(Suizhou, Hubei Province – February 14, 2024）Since July 1, 2023, government authorities in Suizhou City, Hubei Province, have labeled a local house church as a “cult,” leading to the arrest of several believers. Among them are elderly individuals over 70 years old, students still in school, and individuals suffering from severe depression. Apart from those coerced into confessions, the believers insist that their faith is in Christianity, primarily focused on the Holy Bible.
Currently, lawyers have become involved in the defense. After reviewing the case files, the lawyers unanimously believe that this is a normal house church, and all the information clearly indicates that they are not heterodoxy, let alone a cult. The main reasons cited by the investigators for charging them include their refusal to join the government-sanctioned Three-Self Church, crying aloud during prayers, a married couple displaying an ornament with the inscription “What God has joined together, let no one separate,” and the discovery of several books in a believer’s home during a search that, while not violating the Ecumenical Creeds, were arbitrarily deemed by the investigating authorities as containing cult content. It is evident that the investigators have no knowledge of Christianity and house churches.
The lawyers believe that the nature of this case is extremely evil. Following this logic and investigative approach, all house churches in China are at risk of being labeled as cult.
There is no sign of relenting in the persecution of Christianity in mainland China. House churches across the country are frequently targeted, and pastors, preachers, and believers are constantly arrested. A few days ago, two Christians, Shengjie and Yinfeng, from Xiangbaishu Church were dispatched on a mission to spread the gospel in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province. During their gathering, local police took them away, and both Christians were detained for 15 days. It is heartening that many Christians are providing uplifting testimonies of their faith while in detention centers and jails.
