Chinese Christian Leader’s Daughter Appeals for Global Support Amid Intensified Crackdown
As China tightens its grip on religious practices, the international community’s attention turns to the plight of its underground Christian community. Grace Jin Drexel, the daughter of a well-known Chinese pastor, is urging fellow Christians worldwide to remember and pray for those facing persecution in her homeland.
“We know that we are part of a global Christian community, and so we just call out for prayer and call out not to forget us and not to forget the Christians in China,” said Grace Jin Drexel during an interview with Fox News.
Drexel’s father, Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, was detained earlier this month at his home in Beihai, Guangxi Province. Accused of “illegal use of information networks,” Drexel suggests these charges are fabricated and politically motivated. A report by the BBC reveals he is currently held at Beihai Number Two prison.
Pastor Jin, a protester in the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations, founded Zion Church, a major unregistered church in China. Despite its official closure in 2018 by Chinese authorities, the church continues to thrive online, hosting up to 10,000 worshippers across platforms like Zoom, YouTube, and WeChat, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In tandem with Jin’s arrest, around 30 other leaders and members of Zion Church were similarly detained or went missing in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, reports The New York Times.
Bill Drexel, Grace’s husband and a fellow at the Hudson Institute, remarked on the severity of the situation, describing it as “the most extensive singular crackdown on any church in China in the last 40 years.” He indicated that the Chinese government may be bracing for challenging times ahead, leading to an intensified clampdown. “They want to tighten the screws so that they have absolute control in case they’re afraid that there’s public unrest,” he noted.
Despite the grim outlook, Grace Jin Drexel remains hopeful. “I definitely, as a Christian, I also believe in miracles, and we are calling for a full, unconditional and immediate release of my family, as well as those 21 others who are detained,” she expressed, acknowledging the potential for a protracted legal struggle.
The United States government, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has condemned the arrests. An October 12 statement from Rubio called on Chinese authorities to release the detainees and permit religious freedom without fear of retaliation. “This crackdown further demonstrates how the CCP exercises hostility towards Christians who reject Party interference in their faith,” Rubio said.
China’s Foreign Minister Lin Jian responded to U.S. criticisms, asserting that the foreign intervention under the guise of religious issues interferes with China’s internal affairs, according to a report by NPR.
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
