Leaders of a beleaguered Chinese evangelical church have vowed to defy the authorities and hold outdoor public services tomorrow, Easter Sunday, raising the prospect of a confrontation with police.
The defiant stance of the Shouwang Church, one of Beijing’s biggest unofficial Christian groups, comes amid a severe crackdown on government critics that has seen scores of people detained, disappeared or facing charges.
“As Easter is a very important day for us, we must stick to our decision to worship outdoors,” senior pastor Jin Tianming (金天明) said by phone from his Beijing home, where he has been under house arrest. “This is our uncompromising position and a matter of faith. If they arrest our followers, this is the price we are willing to pay.”
Authorities evicted Shouwang from its previous place of worship, a rented office space, in November and blocked the congregation of about 1,000 people from entering new premises purchased with church funds, Jin said.
The Chinese government has long frowned on religion and imposes controls on faith by requiring groups to register for government approval to gather, despite an official policy stipulating religious freedom.
Shouwang, which means “to keep watch,” was established in 1993 and has sought government registration since 2006, Jin said, but has been repeatedly refused.
On April 10, nearly 170 church followers were rounded up by police after trying to hold a Sunday outdoor worship service in western Beijing’s Haidian university district. Nearly 50 were detained a week later. Most followers were released after up to 24 hours in custody.
The US government has repeatedly criticized China’s overall rights crackdown, while the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, an autonomous government board, this week condemned the actions against Shouwang.
“Beijing has again responded with ruthless intolerance to peaceful religious activity,” Leonard Leo, chair of the commission, said in a statement that also urged China to stop detaining members and allow Easter services.
Jin said that all church leaders are currently under house arrest and will likely be unable to leave their homes tomorrow, but, using fiery religious imagery, they are urging followers in online messages to sacrifice themselves as Christ did in the fight against government persecution.
Shouwang is in a fight with the devil for freedom of religion, Jin wrote to the faithful last weekend.
“The devil Satan has taken advantage of the authority God has granted to the national government and is seeking to destroy God’s church,” Jin said. “His devil’s claws have finally been revealed. Satan get thee behind me!”
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