William Rainer
The Chinese government has persecuted Christianity for a long time, however Christianity has boomed in China. Among the struggles Pastor Yang and his wife have been ordered to pay steep fines for their ‘religious gatherings.’
Videos by Rare
According to Fox, pastor Yang’s family has a history of standing up for their beliefs despite the pressure. Yang’s aunt and father were imprisoned for their faith and refusing to conform to the ‘state-approved’ church. His aunt was in prison for five years and his father was in jail for fifteen years. In the face of all this Yang and his wife refuse to give up their house-church in South-East China.
China Tries To Squash Christianity But Pastor And Wife Stand Firm
Prior to and along with the roughly $55,000 fine (400,000 yuan), the pastor’s house-church and church members have received raids and attacks by local authorities (as seen in the video). The fine was first enforced two years ago but has doubled since, on June 28th this year. The attacks have been persistent following Yang’s refusals to conform. The government is also using standard church practices like tithing as an excuse to arrest the members for ‘fraud.’ In addition to all of this the government is trying to force their kids to go to public school.
Pastor Yang and his church are definitely not the only ones facing persecution. Christians who have chosen not to compromise their beliefs and stay separate from the state-occupied church have been imprisoned, tortured, and killed. With the Chinese government attempting to squash him and other Christians, Yang says: “Thank God for allowing us to have a part in His affliction, and especially thankful that on Earth we have no property for the court-enforced implementation, which is definitely a great grace of God.”
While under the Biden-Harris administration the US government gives us glimpses into a tyrannical state, China is considerably worse off. Even then, Christianity persists.
