Persecution Blog

Malatya Martyrs: Oaks of Righteousness

Our friends at CBN News have done a wonderful job today with a piece about the martyrs from Malatya a few months ago.  Please take about 7 minutes to watch their news piece in video form.

Click here to watch.

Crackdowns In Chinese House Churches

Yesterday on Janet Parshall's America  Janet discussed a recent meeting at the Press Club where a Chinese Christian came to give testimony about how the house churches have grown tremendously in China.  If you're interested in listening to this conversation, please visit http://www.wava.com and go to Janet's archives, hour 3 for September 26th.  Or you can become a Parshall Patriot at her website and just get access to her whole show.

The reason I bring this up today is because the Christian Post has an article titled Group Sheds Light on China's New House Church Crackdown which is exposing what is really happening within the house church movement in China. 

The Population Management Office of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau issued a public notice recently forbidding all owners of rental housing properties from leasing space to house churches for worship services.

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More specifically, police officers are to warn all owners of rental properties that they should, by their own initiative, refuse to rent their properties to people engaging in “illegal religious activities.”

“This is clearly a new tactic to persecute house churches before the 2008 Beijing Olympics is held,” a Beijing house church leader told CAA.

Please remember Chinese Christians in your prayers and join me in asking the Lord to soften the hearts of authorities and others in places of authority, so that they will come to Jesus also.

Testimony of God’s Faithfulness and Protection During Attacks in Myanmar

Below is a testimony sent to The Voice of the Martyrs from a believer in Myanmar (Burma). It is the account of a 65-year-old man from an devout Buddhist village who came to know Christ:

“One day we were sitting at the temple entrance receiving collections from the people, one of the Christians passing by gave me a tract. I kept it to take home with me and read it later. When I read this tract it spoke of receiving the gift of eternal life when believing in Jesus Christ. I started to question and wonder, ‘How can we know eternal life? What is this eternal life the tract spoke of?’

“I asked my wife and children about the matter of eternal life, and they simply joked about it saying, ‘Father you are a good man, you will surely be a rich man in your next life.’ But the thought would not leave me, I felt it deeply as I was growing older, When I die, will there be a place that I go to? So I kept thinking about this over and over in my heart and mind, until finally at midnight I called on Jesus, ‘Lord Jesus I believe, please give me eternal life.’ The Lord Jesus heard my prayer and answered my call.

“Then the light shone into my soul, light in my heart which was great joy. Simply stated, I am at peace, a real peace in my heart which I had never experienced before, which is difficult to put into words.

Early the next morning I knew in my heart that I must throw out the image of Buddha, which I had previously worshipped every day. Without speaking to my wife, I took the image and threw it into a small river near my village.

“When my wife woke up and was preparing an offering to the image of Buddha, it was gone! She was very upset asking, ‘What is happening here? Where are the gods?’ I told her I had thrown them away.

My wife was very angry, crying and shouting and went to the local authorities to report the matter.

Immediately they came to my home—policemen, firemen, the local security forces, in all about 25 people. All asking at once what had happened. I told them that I had found the True and Living God, Who loved me and had given me eternal life.

“They then proceeded to tell me I was not worthy to live. Then I was imprisoned for five days when they tried to convince me to give up this foolish belief and convert back to Buddhism. Thank God, the Lord Jesus gave me strength to face and overcome these trials, and gave me words to speak and answer my accusers.

“Please pray for me as I have been forced to leave my village, my wife and my two children who I love dearly. I pray that I may soon be able to return back to them. I love them but I cannot do what they have asked me to do—curse my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, come back to Buddha and my family.

May our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on my family and my fellow-villagers.”

Is There Persecution in China?

Ever since I came to work at VOM, I’ve learned there is controversy in the Christian world over how bad persecution in China really is. Some think it happens only occasionally. Some think it happens because unregistered churches aren’t adhering to Chinese law. Occasionally, a well-known Christian leader will visit China and proclaim persecution doesn’t exist.

So, does persecution exist? A Christian worker in China wrote last week, “We want the world to know what is happening in China. This is the worse I have seen. For the first time, they [the government] are not targeting mostly leaders, foreigners and Bible schools. They are targeting local churches, threatening to put common Christians in prison if they do not stop having house church meetings.”

The worker has studied persecution for 33 years, including 23 years working in countries, like China, that persecute Christians. He writes, “The situation of persecution in China is not ‘complex.’ It is simple. China is communist. The government wants to control religion. Persecution in China is mandated at the highest level of the government. They do this through the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) [the Chinese state church]. Through the TSPM, they control the venue, the leader and the message. We are not against the TSPM. If a TSPM pastor preaches the gospel, we praise God that the gospel is being preached. They cannot, however, preach the whole gospel; it is clearly against the law.

“To imply the house church members are rebelling against the government is a typical communist line of defense on the issue. Nowhere do the Scriptures command the church to obey the authorities who rule over them, when authority’s rules go against God’s laws. Jesus’ disciples said, ‘Is it better to obey God or man?' For Christians, the answer to this question is clear. We do consider, however, what kind of witness we show those in authority. We honor the government in every way possible. Many policemen have become Christians because of watching the faith of Chinese believers.

“Many believe that Bibles can be legally distributed in China. In some locations, very small numbers can be distributed. But it is illegal in China to distribute large numbers of Bibles in every province of the nation. Often, the police confiscate legally purchased Bibles when they raid homes.”

The worker finishes with these words: “Supporting those who are persecuted is vitally important for the church in China. We must all take the opportunity to pray, to give, to encourage and to battle for the truth.” 

I hope you will continue to be an advocate for the truth about what is going on in China and for our brothers and sisters there.

Homework For You: Write a Prisoner Today

Today I thought that I would give you some homework, that way in case you were bored you would have one good thing that you can do today to make a difference for a persecuted prisoner.  Please take the time to visit Prisoner Alert and write our brother a letter of encouragement. - And I thank you in advance.

Location: Vietnam
                         

Arrested: March 2007
                         
Print Fact Sheet

On February 19, 2007, Father Nguyen Van Ly was arrested in Hue, Vietnam for distributing material “harmful to the state.” In March, he was sentenced to eight years in prison. He has issued statements criticizing the government’s confiscation of church property, lack of seminary training and the influence of the state in church teachings. We invite you to write a letter of encouragement to Father Ly. We have experienced incredible results when readers write to believers who have been imprisoned for their faith. The letters often result in shorter prison sentences. Send a letter of encouragement to Father Ly and let him know you are praying. Also, write to the Vietnamese government requesting he be released. Let your friends know about suffering believers in Vietnam and encourage them to pray and write too. Get involved. Pray and write today.

False Charges Plague Christians

The following news is from our friends at Compass Direct.  Click here for the full report.

NEW DELHI, September 25 (Compass Direct News) – In a case typical of false accusations that Hindu extremists file against Christian workers, a pastor and his sister have been cleared of charges of rape and abortion in Chhattisgarh state. The Evangelical Fellowship of India announced that pastor Simon Tandi, a convert from Hinduism, and his sister Sanjeela Begum were acquitted by a court in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district on September 12. Tandi was facing charges of raping and forcing a girl to terminate the resultant pregnancy after she filed a complaint against him – prompted by a Hindu extremist group – in June 2005. His sister Begum was accused of abetting the crime. Tandi had spent six months in jail, and his sister four months, before they were released on bail prior to the acquittal. The court reportedly found discrepancies in the statement of the complainant and a lack of evidence against the accused. Christian rights activists say facing false police complaints is common for Christian workers in several parts of the country.

Imprisoned Pastor’s Health Failing

On September 24, The Voice of the Martyrs received reports that Pastor Zhang Rongliang’s health is failing. If he is not released from prison soon, he will likely die.

According to contacts in China, “Pastor Zhang must be carried from place to place by two men supporting him. He does not walk well on his own. He openly questions whether he can finish this sentence. If he is not released, there is a good chance that he will die in prison.”

Pastor Zhang still has four years remaining of the seven-and-a-half year sentence he received after his arrest in 2004. He had previously spent 12 years in prison for his faith during five separate detentions. He experienced harsh torture, including electric shock, during his previous prison terms.

Pray for Pastor Zhang’s healing and for his release from prison. Pray the Holy Spirit will encourage him and that his testimony will draw non-believers into the knowledge of Christ.

Christian Aid Worker Beaten By Narcotic Sellers

The following report is from Salem Voice Ministries and can be read in online  here.

Changanassery (Kerala, India), SVM News, September 22, 2007: A group of narcotic sellers attacked Christian aid worker, who is also a prayer warrior in Changanassery in Kottayam district of Kerala, India on September 16.

Fatimapuram Parayil Thomas, 30, was severely beaten by the selling agents of narcotic distributors and admitted at Changanassery Taluk hospital with serious injuries.

The incident was happened in front of the KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) bus stand on Sunday night.

Thomas is a Christian aid worker and an active member of the Salem Voice Ministries prayer fellowship. He earns for his family as an auto-riksha (three wheeler) driver.

The narcotic sellers are centralised in Changanassery town and secretly selling opium, brown sugar and other drugs to the youth.

Thomas keeps his auto-riksha in front of KSRTC bus stand at Changanassery town to pick up travellers. He was alert against the narcotic sellers who used to lead astray and destroy the life of the youth. Recently he helped the police to catch somebody with narcotics. That was provoked them to attack him.

Paul Ciniraj, president of the Christian Ministers of the Churches of India (CMCI) and the director of the Salem Voice Ministries condemned the attact toward the Christian aid worker and prayer warrior Thomas. Changanassery police registered a case and investigating on it.

God's Love Can Find You

Another offering from the great book Extreme Devotion.

Nikolai Khamara was arrested for robbery and imprisoned for ten years. Khamara watched the Christians and wondered what kind of beings they were. They were men, but they would show joy despite their suffering and would sing in very dark hours. When they had a piece of bread, they shared it with someone who had none. Their faces would shine as they spoke to someone whom Khamara could not see.

    One day two Christians sat down with Khamara and asked him about his story. Khamara told them his sad tale and finished by saying, “I am a lost man.”

    One of the Christians, with a smile, asked Khamara, “If somebody loses a gold ring, what is the value of that gold ring when it is lost?”

    “What a foolish question! A gold ring is a gold ring. You have lost it, but somebody else will have it.”     “A very good answer,” said the Christian. “Now tell me, what is the value of a lost man? A lost man, even a thief, an adulterer, or a murderer, has the whole value of a man. He is of such value that the Son of God forsook heaven for him and died on the cross to save him.”

    The Christian said to the robber, “You may have been lost, but God’s love can find you.” Hearing this, Khamara gave his life to Christ.

How is value measured? Usually by a person’s investment of time, money, or emotion. That is, how a person treats a possession, an activity, or even a relationship reveals how much it is valued by that person. Consider, for example, the difference in the treatment of old work clothes and a new suit. Or the contrast between the care for a paper cup and a crystal goblet. And when a valued possession is lost or a loved one injured, oh the tears that are shed. So, how valued are people . . . are you? As the Christian told Khamara, so valuable that Jesus left heaven and died on a cross for his lost and rebellious creatures. God loves them that much. You are loved; you are valuable. Rejoice and spread this Good News to the other “loved ones” near you.

China Insists Its People Have Full Religious Freedom

Associated Press Staff Reports OneNewsNow.com
September 23, 2007

BEIJING - China insists that its people can worship as they please with no restrictions. advertisement

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman says a U.S. government report on religious persecution "flagrantly interfered in China's internal affairs" and "contained groundless accusations."

The State Department said last week that China has continued to repress Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, Muslim Uighurs and Falun Gong adherents. The U.S. report cited an apparent crackdown by Chinese authorities ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The spokeswoman says "China expresses strong dissatisfaction" with the report, and insists that "people of all ethnicity in all regions of China enjoy full freedom of religious belief." All Original Content Copyright 2006-2007 American Family News Network - All Rights Reserved