By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BEIJING (Worthy News) – Chinese authorities have detained 10 Christians from the house church “All Ranges Church” in Tibet as part of a broader anti-Christian campaign, Christian investigators said Tuesday.
The Christians were reportedly detained on Christmas Day, December 25, 2024, but details about the arrests just emerged. “This latest crackdown starkly highlights the hypocrisy of the Chinese government, which claims to uphold constitutional guarantees of religious freedom while systematically targeting independent faith groups,” said ChinaAid, an advocacy group that maintains contacts with targeted Christians in Communist-run China.
The arrests occurred in the Bayi District of Nyingchi City, Tibet, where the accused were charged under Article 300 of China’s Criminal Law for “sabotaging the enforcement of laws by organizing and utilizing cult organizations,” according to Christians familiar with the case.
“This controversial provision has been repeatedly used to suppress religious communities that operate outside state-approved systems,” ChinaAid added in a statement obtained by Worthy News.
The detained individuals were named Yao Xilin, Zhang Wei, Ren Xiaoyun, Wang Haiying, Li Chunjie, Qin Chenglan, Li Xiaolin, Xiao Mingzhi, Wang Ying, and Li Yan. Worthy News learned those detained include church leaders, youth ministers, and members.
Authorities said the outlawed “All Ranges Church” in Tibet held meetings and used social media platforms like Zoom and WeChat to conduct prayer services. Officials labeled these actions as threats to national order. “The timing of these arrests on Christmas Day underscores the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) blatant disregard for the significance of religious observances and its ongoing hostility toward Christians,” said a ChinaAid spokesperson.
Despite China’s claims of protecting religious freedom under its constitution, it consistently persecutes faith groups that reject state oversight, according to human rights activists.
FOUNDED IN 1984
The “All Ranges Church,” founded in 1984 by Pastor Xu Yongze, has been a frequent target since being labeled a “cult organization” in 1995, said sources with knowledge about the situation.
“The church’s refusal to join the state-sanctioned “Three-Self” Patriotic Movement has made it a focal point of government suppression, with members often detained, forced to confess, and subjected to harsh sentencing. Church documents, including “Basic Church Building Proposal” and “Cross Salvation,” were deemed evidence of illegal activity,” ChinaAid explained.
“Such actions expose the CCP’s contradictory stance: while officially guaranteeing freedom of thought and belief, the government criminalizes peaceful religious practices,” ChinaAid stressed.
Similar crackdowns on “All Ranges Church” members have also been reported in affiliated house churches in Ningxia and Hubei provinces in recent years.
They “have followed the same pattern, with forced confessions and convictions. Observers warn that the CCP is now employing the same suppression tactics in Tibet,”‘ChinaAid noticed.
Bob Fu, founder and president of ChinaAid, condemned these actions:
“The CCP [and President] Xi Jinping government’s recent large-scale arrests and prosecutions of orthodox house churches in Tibet and Northwest China is purely religious persecution, “ he said in remarks sent to Worthy News.
‘SEVERE RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION’
He added that it was “also a sign of increasingly severe religious persecution throughout Tibet. These arrested church leaders and Christians are innocent, and their prosecuted actions fully comply with religious freedom practices protected by the Chinese Constitution and international law.”
Fu, a former house church pastor in China, said his group calls “on the international community to unite in pressuring the CCP to stop persecution and release these detained church leaders.”
China ranks 15th on the annual World Watch List of 50 nations, where advocacy group Open Doors says Christians suffer most for their faith in Christ. “In recent years, the government has aggressively tried to ensure all religious expression is in line with official Chinese Communist philosophy. Any church or church leader stepping beyond that can come under heavy restrictions,” Open Doors added in a recent assessment of the situation.
Unregistered churches, even those once tolerated, are considered “illegal and increasingly put under pressure, as authorities seek to enforce regulations and tighten policies,” according to an Open Doors investigation.
Even state-approved churches come under intense “ideological pressure,” and smaller congregations “are often forced to merge to make a larger church that is easier for the state to control,” added Open Doors.
Children under 18 are forbidden from attending church, sources say. “Officially registered churches are carefully regulated to make sure nothing they promote falls outside CCP guidelines. The surveillance and monitoring of all suspected church leaders are consequences of following Jesus in China,” Open Doors noted.
Despite these reported difficulties, Christian researchers estimate that at least nearly 100 million Christians live in the country of 1.4 billion people. Other sources say the figure may be higher.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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