Photo: ChinaAid
In the early morning of July 7th, more than 100 security personnel arrived at the Aodi Christian Church and Yinchang Christian Church in Wenzhou. They came with cranes and removed the crosses from atop the church buildings. Door locks were also broken, and some church property was destroyed. When church members tried to intervene, they were physically assaulted, resulting in several injuries. The elderly among them were not exempt from mistreatment, for a senior man in his 80s was disrespectfully pushed to the ground.
The demolition orders are representative of many similar state-sanctioned operations. In the state of Anhui, crosses were removed from at least 250 government-approved churches during the first four months of 2020 alone. "All Christian symbols are ordered to be removed," declares one state employee. Similar action is being taken against symbols of other religions as well.
The ongoing crackdown against Christians in China has been described as the most intense in decades. If you have not yet watched VOMC's video interview with Bob Fu of ChinaAid, we encourage you to do so.
Please continue to lift up China's Christians in your prayers, asking God to minister His grace, healing, spiritual encouragement and renewed hope in the midst of the government-imposed restrictions and the resulting harm it has caused so many. May He also work in the lives of state authorities and members of the security forces, so that they too will become keenly aware of the Lord's presence and sovereignty. Overall, pray that the continued outreach of churches throughout the country will be mightily used to bring multitudes from all walks of life to a saving faith in Christ.
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