A Chinese Christian was recently called in by Chinese police just moments before he planned to host a webinar about Christianity and Chinese culture.
International Christian Concern (ICC) reports that Ran Yunfei, who converted to Christianity in 2016, is a writer and public speaker who has been devoted to sharing the Gospel since his conversion.
Ran was supposed to participate in a webinar titled “Gospel During the Pandemic” over the course of Nov. 3 to Nov. 5. Right before the virtual lecture started on Nov. 4, Ran received a phone call from Chinese authorities demanding that he cease the discussion and report to the local police station.
He returned home late that night – grateful for his release.
“I am thankful that I have returned,” Ran said during an online message. “I cannot share tomorrow as well. But must we share the Gospel through speaking? If you understand that being in chains is sharing the Gospel (not only with the people who talk to you but also the many who watch you), then we should feel joyful for entering the police station multiple times.”
This incident is among many where the Chinese government has attempted to suppress Christians and the church.
Religious persecution by China’s communist party has intensified as government officials are pressuring Christians to follow specific rules and regulations or face the consequences.
Those who violate the strict orders face punishment.
As CBN News reported last month, businesses were banned from publishing religious materials not approved by the government because the Communist Party started classifying it as “contraband.”
Back in September, a Chinese Christian who operated an online bookstore was sentenced to seven years in prison for selling religious material that wasn’t approved by the communist government.
A pastor from Shenzhen city in the southern province of Guangdong told Bitter Winter, “People who buy Christian books are practicing believers, so the government looks into them to determine how dangerous they are to the stability of their regime.
“The Communist Party has done too many shameful deeds and continues to suppress people. Our government has a guilty conscience,” the pastor added.
And this summer, a Christian man in China’s Yunnan province received a notice of administrative punishment from the local Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau (ERAB). The bureau accused him of hosting illegal religious education training online.
The faith community is perceived as a threat to Xi Jinping’s regime. There are more Christians in China than Communist Party members, and this reality doesn’t sit well with the party.