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ChinaAid is reporting that on August 6, 2004, more than one hundred House Church Christians were arrested in Tongxu County, Kaifeng City, Henan Province:
According to an eyewitness report who managed her escape from the arrest scene, the group was just starting their first day meeting for a two-week retreat when they were surrounded by more than 200 military police, Public Security Bureau (PSB) and other officers, who arrived at the scene in about 20 police and military vehicles along with 6 minibuses. No arrest warrants or even official identification papers were shown by officers as they carried out the assault.
The meeting was being held at the house of one of the retreat organizers whose name is unavailable. His family members including his wife, Ms. Xiang Zi and three 8-11 year-old children were also arrested. “These children were crying a lot when being dragged away”, this eyewitness said.
This cross-provincial meeting was sponsored by Henan House Church, a non-denominational large house-church network headquartered in Henan Province. The arrested are from different provinces including Heilongjiang, Liaoning and other parts of Cities throughout Henan province. Some known leaders among the arrested are Mr. Zhang Wanshun(Sanmenxia city, Mr. Zhang Tianyun(Nanyang city) and Mr. Yu Guoying(Tongxu county).
Meanwhile, a house church leader from Yima county, Sanmenxia City, Henan was also arrested on his way to the same meeting. He was to carry some Christian literatures including Christian Life Quarterly Magazine to the retreat attendants. His house was raided and lots of Christian literatures were confiscated.
“These cases show irrefutable evidence of the worsening situation on religious persecution in China,” said Bob Fu, CAA’s president. “We urge people of all faith to take actions to address your concerns.”
Letters of protest can be sent to the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC at the following address:
Ambassador Yang Jiechi Embassy of the People’s Republic of China 2300 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC 20008
Tel:(202) 328-2500 Fax:(202) 588-0032 Director of Religious Affairs: (202) 328-2512
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I can't help but wonder what good are letters of protest? Did Christ ever tell anyone to protest the persecutions that were sure to come to those who follow him?
Seems sending more missionaries and more Bibles to replace the ones taken would be of more benifit.
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It was, in fact, Christ who commanded those whom He sent out, that if they were persecuted - they were to FLEE to the next city.
If imprisonment and persecution, which God obviously can and does use, were more desirable than freedom, the apostles would NOT have left their jail cells when the doors were opened.
All things work together for good but all things are not good.
Faith, if you or your children were being unlawfully imprisoned or persecuted, you might with Paul, appeal or PROTEST to "Rome" just as he did.
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Protesting, with pen and voice, is but another means God uses to further the gospel. Sometimes things have to be agitated to stir up the minds of the people, to awaken them and bring them out of their slumber, just as God allows storms such as Katrina to warn us that this world will not continue on forever. The flood, Sodom and Gomorrha, Katrina, are warnings and examples to us intended to preserve our lives.
You may preach a sermon of faith in your protest letter if you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you. If God protected us from every evil thing then Christians would not be able to live their faith and witness to others nor give the reason for their hope in courts of law.
The persecution is terrible but the faithful witness of Christians going through these horrible circumstances glorifies God. But we shouldn't invite persecution nor be indifferent when it happens to others.
It seems you have misunderstood my comments. True Christ did tell them to flee to another city. Thus they would not make themselves targets in that city by protesting. Rather, just as Christ made himself scarce when the Pharisees sought to arrest him before his time, those not yet arrested should flee.
True, the gospel is often spread by those imprisoned to other prisioners and to the guards, etc. Thus the Lord works the trial out for good. Sometimes even martyrdom works to bring new converts and thus to the good.
True, Paul did appeal to the Roman government. However, we must remember Paul was a Roman citizen and his arrest must have gone against the Roman law, or at least there was a loophole for appeal. Most of the Christians arrested were not Romans and had no power to appeal. I liken his situation to the following example.
If several illegal aliens were arrested at the border of the US and a US citizen was also arrested, the citizen would have access to the US laws for holding and trying a US citizen. Whereas, the illegal aliens could be transported to jail or sent back across the border to jail without the benefit of a US trial. I don’t know all the legal terms and laws dealing with this, but you get the idea.
I don’t see how US citizens can protest to a foreign government and get any results. We are not their citizens and have no rights to appeal to their laws. Their laws are different from ours. I know, in China, they have state sanctioned churches and all others are considered illegal. Thus, those who serve the Lord and worship in spirit and truth in China know they are breaking the laws of the land and do so at the risk of being persecuted and even martyred. For a US citizen to protest this would surely bring a good laugh to the Chinese government. I don’t foresee them changing the laws to release and support those who worship underground regardless of how many complaints they get. In fact, I see the same type of laws being enacted in our own nation, regardless of our complaints.
As for witnessing, I believe those who worshiped at the risk of persecution have been a strong witness to those in the Chinese government. Our complaints would seem weak in comparison.
I still think we could best help by continuing to have Bibles sent into the country to those in underground churches. Aiding missionaries brave enough to go. And another thought comes to mind, to aid those brothers and sisters who flee to another city, country or where ever.
IMO, Faith
PS I think the scriptures show we are to stand firm in preaching the truth which often gets us in hot water. The entire gospel protests the world and it’s systems. I don’t see evidence that we are to protest to governments very often; but rather expose their errors with the truth of the gospel. In rare cases, like Paul’s, we can take advantage of the laws that would help us.
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True words, Faith. So good to hear from you, today.
The great principle is that the will of the Lord be done in each of us, each day. If that means persecution or affliction or illness, let us accept these as allowed by God.
My brother recently had a car pull out in front of his motorcycle. He was thrown more than a hundred feet. Through it, God has brought him closer, transformed him, and has thus done him an eternal favor. Our Heavenly Father knows how to tap us on the shoulder, does he not?
Interestingly, some of the Chinese Christians are praying that we in the USA will undergo persecution. If it be God's will, then so be it, say I.
1 Peter 4:15, 16, and 19: But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
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Another factor, which I previously overlooked, might be the desires of the person undergoing the persecution. How easy it is for me to play armchair quarterback when others are against the wall.
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