China cracks down on Christians, jails prominent pastor of 10,000-member church

 October 15, 2025

This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The anti-Christian Communist regime in China long has been known for hating Christians and trying to obliterate either their beliefs, or them.

It previously has bulldozed Christian churches, forced faith organizations to promote the leftist ideologies of communism, censored and restricted Bibles, and much more. Arrests of Christians, especially leaders, are common.

Now its latest crackdown has cost Pastor Ezra Jin his freedom.

He's founder of Zion Church and was jailed recently, along with "dozens of church leaders and members," according to a report from the American Center for Law and Justice.

Zion Church is described as a large "underground house church," meaning it is not "authorized" by the government and therefore does not preach only messages that the communist regime approves.

He has congregations across China with thousands of members.

 

 

 

Jin, a pastor and father of children with U.S. citizenship, was arrested at his home in Beihai, Guangxi, just days ago, the report said. His daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, said the events have been "very scary" for the family.

The report explained more than 30 other pastors and church staff members also "simply vanished."

A church statement said, "They broke into homes, handcuffed even the elderly, and took them away. One pastor's mother had a heart attack during the arrest. Another woman was dragged from her newborn baby."

Subsequent charges claimed "illegal dissemination of religious information via the internet."

The report said police used violence to take people into custody.

"These attacks are a stark reminder of the severe persecution Christians face in China simply for worshiping according to their faith. Though China's constitution promises religious freedom, the Chinese Communist Party, an officially atheist regime, restricts worship to government-controlled, state-approved organizations," the ACLJ explained.

The hate campaign caught the attention of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who insisted that China allow all believers, including those in house churches, to worship without fear of attacks.

According to UPI, Rubio said, "We call on the CCP to immediately release the detained church leaders and to allow all people of faith, including members of house churches, to engage in religious activities without fear of retribution."

Church official Sean Long said, "We strongly appeal to the global church society to hold the Chinese government accountable. They cannot do whatever they want without letting people know. Let our ministers and staff members be released as soon as possible. Stop arresting our members."

Long, in an interview said, "We are not criminals but Christians. We are not anti-CCP, we are not anti-China. We love our people, love our society, love our culture. We are not a western political force. That is 100% wrong. We are a Chinese house church adhering to historic Christian faith. We are believers of Jesus. We have nothing to do with the U.S.-China tension or competition."

The organization has an estimated 10,000 participants in 40 cities.

The communists attacked the same church several years ago, when it declined to install security cameras that government officials could use in its structures.

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