China Detains Nearly 30 Evangelical Christians

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

HUBEI, CHINA (Worthy News) – Nearly 30 Christians in China’s Hubei province are on trial after being accused of organizing and using an “evil cult to undermine law enforcement,” charges rights advocates say are part of ongoing persecution of believers in the Communist-run nation.

The defendants, members of the evangelical Word of Life Church, were indicted in Suizhou city after security forces broke up a prayer meeting earlier this year, Worthy News learned. They stand accused of so-called “xie jiao,” the Chinese term for “cult activities” applied to movements regarded as antigovernment and socially dangerous, including evangelical groups.

Authorities cited activities such as preaching, discipleship training, prayer meetings, Easter celebrations, communion, and testimonies—practices prosecutors labeled “propaganda of cult doctrines,” according to sources familiar with the case.

Defense lawyers insist the charges have no legal basis and “violate China’s constitutional guarantee of religious freedom.” They stressed that widely used discipleship materials, including No Longer the Same, New Life, and The Path of Discipleship, were “wrongly classified as evidence of cult activity.”

Several Christians testified that money, jewelry, and belongings disappeared during their arrests, with no official confiscation records provided, raising suspicions of private appropriation by authorities, said advocacy group ChinaAid.

“Imagine the door bursting open during your quiet prayer meeting in Suizhou, Hubei—authorities storming in, handcuffs clinking as they label your faith a cult,” ChinaAid told Worthy News.

‘TWISTED EVIDENCE’

“Cherished discipleship resources like No Longer the Same are twisted as evidence of heresy, while seized cash and jewelry vanish without a trace,” the group noted.

The church’s pastor, Zhao Tianen, promoted a “Three Transformations” concept encouraging Christians to serve society, but authorities labeled it a potential threat to public order. Even the church’s marriage counseling services were accused of having “improper motives.”

The case remains ongoing, but observers say it highlights China’s tightening crackdown on independent Christian groups. On Christmas Day 2024, prosecutors in Tibet charged another 10 Word of Life members, while five leaders of the related Shenyang Kelta Youth Fellowship—Pastor Mingdao, Brother Wang Xiangchao, Brother Shao, Sister Liu, and Sister Gu—also face prosecution, ChinaAid stressed.

The indictment list of 28 believers shared with Worthy News included Christians identified as Liu Xuxue, Su Minkai, Wang Xueli, Zhou Xiaoxuan, Zhang Manli, Chen Chuanzhen, Yang Pingping, Li Zhuanyun, Ren Jianhua, Qiu Huiming, Song Yude, Ma Fuxiu, Fanin Ji Hongyan, Xang Ji Hongyan, Wang Yiqin, Zhang Daojiang, Wang Daozhou, Li Jing, Cai Wu, Yang Zhijin, Tang Shunqiang, Hu Junling, Liu Yongshan, Yang Hengqin, Guo Mingjun, and Zhou Xiunong.

China is consistently ranked among the world’s worst violators of religious liberty. On the annual World Watch List of the advocacy group Open Doors, China appears in the top 20 countries where it says Christians face the most persecution.

Open Doors cites surveillance technology, forced church closures, detentions, and repressive “sinicization” policies that attempt to bring Christianity under Communist Party control as key reasons for China’s high ranking.

Despite reported persecuted, the Christian faith continues to spread in China with at least nearly 100 million people identifying as Christians, according to Open Doors researchers. Other sources say the real figure may be as high as 130 million Christians among a population of 1.4 billion people.

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