Major Crackdown On Chinese Churches Reported

(BosNewsLife) – Christian Freedom International (CFI), expressed concern Monday about “a major crackdown” on Christians in China . “Communist China is–once again–cracking down on “house church” Christians,” CFI said. It quoted investigators as saying that since last May 22 police and Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers raided about 100 house churches in the Jilin Province . “Almost 600 house church believers were taken into custody. Many were released after hours of intense interrogation, but about 100 of the leaders are still held in different detention centers,” CFI said. Also in May, some 20 house church leaders were arrested while conducting a Bible training lass in Shanxi Province , the organization claimed. “On June 24 about 100 pastors from several Major cities including Kaifeng , Xinxiang and Jiaozuo City were taken away and detained at Qi County Detention Center. After hours of intense interrogation many pastors were released. Nine of them, including Pastor Chen Dongming, Pastor Wei and Pastor Jin whose first names are not available, are still jailed.” Human rights watchers say this is the tip of the iceberg after earlier reports that the Chinese Communist authorities had issued a secret order to crack down on house churches, the reference to Christians who worship outside the state-run churches.