All Ezra Jin wanted to do was to preach the gospel. It worked, as the gospel tends to.
Unfortunately for the Chinese Communist Party, it worked far too well. See, Jin refused to give the state control over his flock, which the country requires. For a while, they tolerated him and his unsanctioned church.
That’s why he’s been jailed since October. It’s also why prominent Western leaders — including President Donald Trump — are tellingXi Jinpingto back off.
Not that it’s hurting Jin any, eternally speaking. Physically, of course, things are much more grim. But the worst news, in the long run, should be for the Chinese government.
Yes, seriously. Because him being behind bars hasn’t halted the growth of his church.
First, the quick facts on Jin for those unfamiliar with the face of modern Christian persecution: Born in 1969, Jin was a student at China’s most elite school, Peking University, during the government’s crackdown in Tiananmen Square, leading to him questioning the meaning of life.
He then, according toThe Wall Street Journal, “began to realize these Christians were different… they had God and a home they could sometimes return to, and they could be sure God loved them.”
While he originally went through seminary in China and preached in the state-surveilled churches — which mix Christianity with the Communist Party’s principles — he left in 2002 and enrolled atFuller Theological Seminaryin the United States.
In 2007, he founded the Zion Church of Beijing: “From a congregation of around 20, Zion grew to more than 1,500 over the next decade, making it one of the largest unsanctioned churches in Beijing,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
During China’s boom years, these congregations posed little issue for the ruling authorities. Those boom years are over, andChinese President Xi Jinpinghas included cracking down on unapproved churches as part of his panopticon state.
Source: VidNews » Feed
