U.S. Ambassador Calls on Chinese Authorities to Release Persecuted Pastor Wang Yi and Church Members
US State Department Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom speaks at the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong.
Editor’s Note: Ambassador Samuel D. Brownback is the US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom in the U.S. Department of State. On March 8, 2019 he spoke at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Hong Kong. Below is an excerpt of his remarks regarding the Chinese government’s persecution of Christians in China. The entire transcript of his remarks are available at the U.S. Consulate/Hong Kong website:https://hk.usconsulate.gov/n-2019030801/
In Chengdu, government authorities forcefully detained over 200 members of the Early Rain Covenant Church, Sichuan Province’s; it was the largest house church, in May 2018, for commemorating the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.
Seven months later, in December 2018, government authorities once again arrested more than 100 Early Rain members, confiscated the church’s Bibles and other religious materials, and permanently closed the church.
At least a dozen remain detained and their whereabouts and health conditions remain unknown, while the Chinese authorities prevent them from seeing their family members, or even talking with their lawyers.
Meanwhile, the government continues to monitor, harass, and, in some cases, physically assault family members of the detainees and prevents them from worshipping in even small groups. In one case, a security official kicked the elderly mother of the Early Rain lead pastor Wang Yi until she collapsed on the ground while violently ripping her hair.
Chinese authorities have charged Pastor Wang Yi and his wife Jiang Rong with “inciting subversion of state power.” China is using baseless political charges to attack individuals for simply practicing their faith.
The authorities have detained both parents of several infants and toddlers, meaning these young children are residing with relatives, but without any knowledge of whether or not they will ever see their fathers or mothers again, or even knowing if those parents are still alive.
Chinese authorities have charged Pastor Wang Yi and his wife Jiang Rong with “inciting subversion of state power.” China is using baseless political charges to attack individuals for simply practicing their faith.
Pastor Wang instructed his followers to release his “Declaration of Faithful Disobedience” – which I urge people to read; it is an amazing letter- if authorities detained him for more than 48 hours. Chinese authorities have detained Pastor Wang a number of times already for his courage and outspokenness, including most recently for initiating a nationwide petition reiterating house churches’ refusal to register with the government-backed Three-Self Patriotic Movement.
His words and call to action for how Christians should carryout what he calls “faithful disobedience” – distinct from political or civil disobedience – inspires me and many others. We believe that Chinese authorities wanted to send a message to others who dare follow in his footsteps and defy the Communist Party.
But as a man of faith myself, I think the Chinese Communist Party may have done the opposite. When faith is under attack, it grows stronger. In Scriptures, and throughout church history, we see persecution sparking resolve and perseverance in the faith.
I stand here today in support of Pastor Wang, his wife, and other members of their church and call on the Chinese authorities to release them immediately.
The resolve of the Early Rain Covenant Church community and countless others facing severe persecution is unshaken because they know that fighting for their right to freely exercise their beliefs is not wrong, no matter how heavy-handed the punishment and severe the mistreatment.
I stand here today in support of Pastor Wang, his wife, and other members of their church and call on the Chinese authorities to release them immediately.