People’s Procuratorate of Zengdu District, Suizhou City, Hubei Province Indictment

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Prosecution of People’s Procuratorate of Zengdu, Suizhou, Hubei No. Z11 [2024]

Defendant Song Yude (also known as Third Uncle, Third Uncle Song, Third Brother Song), male, born on December 12, 1952, citizen identification number 412932195212122917, Han ethnicity, secondary school education, farmer, location of household registration is Songshuling No. 10, Baimiao Village, Yuehe Town, Tongbai County, Nanyang City, Henan Province, current residence is the same as the aforementioned. On April 10, 1986, he was sentenced by the High People’s Court of Henan Province to eight years in prison and three years of political rights deprivation for the crime of counter-revolutionary propaganda and incitement. On suspicion of organizing and using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law, he was criminally detained by the Zengdu District Branch of the Suizhou Public Security Bureau on September 13, 2023; on September 28, 2023, this Procuratorate approved his formal arrest, which was executed on the same day by the Zengdu District Branch of the Suizhou Public Security Bureau. Defendant Ma Fuxiu (also known as Aunt Ma), female, born on April 2, 1958, citizen identification number 420619195804020028, Han ethnicity, secondary school education, retired employee of the Second Hospital of Zengdu, location of household registration is Room 301, Unit 3, Building 2, No. 101, Jiefang Road, Xicheng Subdistrict, Zengdu District, Suizhou City, current residence is the same as the aforementioned. On suspicion of organizing and using a cult organization to undermine the enforcement of the law, she was criminally detained by the Zengdu District Branch of the Suizhou Public Security Bureau on August 29, 2023; on September 28, 2023, this Procuratorate approved her formal arrest, which was executed on the same day by the Zengdu District Branch of the Suizhou Public Security Bureau.

Suizhou House Church Faces Legal Challenges Amidst Religious Persecution

(Suizhou, Hubei, China – May 23, 2025) There has been a recent development in the highly publicized case involving 28 Christians from the All Ranges Church (also known as Word of Life Church) in Suizhou, Hubei Province, who have been charged with “using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law.”

According to reliable sources, the case has now been split into separate cases, and the lengthy judicial process is expected to move forward with a series of pre-trial conferences and formal court hearings soon.

Unfounded Allegations Against Church Activities

Among the accusations, the vision advocated by the late Pastor Dr. Jonathan Chao (Zhao Tianen) of “the evangelization of China, the kingdomization of the church and the Christianization of culture” (the “Three Visions”) has surprisingly been cited as part of the charges.

Even more shockingly, the church’s regular premarital counseling and efforts to introduce potential partners to single adults were also listed as criminal activities, which is not only an absurd allegation that reveals the local government’s aggressive interference with religious freedom and its malicious framing of normal church activities.

Routine Church Activities Labeled as Criminal Evidence

It was disclosed that the Suizhou Zengdu District Procuratorate has classified all of the church’s teachings, sermons, discipleship training, and educational materials as spreading “fallacies and heresies.” Standard church activities such as parenting seminars, fellowship meetings, Easter services, small groups, communion, prayer meetings, revival gatherings, and testimony sharing were all treated as criminal evidence. These were wrongly labeled by the prosecution as “promoting cultic fallacies and heresies.”

Accusations Against Widely Accepted Discipleship Materials

Training materials used by the church, including widely accepted discipleship courses popular in overseas churches, such as “Experience God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God,” “New Life,” and “The Way of Discipleship,” along with other related materials have been accused of “fraudulent use of the name of Christianity, distortion of biblical teachings, and spreading heretic fallacies of the All Ranges Church.” These malicious interpretations and accusations represent not only a smear against this church but also a deep misunderstanding and contempt for the Christian faith itself.

List of Christians Facing Charges

According to reports, the 28 Christians facing charges include Liu Xuxue, Su Mingai, Wang Xueli, Zhou Xiaoxuan, Zhang Manli, Chen Chuanzhen, Yang Pingping, Li Zhuanyun, Ren Jianhua, Qiu Huiming, Song Yude, Ma Fuxiu, Fan Hongyan, Zeng Xinhui, Yang Jirong, Chen Xiuqin, Wang Yiqin, Zhang Daojiang, Wang Daozhou, Li Jing, Cai Wu, Yang Zhijin, Tang Shunqiang, Hu Junling, Liu Yongshan, Yang Hengqin, Guo Mingjun, Zhou Xiunong.

Defendants Deny All Allegations

According to sources with knowledge of the case, all 28 Christians who were arrested between August and September 2023 firmly deny such far-fetched charges. They have clearly expressed that they are followers of Christianity, that their sole object of faith is Jesus Christ, and they pledge their loyalty unto death. Regarding the allegations related to “All Ranges” and figures such as Xu Yongze, they frankly responded that they have never heard of them and do not recognize doctrines like “weeping rebirth.”

Worsening Climate for House Churches in China

In recent years, the space for survival of Christian house churches in China has continued to shrink. Some local governments have imposed increasingly strict controls on house church gatherings and activities.

The Way of Life Church case in Suizhou is not an isolated incident; on December 25, 2024, ten Christians from another Way of Life Church in Bayi District, Nyingchi City, Tibet, also faced criminal charges, indicating that similar cases were not coincidental.

Government’s Arbitrary Classification of Religious Activities

Some observers believe that local governments have been expanding the scope of regulations against religious bodies, arbitrarily equating normal religious activities with so-called “cult” behavior. Pastor Jonathan Chao’s “Three Visions,” which was meant to encourage Christians to engage with society and spread the gospel, is now seen by the government as a potential threat to social order.

The church’s marital counseling and matchmaking services, originally intended as pastoral care towards individuals and families, have been maliciously speculated as having ulterior motives, an interpretation and logic that borders on absurdity.

Prolonged Legal Proceedings Expected

The case is now in the process of being divided into separate proceedings, indicating its complexity and difficulty with the hearings, foreshadowing a long and grueling legal ordeal the 28 accused Christians will face. The public is closely watching the progress of the trials and calling on the judicial system to handle the case fairly and to uphold citizens’ freedom of religious belief.

International Community Urged to Monitor Case

ChinaAid strongly condemns this kind of political suppression and framing of normal religious activities and urges the international community to monitor the progression of this case closely. We call on the Chinese government to respect and protect citizens’ basic religious freedoms, avoid the misinterpretation and characterization of regular church activities, and immediately release all Christians wrongfully accused.

(Reported by Special Correspondent Gao Zhensai of ChinaAid)