"Ezra Jin, founder and pastor of Zion Church, a large "underground house church" with congregations across China, was arrested Friday while at his home Beihai in the country's Guangxi region, his daughter Grace Jin Drexel told NPR. "It's been extremely shocking and very scary for our family," Jin Drexel said. "But we also have faith in the Lord and we know that he [Ezra Jin] is doing God's work.""
"More than 30 pastors and church staff were arrested or became unreachable by family starting on Thursday, said Sean Long, a pastor and spokesperson for Zion Church. Some of them are facing criminal charges, he said, including for "illegal dissemination of religious information via the internet." Witnesses said police had a "wanted list" and were violent during arrests, according to Long. One female pastor was forcefully separated from her newborn baby, he also said."
Ezra Jin, founder and pastor of Zion Church, was arrested at his home in Beihai, Guangxi. More than 30 pastors and church staff were arrested or became unreachable beginning on Thursday. Some face criminal charges, including for "illegal dissemination of religious information via the internet." Witnesses reported police had a "wanted list" and used violence during arrests; one female pastor was forcefully separated from her newborn. Family members said the arrests were shocking and expressed faith that Jin is doing God's work. Zion Church previously faced a 2018 raid and shutdown. The Chinese government regards unregistered churches and Islam as foreign influences and has detained religious leaders.
Read at www.npr.org
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]