Keep Praying for China

December 25, 2009


Yesterday I ran across an article called Atmosphere of Fear at Christmas in North China. Here’s how the article begins:

Christians in north China are facing a Christmas of fear after 10 local religious leaders were jailed in recent weeks and their new church shut down amid a crackdown on unauthorised worship.

Five of the church leaders were given prison terms of up to seven-years by a Linfen court, while the others were sentenced without trial to labour camps for two years, their lawyer said.

Their crimes? “Illegally occupying farm land” and “disturbing transportation through a mass gathering”.

“The authorities are clearly sending a message to the Christians,” lawyer Li Fanping, who defended the church leaders at their trial last month, told AFP. He expressed shock at the severity of the punishment for minor offenses.

“They’ve convicted them of these specific crimes. As Christmas is coming, a lot of Christians will want to gather to worship, but the authorities have made it clear what can happen if they gather.”

Please keep praying for China. While most of us in the West have complete freedom to go to church at Christmastime, that’s not true for many of our brothers and sisters in China and in other countries around the world. 

PS Time magazine reminds us that Christmas is even more difficult for Christians in North Korea

Do you have any thoughts or questions about this post?