The repeated arrests of Chen Wensheng for preaching the Gospel are part of the Chinese government’s ongoing attempt to replace the Christian faith with faith in the Chinese Communist Party. Faith in Jesus Christ might interfere with one’s devotion to socialism with Chinese characteristics, and so Chinese officials are bent on eradicating that faith.
This is a matter of grave concern also for the tiny community of Orthodox Christians in China. The Chinese government has not granted Orthodox Christianity any official status; Orthodox churches in China could be closed at any time at the whim of local officials, and Orthodox Christians taken into custody.
For previous ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in China, see here.
“Hunan authorities warn Chen Wensheng’s family members: Stop him from preaching in public…,” by Yu Bing, ChinaAid, June 21, 2021:
(Hengyang, Hunan Province—June 21, 2021) On the morning of June 16, police seized Chen Wensheng, a Christian attending a house church in Hengyang, Hunan, and several others and transported them to the hospital for a physical exam and the Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT), a type of viral diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. An officer phoned families of those detained, notifying them that officials would detain their relatives for 5–10 days. During the past few decades, police have seized Brother Chen more than 100 times. Nevertheless, Brother Chen reports he is willing to sacrifice himself for the gospel, for proclaiming the gospel on streets in China. He has even prepared himself mentally to be imprisoned and preach the gospel in prison.
In a phone call on the evening of June 17, Brother Chen’s wife told him:
- Hengyang Municipal State Security Department, and United Front Work Department officials called her.
- Xiao, one of the directors, called her multiple times, hoping that she could stop Brother Chen from proclaiming the gospel outside [on the streets].
- In addition, related department officials visited Brother Chen’s son and the school where his daughter-in-law works, threatening them.
- Officials warned his daughter-in-law that if Brother Chen continued to proclaim the gospel outside [publicly, on the streets] that not only would Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities remove her from public office, they would also bar Brother Chen’s granddaughter from taking the National Civil Servant Examination and teaching at school.
- Several State officials asked Brother Chen’s family members to persuade him to stop proclaiming the gospel in public.
Brother Chen said:
I am thankful that God lets me know from the Bible, “for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20: 5–6).Those who love God and obey his commandments will be blessed for hundreds of generations. However, those love God must suffer and have a cross, because “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).
Thank God for granting my family the opportunity to learn the lesson about the cross and suffering because of proclaiming the gospel… He will be responsible for this and hold us through it.
Glory be to God.
Hope you all pray for us….
