Among those arrested are pastor Li Yingqiang and three other believers. The authorities ordered 14 days of administrative detention for the “troublemakers,” but the measure will most likely be upgraded to “penal” detention without release. In Guangzhou, a 30-year-old Christian woman was arrested for developing an app dedicated to religious music.
Beijing () – Chinese police raided the First Rain Church of the Alliance, a Protestant community in the southwestern city of Chengdu that has already been banned by the authorities, during Sunday services, arresting the pastor and three lay people. Radio Free Asia (RFA)which includes testimony from some members, Li Yingqiang and the other three people arrested have been under administrative detention for 14 days. A measure used to incriminate the “troublemakers” without trial. At the time of the raid by dozens of agents inside the church house, there were about 50 worshippers.
Hongpailou police accused church members of “carrying out religious activities without authorization” and ordered them to disperse. Raids by police and officials from the Religious Affairs Bureau on “house churches” are standard practice, especially since the start of President Xi Jinping’s “sinicization” campaign. On September 1, officers arrested elderly pastor Li Yingqiang, along with Wu Wuqing, Li Youhong (also known as Yan Hong), and a deacon, Zeng Qingtao.
Police stormed the venue at around 8:45 a.m., interrupted the service and locked worshippers inside, before informing them that the meeting was “unauthorized” and had to be suspended. After arresting the four members, officers cut off the venue’s power and ordered the others to leave. One follower, who gave only his surname Li for fear of retaliation, said Li Yingqiang and the others are being held in the Chengdu Detention Center, with a planned release date of Sept. 16. However, Chinese police have in the past used shorter periods of administrative detention to file criminal charges, then converted detainees’ status to “criminal detention” without releasing them.
The Early Rain Covenant Church hit the headlines in December 2018 when its premises were raided and forcibly closed on Christmas Eve. Since then, it has been a banned church – meaning not recognised by the government – but has continued to meet despite tightening restrictions on religious groups in recent years under Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping.
Unlike many underground Protestant churches, however, the First Rain Alliance practices its faith openly; it delivers sermons and studies online; it evangelizes on the streets of the city; it has a seminary for future pastors to study and a primary school for 40 children. The community has about 500 members and 300 supporters.
Among the most controversial cases in the news is the arrest, on February 24, 2019, of 11 children, including a baby of only two monthsalong with his parents – a total of 44 people – during a police raid because the faithful had gathered in different houses to pray. In addition, the community leader and pastor himself, Wang Yiwho has been in prison since 2018 on a nine-year sentence, is one of the most flagrant cases of violation of human rights and religious freedom by the communist authorities. In China, several pastors of “house churches” that adhere to reformed communities are currently in prison.
Finally, from the Land of the Dragon, we have news of a young Christian woman arrested for having contributed to the development of a Christian app called ‘Song of Songs’. Local sources relayed by ChinaAid report that the arrest dates back to August 23, when Xin Ruoyu (picture 2), a 30-year-old woman from Guangzhou with a young son, was arrested by police officers during a raid; she is currently being held and subjected to repeated interrogations “in a black room” with extrajudicial detention, but there is no further information on any charges.
“Song of Songs” is a gospel-centered app designed and developed specifically for Chinese-speaking Christians. It offers hundreds of thousands of Chinese and foreign hymns and music videos, various versions of hymn books and sheet music, providing everything needed to pray with music and songs with religious backgrounds. It also features sermons from well-known pastors from around the world, offers Bible readings in multiple languages, and includes a hymn singing function.
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