by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – A house-church preacher in Guandong, China, has been sentenced to two years imprisonment for conducting “illegal business operations” by distributing his church’s Christian literature, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Preacher Deng Yanxiang of the Shengjia House Church in Foshan, Guandong was sentenced by the People’s Court of Shunde District in Foshan on January 17, ICC reports. “The charges were tied to the church’s publications, including Daily Bible Readings and Interpretations, which were sold and distributed to locals,” ICC said in its report.
Local believers have attested that the Chinese government often uses the “illegal business operations” catch-all to hinder the evangelical activities of house churches.
In a website statement referencing the attitude of the Chinese government toward house churches, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy group explains: “Unregistered churches, even those once tolerated, are considered illegal and increasingly put under pressure, as authorities seek to enforce regulations and tighten policies. State-approved churches come under strong ideological pressure, and smaller congregations are often forced to merge to make a larger church that is easier for the state to control.”
Preacher Yanxiang will be released in May as he has been in prison since his arrest in August 2023, ICC said.
Ruled by the authoritarian Chinese Communist Party, China ranks 15 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2025 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Israel expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah on Monday, striking more than 70 targets across Lebanon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to increase pressure on the Iranian-backed terror group following a sharp rise in drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel.
A federal appeals court is weighing whether Kansas City can use its public accommodation ordinance to require Christian counselors to counsel gay married couples despite the counselors’ biblical convictions on marriage and sexuality.
Tens of thousands of evangelical Christians gathered in the Netherlands for one of Europe’s largest multi-day Christian events, with organizers and participants expressing hopes for spiritual revival in the nation and across Europe.
President Donald Trump pushed back Monday against sharp criticism from Republicans and former administration officials over a potential U.S.-Iran agreement, insisting that any final accord must prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or it will not be signed.
President Donald Trump said Monday that countries involved in negotiations over Iran should be required to join the Abraham Accords, signaling that the White House is seeking to turn a possible Iran agreement into a wider regional realignment that includes normalization with Israel.
Tensions remained high in Serbia’s capital Belgrade on Sunday after at least tens of thousands of people demanded elections and rallied against what they view as the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Aleksandar Vučić, with violence erupting after the protest and more than 20 people arrested.
Investigations were ongoing Sunday into the killing of three senior Kuki-Thadou Christian church leaders by unidentified gunmen in India’s northeastern Manipur State, Christian investigators told Worthy News.