"Persecution is a price worth paying for the
Lord. We would rather live through it than
to hide our faith. We hope more Chinese
churches will speak up and stand with us" ~ Li Yingqiang, elder of Early Rain Covenant Church
On the evening of December 9th, police in Chengdu, Sichuan, began a coordinated attack on members of the Early Rain Covenant Church. Throughout the night and the next day, homes were raided and church members dragged away. Thus far, around a hundred church leaders and seminary students have been arrested. Some who have since been released claim that they were abused and deprived of food and water while in custody.
Abdo Adel Bebawy, 43, has been sentenced to three years in prison for "insulting Islam" following a Facebook post which led to riots in July (see this report). At the time of his original post, friends explained that Abdo was not very literate and did not fully understand what he had posted.
According to Christian leaders in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, a significant increase in attacks on Christians is part of a planned campaign by Hindu nationalist leaders.
According to the leader of a church planting network, an average of four or five churches are attacked every day, and the number of arrests of Christians is unprecedented. In addition, the offices of some Christian organizations have also been attacked.
If you would like to post a prayer of praise or petition on behalf of our persecuted family around the globe, visit VOMC's prayer wall.