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 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Cambridge Christian School v. Florida High School Athletic Association, effectively letting stand a lower-court ruling that bars two Christian schools from offering a brief pre-game prayer over a stadium loudspeaker — even though both teams wanted the prayer and the event was between two private Christian schools.
President Donald Trump confirmed Monday that the United States will move forward with selling advanced F-35 stealth fighters to Saudi Arabia, announcing the decision just one day before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives at the White House for a high-profile visit aimed at deepening economic, technological, and defense cooperation.
The UN Security Council voted 13-0 on Monday to adopt a sweeping U.S.-drafted resolution that codifies President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, endorses a new International Stabilization Force (ISF), and formally recognizes the establishment of a “Board of Peace” to be chaired by Trump himself. Russia and China abstained, allowing the measure to pass without a veto.
Questions have been raised about the future of one of Europe’s largest on-shore natural-gas reserves after parts of the Dutch province of Groningen were struck by one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded there.
Gunmen abducted 25 students from a girls’ school in northwest Nigeria early Monday after killing at least one staff member, adding to fears among the nation’s Christian minority, police and other sources confirmed.
South Africa has launched an investigation after 153 Palestinians unexpectedly arrived on a chartered flight at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport last week, prompting questions over who organized the journey and whether any fleeing Hamas fighters or officials may have been among them.
A planned auction of more than 600 Holocaust-era artifacts was cancelled in Germany after an outcry from survivors, victims’ families, civil society groups, and top government officials.