the body of Christ, but they will never succeed, perhaps physically and geographically, but the Holy Spirit is the true connector, right? They can never cut off the Holy Spirit.” Christ’s Church in China will not fail alone. The same is true for some Christian leaders.
These legal measures send a chilling message, causing some brothers and sisters to think more carefully when invited to participate in missions, Bible-related or Christian-related conferences. The Communist Party also uses administrative powers to make it increasingly difficult for Chinese citizens to travel abroad. Several southern cities in China, such as Shanghai, have already implemented measures to restrict citizens from traveling abroad, treating Christians and Christian leaders as national security threats through the so-called national security filter, banning them from traveling, and prohibiting them from obtaining new passports or renewing old ones.
The Next Generation Also Implicated: Chinese Government Cracks Down on Children’s Bible Education
Greg responded: Intimidation. The Holy Spirit continues to give us spiritual wisdom, and no matter where we are, we must listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But when we think of our brothers and sisters who face these issues in China every day, we will pray for them shortly.
Greg then mentioned an incident being followed by Voice of the Martyrs Canada: it involved a police raid on a children’s Bible lesson held in a private residence in Puyang, eastern Anhui Province. Ten children aged 5 to 6 and five adult teachers were detained at the police station for several hours. As one can imagine, the mental distress these young children suffered in that situation. The children were eventually released along with the five adults.
However, two Christian women, named Chen Fangfang and Wang Dandan, were verbally and physically assaulted and transported to a detention center. At the time Voice of the Martyrs reported on this incident, there had been no further updates on what had happened to these two believers. Greg then asked for an update on the story.
Dr. Fu revealed that President Xi Jinping has indeed launched a war targeting children, preventing them from accessing the Bible. Children under the age of 18 in China, even students, are not allowed to own a Bible or believe in Christ. Christian children in China are even forced to read statements prepared by the Communist Party, publicly renouncing their faith; otherwise, their parents, grandparents, jobs, social benefits, and educational opportunities will be in jeopardy.
Dr. Fu also pointed out that the social credit scores of these arrested families will be lowered, leaving a stain on their resume. Some may be placed on no-fly lists or face travel restrictions such as bans on purchasing train or subway tickets. Dr. Fu said that the reason the Chinese Communist Party is so worried is because they see the growth of the Church.
Greg responded that they seem not to understand that the more they persecute and intimidate the Church, the more the Church grows.
Unyielding Spirit: Witnessing Faith’s Perseverance and Hope Amid Persecution
Dr. Fu and Greg both emphasized that the continued growth of the Church in China is an encouragement to people in the West, seeing the perseverance of their Chinese brothers and sisters while also breaking their hearts. 1 Corinthians 12:26 says, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” This suffering drives them to pray and support ministries like ChinaAid, working alongside Voice of the Martyrs Korea and Dr. Eric Foley, as well as Voice of the Martyrs Canada and partners in the U.S. and around the world to strengthen what God is doing in China.
Although the greater the pressure the Communist government places on the Church, the faster the Church grows, we must remember that these suffering people are just like us; they are not super-Christians. They love Jesus, have the Holy Spirit, and are committed to spreading the gospel. At the end of the interview, Greg again thanked Dr. Fu for his time and friendship and invited him to lead everyone in prayer for China. Dr. Fu emphasized that this is a paradox, a phenomenon: the more persecution the Communist Party imposes on the Church in China, the more revival there is. Indeed, the growth of China’s Christian population is the fastest since the time of Adam, with the media now reporting that it has surpassed 130 million.
The Power of Praying to God
Dr. Fu’s prayer:
“Lord, we thank you for this moment. We thank you for what you in your sovereign will have instigated. Even with your permission, persecution has been happening to Your people. Yet, as you have promised, it is a privilege not only for us to believe in Christ but also to suffer for Him.
Lord, the theology of suffering has been lived out throughout the age, from the Book of Acts until now, in the Church, in Nigeria, in North Korea, and China. For your people, Lord, we pray for your strength and for your Holy Spirit to be vividly present to them whenever they are taken from their house arrests to the detention centers, to the labor camps, to the prisons. May you prepare them, those brothers and sisters like Pastor Wang Yi, Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, Pastor Yang Rongli, and many others who are suffering for you.
Lord, may you grant them the understanding that this is indeed a privilege that you gave to them because you said blessed are those who are persecuted for your namesake because they have the Kingdom of God. Wherever they go, they bring the Kingdom from heaven to earth, and to be the living witness to those prisoners around them, to those prison guards, the judges, the prosecutors, the persecutors, the Communist Party Officials. May you also renew and revive their hearts with a repenting Spirit to come to the gospel of Jesus, and thank you for using ours in such a way.
May you bless Greg and VOM Canada and those who are faithfully administering the gospel to the persecuted brothers and sisters in the name of Jesus. Amen.”
Greg’s Prayer:
“Let me pray for you, Bob. Thank you, Father. For my friend, Bob, and his team at ChinaAid. I know it’s very difficult work. There are lots of rewards in terms of seeing what you’re doing, but there’s also a lot of suffering. And as you mentioned, there are so many cases and things happening over that incredibly large and populated nation, and it’s hard to keep track of everything, but Lord, you just give them the wisdom and the strength for cases to get involved with. And you will highlight the ones that they need and hear about in other organizations that work in China. And I just pray your blessing upon him, again, in his team, as they do this amazing work of strengthening your Church. That’s what we’re called to do.
In the body of Christ, is to strengthen each other, not to give up because we know that there is a kingdom that is suffering violence. And yet this Kingdom continues to go forward, and we know that the gates of Hell will not Prevail against the Church in China.
Thank You, Lord, for what You’re doing, and continue to give us wisdom and how we work together to advance your gospel, your gospel message in China, and we thank you for this time that we’ve had together. And just again, pray for your blessing upon Chinaaid and my good friend Bob. in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Ending Comments and Greg’s Encouragement:
“God bless you brother. It’s always so good to see you. And one of the things, when we talk about you Bob is that you’re always smiling. But I know you carry a lot of pain as well because you hear the stories, you love the people of China, as we all do, but especially you. And having even suffered your own persecution, many years ago, when you’re in Beijing and underground Church work. So, you know what, it’s like and I know that you really understand that and again we appreciate your friendship. Thank you, brother. And I’m just gonna encourage people listening or watching this podcast to find out more. What’s happening at chinaAid, go to chinaaid.org.”
Greg also encouraged listeners to share the podcast so that more people can learn about the persecuted church around the world, and to remember, “The closer you are to Jesus, the closer you are to the fire.”
(Special correspondent Gao Zhensai for ChinaAid compiled this text from the interview recording. For ease of reading, the transcript has been revised, and the final interpretation rests with the original interview content.)