More and more often, to eradicate “house churches” – Protestant communities that do not adhere to official bodies – the Chinese authorities launch economic accusations instrumentalizing the practice of tithing. A statement from pastors, Christian lawyers and faithful in defense of a Linfen community whose members were arrested: “Giving one’s own money for the needs of the church and caring for the poor does not violate any law.”
Beijing (/Agencies) – Considering spontaneous donations by the faithful to their own religious community as a “scam” simply because it does not adhere to the official confessions recognized by the State, is a violation of religious freedom and even national legislation. China, say in a public appeal a group of pastors, Christian lawyers and ordinary faithful, in support of the Linfen Alliance Church, in the province of Shanxi. This is a Chinese “house church” in which two of its leaders and another member of the community have been arrested simply for having received tithes, that is, offerings to support their activities.
China’s “house churches” are Protestant communities that do not adhere to the Three-Self Movement, the Chinese Communist Party-controlled organization that serves the same function as the Patriotic Association in Catholic communities. Accusations of “fraud” are the main weapon with which Beijing intends to destroy these small autonomous churches. According to the ChinaAid website, since 2018 there have been at least 13 cases in which this accusation was raised.
What Linfen does is particularly significant because the Church of the Alliance is a community of Presbyterian origin that is recognized in the Confession of Faith and the Westminster Catechisms, in the Heidelberg Catechism, in the Canons of Dort and in the Confessio Belgica, it is That is, some of the most important expressions of the Christian religion in the history of the Protestant world.
On August 19, 2022, a group of more than 30 adults and 40 children from this community were raided by plainclothes officers while engaged in outdoor activities in an area of Lingshi County. The two pastors Li Jie and Han Xiaodong were handcuffed and placed under “residential surveillance at a designated location.” A few months later, Wang Qiang, a member of the community, was also arrested for refusing to bear false testimony against them. On May 26, 2023, the Yaodu District Prosecutor’s Office in Linfen finally began criminal proceedings on “fraud” charges, but no trial has been held so far.
“Throughout the 2,000 years of church history,” says a public statement of support published by a group of house church pastors, Christian lawyers, and parishioners, “each time Christianity has spread into a new culture or ethnic group has taught believers to worship God, and offerings were part of this worship. Christians must offer their body, their life and of course their money to serve God, supporting the needs of the church and caring for the poor. The Christian churches, both in the East and the West, have founded many magnificent monasteries, universities and churches, all built thanks to donations of money, resources, knowledge and time from Christians.
The document recalls the importance that this way of sharing goods has had in the history of evangelization: “The very expansion of the Church from Jerusalem to the entire Mediterranean and the entire world – says the text – was sustained by the offerings of the Christians.” In modern times, thousands of missionaries in China have preached the Gospel, built schools, hospitals and carried out various evangelical and charitable works to benefit millions of Chinese, using enormous amounts of money.
“Chinese house churches,” he explains, “continue this tradition. They recognize Christ as the sole head of the church, following the principle of separation of Church and State – giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. Through worship and offerings, they glorify God. Whether they are ministers or ordinary faithful, whether they offer their lives or their property to God, they all participate in glorifying God and receiving grace from Him.”
The document above all rejects the “fraudulent” nature attributed to it by the Beijing authorities. “The legitimacy and legality of the offerings of the house churches – say the signatories – are confirmed by national law and international conventions. From the point of view of civil law, Christian offerings, like monetary donations from other religions, constitute gifts. Believers’ offerings to churches become the property of the church by personal will. Churches support their workers as a basis for carrying out worship, teaching, pastoral care, evangelism and works of charity. Whether the offerings go to the Church or to specific pastoral collaborators, the donation relationship under civil law remains unchanged. These religious donations – whether called Christian offerings, Islamic zakat or Buddhist offerings – are clearly legal and recognized by modern national law.”
“The Church of the Linfen Alliance,” the text recalls, “is a domestic church founded according to biblical principles and the tradition of the Church. Authorities have arrested his collaborators, including Li Jie, Han Xiaodong and Wang Qiang (currently out on bail), on charges of “fraud”, subjecting them to surveillance at a designated location, detention and arrest as part of procedural measures. penalties. This has caused suffering to innocent people, forced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and arrests. “Fundamentally, it constitutes a serious violation of the right to freedom of religion or belief guaranteed by China’s Constitution and international conventions.”
That is why he asks that “the rights of religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution and international conventions be respected, applying the principle of separation between Church and State of ‘giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s’.” And that they “immediately release the preachers” and that all cases of “scam” that have been presented against the collaborators of the domestic churches be withdrawn throughout the country.
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