ICC NOTE: Recent activity in China has brought religious freedom to the forefront for many media outlets. The arrest of Gu Yuese, the pastor the 10,000 member Chongyi protestant church, brought to light a rising shift in China’s stance on Christianity. For many years Zhejiang province had enjoyed a meteoric rise in church growth and new converts, but in 2013 the government initiated a new objective, to hide Christianity’s presence. Approximately 1,700 crosses have been removed due to ‘building code violations’ and over 400 churches have been demolished or closed. More than 250 lawyers, activists, and church leaders were arrested in 2015 for their opposition to the crackdown on Christianity. China fears the rise of Christianity as an adversary to Communism’s control on the people. Solidifying the Communist Party’s hold on the nation is all that matters, even if it tramples on religious freedom. 

2/11/2016 China (VOA) – A senior pastor at a church in Hangzhou, China has been replaced and put under investigation for embezzlement, adding to fears of a growing crackdown on Christianity. Observers are speculating the replacement was due to his opposition to the relocation of church crosses or church demolitions in Zhejiang province.

Zhejiang Province is home to at least hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Chinese Christians, and is often referred to as China’s Jerusalem.

Religious freedoms

However, a spate of arrests over the last few months, combined with a long running official campaign to remove hundreds of crosses and even demolish some churches, has raised concerns about religious freedom in the region.

Late last month, police detained leading pastor Li Guanzhong and his wife. Their arrests followed the detention of Gu Yuese and his wife. Gu was the senior pastor of the 10,000 member Chongyi church – the largest government-approved Protestant church in China.

Prior to his detention, China’s state-approved religious groups, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, and the China Christian Council, forcibly removed Gu from his post, with authorities saying he is being investigated for corruption.

A pastor in Hong Kong, who prefers to remain anonymous to protect his contacts on the mainland, said Gu’s arrest surprised many throughout China’s Christian community.

“I met the man before. He seems to be honest and highly respected. A very good man, a very spiritual man,” the pastor recalled. “He had a lot of contacts throughout China, both at the house church Christians as well as the official church.”

Campaign against Christians

The arrests come against the backdrop of an ongoing campaign against Christian crosses in Zhejiang. Since 2013 the government has forcibly removed more than 1,500 crosses from churches, claiming they are too large and violate building codes.

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