9th February, 2007

DAVID ADAMS

Reports coming out of China suggest the underground church is booming despite the “ceaseless” persecution of those involved in the movement.

The China Aid Association - a US-based, non-profit organisation formed in 2002 with the aim of addressing the issue of religious freedom in China, particularly in regard to the unofficial church - says in its annual report looking at the persecution of Chinese house churches that it had received reliable information that a senior Chinese official had recently conceded that the number of Christians in China had reached 130 million - including 20 million Catholics - by the end of last year.

The figures are supported by reports this week that a Chinese university poll has found the number of Chinese who describe themselves as religious equated to about 300 million, well above the oft-quoted figure of 100 million.

Reverend Bob Fu, president of the association, is quoted in his organisation’s Annual Report on Persecution of Chinese House Churches by Province as saying that it is beyond human expectation that “the unprecedented growth of the Chinese church has happened under ceaseless persecution”.

According to the organisation’s report, incidents of raids on house churches decreased during 2006. It says more than 600 Christians - mainly church leaders - were detained last year compared with the 2,000 arrests reported in 2005.

China Aid says the trend reflects the new government tactic of interrogating church members during a raid rather than officially arresting them.

Of those arrested, about 100 were detained for more than 10 days and 18 were sentenced to more than a year in jail, the report says.

It also found that local officials had closed four churches and demolished another four last year - a figure which represents an increase on the number in 2005. Three of the demolished churches were in Zhejiang province.

The report also says that in addition to arrests, interrogations and the destruction of churches, “homes of Chinese Christians have been searched, crowds of peaceful protesters have been charged with electric shock batons, and access to Bibles and teaching has been restricted”.

“It is impossible to measure the wider effects of this intimidation and restriction,” the report says.

Of China’s 23 provinces, the central western provinces of Zhejiang and Henan - where China Aid says the Protestant house church movement is “particularly strong” - recorded the worst persecution against house churches with 246 pastors and believers arrested in nine raids, 10 sentenced to imprisonment and many abused while detained.

“Zhejiang and Henan province should be put on notice having the worst religious persecution record,” Mr Fu says in the report. “It is morally imperative for any conscientious foreign investors in Henan to address this serious issue.”

Elsewhere in the document, Rev Fu says that new strategies employed by Chinese authorities suggest they are concerned about appearing tolerant of Christians.

“The changing strategies and tactics of Public Security Officials; interrogations on the spot, accusing church leaders of criminal activities and banning protestant movements as cults suggests that the Chinese authorities are becoming increasingly concerned about appearing more tolerant of Christians in the eyes of the international community,” he says. “However there seems to be less evidence of a genuine change in their broad policy.”

Rev Fu outlined much of the report's content in a statement made to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom earlier this month.

China Aid has called on the commission to recommend China be listed as a “country of particular concern” with regard to religious freedom.

It has also asked that the body recommend senior US government officials attend religious services in both registered and non-registered religious institutions when they visit China and that it use its influence to not only urge US firms who have factories in China to open chapel rooms but to urge US business leaders to discourage further investment in provinces like Henan and Zhejiang.

~ www.chinaaid.org

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