by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Authorities in China once again raided the Zion Church in Beijing last month, arresting 12 people and taking down the details of everyone in attendance as part of a crackdown on Christianity in the country, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
China is ruled by the paranoid, authoritarian Chinese Communist Party which has banned Zion Church and other evangelical churches that refuse to register with the government and promote an anti-Christian ideology that glorifies the CCP and its leader. China currently ranks 19 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
The Beijing Zion Church was raided during services held at four separate locations on October 20, ICC reports. The church was banned in 2018 after it refused to install government-monitored CCTV cameras but continued to meet as a church in different places. Among those arrested on October 20 was Elder Qin Guoliang, who was given a 14-day detention sentence.
In a 2024 website report about the situation facing evangelical churches in China, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization states: “The Chinese Communist Party’s goal is to make sure churches don’t fall out of line with official viewpoints. In the case of official churches, this means they are encouraged to praise and pledge allegiance to the Communist Party and its ideology.”
Noting that persecution and discrimination against Christians is spreading across China, Open Doors adds: “Churches that claim Christ as King are viewed with suspicion, especially since Christianity is seen as a primarily Western influence. Most churches are monitored and can be shut down without warning.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that it carried out an airstrike in the Zaita area of southern Lebanon, killing a Hezbollah operative involved in drone operations and terror activity along Israel’s northern border.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with Danish officials next week amid renewed insistence from President Donald Trump that the United States must acquire Greenland to protect American national security interests in the Arctic.
President Donald Trump on Jan. 7 proposed raising U.S. military spending to $1.5 trillion in 2027, a dramatic increase he said is necessary to secure the nation amid what he described as “very troubled and dangerous times.”
U.S. President Donald J. Trump faced an unprecedented rebuke from the Republican-controlled Senate late Thursday after lawmakers advanced a war powers resolution aimed at limiting his authority to conduct military operations in or against Venezuela without congressional approval.
Thousands of Iranians poured into the streets and shouted from rooftops across Tehran and other cities Thursday night following a call for mass demonstrations by exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, marking a significant escalation in nationwide unrest gripping the Islamic Republic. Witnesses reported widespread chanting and street rallies as authorities abruptly shut down internet access and disrupted phone lines shortly after protests began.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for another three years.
President Donald Trump said Thursday afternoon that the federal government will buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds to bring down interest rates and monthly payments.