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Religious gatherings must stop in parts of China.
House churches where members meet in private houses are targeted.
The ban has closed house churches in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Anhui and Henan provinces recently.
The latest ban has closed a house church in Sichuan province.
It has to stop meeting under rules that govern religious gatherings.
This is because its pastors are not government-appointed and it is not a licensed church.
Zhang Mingxuan, a pastor and president of the Chinese House Church Alliance said there is a large operation against house churches taking place throughout China.
He described it as “harrassment”.
He also said it “directly contradicts China’s own laws and its supposed commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”.
The latest “Notice of Order to Reform” was issued to Pastor Zhang Daichun.
It said he was guilty of gathering Christians in the 40th building of Jiuzhaigou Garden in Yongle County “to perform Christian activities (sing hymns, pray, chant) since 2010”.
Pastor Zhang had 15 days to stop letting Christians in to worship.
This includes stopping the hymn singing, praying and chanting.
Invited preachers were also banned in the notice, both from China and abroard.
“If you fail to make the corrections by the deadline, this department will impose administrative penalties according to the law,” the notice says.
Source
- Christian Today
- Image: www.chinaaid.org
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