Prominent China church demolished – second in month

Explosives are set off in the Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen, Shanxi province, in a still taken from a video.
Chinese authorities demolished a church in northern China this week, the second in less than a month, ahead of new regulations on religion due to come into force on 1 February. Explosives were set off inside the Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen, Shanxi province on Tuesday (9 January). According to . . . Read More

Chinese church leaders released, as parents ignore religious-teaching ban

A Chinese Christian holds a Bible standing outside the largest Chinese church in the world: the Three Self church which seats 5,000 people, in Hangzhou city. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)
Chinese bishop Peter Shao Zhumin of the coastal city of Wenzhou, Zhejiang, was released on Wednesday (3 January) after being detained for seven months – the second high-profile church leader released in the past two weeks. It is thought international pressure helped secure the bishop’s release, according to AsiaNews. In . . . Read More

China’s Christians seize internet opportunities

China’s Christians seize internet opportunities
Chinese Christians are sharing their faith on Weibo, China’s giant, state-regulated, social network – and some are beginning to challenge the censor by speaking out against religious persecution. When Christian band Rainbow Come appeared on China’s equivalent of “The X Factor,” Christians turned to social networking to drum up votes . . . Read More