spread of Christianity after officials confirmed China has now 130 million Christians, investigators reported Monday, January 8.
The January 1 raid in Baoding city of Hebei province reportedly came after the Chinese State Administration for Religious Affairs first mentioned the number of 130 million Christians, far more than previously estimated.
So far several rights groups estimated there were up to 80 million Christians in the Communist nation.
Advocacy group China Aid Association (CAA), which represents several house churches, suggested to BosNewsLife Monday, January 8, that the interest in Christianity had also reached the Communist Party.
PARTY SCHOOL
"On January 1, 2007 a group of Christians gathered in an office in the Party School where the cadres of the Communist Party in Baoding City are trained to celebrate New Year by studying the Bible," the CAA said. However, "they were besieged and raided by local Public Security Bureau officers," the group added.
It said over 40 Christians were taken away for questioning, but that most of them were released in the evening. Those released several days later included the host of the Bible study group and the Party School’s Vice President Geng Sude and prominent Beijing activist Li Baiguang, CAA said.
CAA said it also established that on January 4, local police attacked a Christian gathering in Fangcheng County of Henan province.
"Three Christians were brought to the police station. Two of them were released the same day, while the other one, brother An Wenqing, a house church seminary lecturer, was released on January 5 after being interrogated for 14 hours by the police," CAA added.
CHRISTIANITY SPREADING
However despite the attacks, Christianity continues to spread in China said CAA, citing official sources.
"Mr. Yie Xiaowen, the director of the Chinese State Administration for Religious Affairs, said in two internal meetings held in Beijing University and Chinese Academy of Social Science respectively, that the number of Christians in China has reached 130 million now, including 20 million Catholics. The Chinese government often underestimates the number of religious believers in its officially released figure."
Chinese officials have not commented on the internally released information. So far China’s government has denied human rights abuses saying it only cracks down on "dangerous sects." China has also said that Christians are free to worship within the government backed denominations. However church leaders and independent organizations have confirmed that most Christians prefer to gather outside state-approved churches.
Bob Fu, a former house church pastor and current CAA president, told BosNewsLife that, "The unprecedented growth of the Chinese church has happened under ceaseless persecution." He said his supporters, "pray that China will realize true religious freedom soon." (With reports from China and BosNewsLife Research).
