There has been another case of persecution against house church members in China as the country gears up for the Beijing Olympics. The China Aid Association (CAA) was told through an informant that a house church missionary in the Heilongjiang province was intercepted by more than 20 government officers and policemen as he made his way to a worship service.
The organization is Christian Freedom International whose president, Jim Jacobson, says the Marine distributed coins with the words of John 3:16 on one side. The other side asked, in Arabic, the question: “Where will you spend eternity?” The soldier is now on home turf awaiting further word on possible punishment.
Also covered in the report is the disturbing news that Christians have been arrested and fined for seeking to help the victims of the tragic earthquake in Sichuan Province. As the Olympics draw closer, sources have recently reported that the Ministry of Public Security has received funding from the Chinese Central Government to increase its campaign of eradicating house churches throughout China.
The China Aid Association is reporting a series of recent arrests and detentions targeting house churches across China. The sudden increase of incidents involving both the Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB) and the Public Security Bureau (PSB) is indicative of a crackdown.
School officials in Tomah, Wisconsin, are facing a lawsuit after a high school teacher there failed a student’s art project because it included a cross and a reference to John 3:16. The school district argues that the student voluntarily waived his First Amendment religious freedoms when he entered the classroom.
By: Allie Martin and Jody Brown — 3/27/2008 4:00:00 AM
In recent developments, a local elected official and a group of Buddhist monks have accused the school of being a front for the Tamil Tigers, a terrorist group. The school, located in Colombo, was later attacked as Buddhist monks staged a protest at the facility. A government official in Sri Lanka has also encouraged lawmakers to consider approving anti-conversion legislation.
