(Deyang, Sichuan province – May 5, 2023) Wu Tingmin, the father of imprisoned Elder Wu Jiannan of Qingcaodi Church, called for his son’s release.
Qingcaodi Church Crackdown
Elders Wu Jiannan and Hao Ming were arrested together on November 17, 2021. Police also took many church co-workers. The next day, authorities charged Wu and Hao with “fraud” because their church accepts a tithe and offering. According to Qingcaodi Church, the alleged amount money “defrauded” from church totaled 560,000 yuan (~$81,000).
A father’s appeal
Wu Tingmin posted an article titled “A Father’s Appeal: please release my son” on the Chinese social media Weibo. “Today I want to speak up for the persecution and injustice my son Wu Jiannan underwent because of his Christian belief,” he wrote.
Guilty without evidence
“Many brothers and sisters of our church were taken to local police,” Wu Tingmin reflected. “The police arrested my son first and then looked for evidence. Is that legal?” According to Wu, his son has been held in the detention center for over a year without any word of an upcoming trial.
Fraud charges for tithing
The Chinese Communist Party continues its war on faith by punishing tithing and offerings in house churches. Wu Tingmin held a strong position concerning church gifts:”If that’s the case, how many Christians worldwide are committing fraud?” Other house churches suffer from similar situations, including Xi’an Church of Abundance and Linfen Covenant House Church.
Elder Wu Jiannan’s Christian upbringing
Wu Tingmin and his family have never defied the Chinese Communist Party. Instead, they encourage fellow Christians to be good citizens and submit to authorities. Wu wrote that law enforcement should increase their trust for Christians. If they learn more about Christian beliefs, they will know Christians are law-abiding citizens. Elder Wu Jiannan became a Christian when he was little. His father often taught him from the Bible, telling him to respect others and not to take advantage of them.
Photo: Elder Wu Jiannan’s children (ChinaAid source)
The cost for Elder Wu’s children
“Because you know nothing about our faith, good people are arrested time and time again,” Wu Tingming concluded. “Your arrest of Wu Jiannan is wrong, and it has destroyed his family.” The imprisoned elder has not seen his children in over a year.
~Yu Bing, ChinaAid Special Reporter
