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 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, warned Monday that upcoming talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff could pressure Kyiv into making concessions. The two men are expected to meet on Tuesday.
The Dutch government has launched a campaign to prepare citizens for 72 hours without power, water, and food amid concerns the Netherlands may be targeted by Russia and its allies.
A Christian farmer and evangelist in Nigeria said Monday he had fled to Lagos with his family after an Anglican priest kidnapped in the northwest last month was killed in captivity.
President Donald Trump said on Nov. 27 that the United States could “substantially” reduce — and potentially eliminate — federal income taxes within the next few years, citing what he described as unprecedented revenue generated from his tariff policies.
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season ended Sunday with welcome relief along the Gulf and East Coasts, standing in sharp contrast to last year’s string of landfalls. No hurricanes struck the United States this season—a respite for communities still in their 62nd week of recovery from Hurricane Helene, which devastated North Carolina after hitting Florida during a 66-day stretch of storms in 2024. Though rough surf and minor coastal impacts occurred, it marked the eighth season this century without a U.S. hurricane landfall.
Israel’s Defense Ministry will deliver its first full Iron Beam high-energy laser battery to the IDF on December 30. The move marks the world’s first deployment of a high-power laser air-defense system into regular frontline service. Defense Ministry R&D chief Dani Gold confirmed the rollout date on Monday, calling it the system’s “first capability,” with more upgrades already in development.
Indonesian Christian volunteers are rushing aid to residents who say the government has been slow to help after floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island killed at least hundreds of people and displaced hundreds of thousands.