Chief and employees from underground church are arrested in China : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5000x3333+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fde%2F41%2Ff9c5aa804bd2804aa4d8e6efcfcc%2Fap25284439521818.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5000x3333+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fde%2F41%2Ff9c5aa804bd2804aa4d8e6efcfcc%2Fap25284439521818.jpg" class="img" alt="Pastor Ezra Jin leads a class on the basics of Christian beliefs at the Zion Church in Beijing, China, in August 2018." fetchpriority="high"/> Pastor Ezra Jin leads a category on the fundamentals of Christian beliefs on the Zion Church in Beijing, China, in August 2018. Ng Han Guan/AP cover caption

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Ng Han Guan/AP A Christian pastor and father of U.S. residents together with dozens of church employees and members have been arrested in China amid a crackdown, his daughter and the church say.

Ezra Jin, founder and pastor of Zion Church, a big "underground home church" with congregations throughout China, was arrested Friday whereas at his house Beihai within the nation's Guangxi area, his daughter Grace Jin Drexel advised NPR.

"It has been extraordinarily surprising and … very scary for our household," Jin Drexel mentioned. "However we additionally think about the Lord and we all know that he [Ezra Jin] is doing God's work."

Greater than 30 pastors and church employees have been arrested or turned unreachable by household beginning on Thursday, mentioned Sean Lengthy, a pastor and spokesperson for Zion Church. A few of them are going through legal prices, he mentioned, together with for "unlawful dissemination of non secular info by way of the web."

Witnesses mentioned police had a "needed listing" and have been violent throughout arrests, based on Lengthy. One feminine pastor was forcefully separated from her new child child, he additionally mentioned.

"We strongly attraction to the worldwide church society to carry the Chinese language authorities accountable," Lengthy advised NPR. "They can not do no matter they need with out letting folks know. Let our ministers and employees members be launched as quickly as doable. Cease arresting our members."

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1536x2048+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb2%2Fba%2Fd71dc66049f593b1d605fec0ef81%2Fap25284422633310.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1536x2048+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb2%2Fba%2Fd71dc66049f593b1d605fec0ef81%2Fap25284422633310.jpg" class="img" alt="This photograph provided by pastor Sean Long of Zion Church shows shows pastor Sun Cong of Zion Church standing, wearing handcuffs, after being detained by police at his home in Beijing, China on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025." loading="lazy"/> This {photograph} offered by pastor Sean Lengthy of Zion Church exhibits exhibits pastor Solar Cong of Zion Church standing, sporting handcuffs, after being detained by police at his house in Beijing, China, on Friday. AP/Sean Lengthy cover caption

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AP/Sean Lengthy NPR reached out to the Chinese language embassy for touch upon Sunday however has not acquired a response.

China has in recent times arrested and detained Christian leaders of underground church buildings, who usually are not registered with the federal government and beneath its management. The Chinese language authorities has additionally detained and imprisoned Muslims.

The Chinese language Communist Occasion regards Christianity and Islam as "overseas" and topic to affect by outsiders.

Nonetheless, tens of tens of millions of Chinese language attend unregistered church buildings reasonably than state-sanctioned ones.

Zion Church was topic to an earlier raid and shutdown in 2018, throughout a earlier crackdown on impartial church buildings. Since then it has re-emerged with a hybrid of on-line and in-person conferences at varied places throughout China.

The church says it isn't a risk to China <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5000x3333+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F58%2F66%2F77aca8c443cab6a0e79637864f1d%2Fap25284439946599.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5000x3333+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F58%2F66%2F77aca8c443cab6a0e79637864f1d%2Fap25284439946599.jpg" class="img" alt="Police officers guard at the main entrance door to a building where Zion church is located after the church was shutdown by authorities in Beijing, Sept. 11, 2018." loading="lazy"/> Law enforcement officials guard the primary entrance door to a constructing the place Zion Church was situated after the church was shut down by authorities, in Beijing in September 2018. Andy Wong/AP cover caption

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Andy Wong/AP Earlier than changing into a pastor, Jin was a Peking College pupil through the 1989 Tiananmen Sq. protests and earned a doctorate in ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif.

Lengthy and Jin Drexel each mentioned Jin might have sensed the arrest was coming, telling them each in current weeks that persecution may result in a brand new wave of revival amongst Christianity. Jin additionally mentioned his legacy along with his household and advised them to have video footage of him ready in order that his grandchildren would learn about him in case one thing occurred, his daughter additionally mentioned.

"He was very clear eyed about what the federal government is and what he's doing. So I feel he turned a pastor realizing that sooner or later it's doable that he shall be imprisoned," Jin Drexel mentioned. "Previous to the [2018] shutdown of the church, he was within the U.S. and he may have stayed within the U.S. at that time and utilized for asylum … however he felt that he had to return with the church and be with the church whereas it was struggling."

The current arrests have additionally taken place amid tensions between the U.S. and China, significantly over commerce. President Trump on Friday threatened a 100% tariff on Chinese language imports.

Zion Church was based in 2007 and representatives say it has grown quickly in recent times, with companies reaching round 5,000 to 10,000 folks every week.

This progress, in addition to the U.S.-China tensions, may very well be behind the current crackdown, based on Lengthy, who says the Chinese language authorities needs to exert management over its residents and views Zion Church as a risk.

However he mentioned Zion Church just isn't a risk to or against the Chinese language authorities.

"We're not criminals however Christians," Lengthy mentioned. "We're not anti-CCP [Chinese Communist Party], we aren't anti-China. We love our folks, love our society, love our tradition. We're not a Western political drive. That's 100% mistaken. We're a Chinese language home church adhering to historic Christian religion. We're believers of Jesus. Now we have nothing to do with the U.S.-China pressure or competitors."

U.S. officers name for Jin's launch U.S. officers and lawmakers have denounced the arrests. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio known as for the pastors to be launched.

"This crackdown additional demonstrates how the CCP workouts hostility in the direction of Christians who reject Occasion interference of their religion and select to worship at unregistered home church buildings," Rubio mentioned in an announcement on Sunday. "We name on the CCP to instantly launch the detained church leaders and to permit all folks of religion, together with members of home church buildings, to interact in spiritual actions with out worry of retribution."

Congregants of Zion Church are afraid and it's a very disturbing second for its leaders, Lengthy mentioned. However the arrests won't deter church members from practising their religion.

"We are going to nonetheless have on-line service and we won't cease what we're doing," Lengthy mentioned. "We are going to share the excellent news of Jesus Christ it doesn't matter what."