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
President Donald Trump has signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war with Iran, U.S. officials said, launching a 60-day diplomatic test that could determine whether the Middle East moves toward a fragile ceasefire or back toward confrontation.
In a rare instance of congressional unity, the House and Senate reached a bipartisan, bicameral agreement over legislation to boost housing supply and home ownership across the country.
The central bank would implement new task forces to aid in deciding monetary policy, Kevin Warsh, the new chairman of the Federal Reserve, said Wednesday.
Poland was investigating Thursday the killing of a Russian artist and outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the murder bore the hallmarks of a political assassination.
Brazil’s Supreme Court has sentenced Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, to four years and two months in prison after finding him guilty of seeking U.S. intervention in legal proceedings involving his father.
A Christian family and supporters have rallied in the eastern Pakistani city of Faisalabad after a 16-year-old Christian girl reportedly disappeared and was allegedly forced to marry and convert to Islam.
The Israeli Air Force was prepared to launch a major strike deep inside Iran last week but was ordered to stand down just one hour before takeoff, according to a letter sent by Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Omer Tischler to air force personnel.