An Underground Church Pastor’s Detention Sparks International Response
In a dramatic escalation of tensions between the U.S. and China, the Trump administration has called for the immediate release of Pastor Jin Mingri, also known as Ezra Jin, who has been detained by Chinese authorities. Jin’s children hold American citizenship, adding complexity to the situation. This action is part of a broader crackdown on unregistered religious groups in China.
Jin, the head of Zion Church, was apprehended at his home in Beihai, Guangxi Province, as reported by his daughter. Simultaneously, nearly 30 other leaders and members from Zion Church vanished or were detained across various cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, according to The New York Times.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly condemned these detentions, urging the Chinese government to permit people of all faiths to worship freely. “This crackdown further demonstrates how the CCP exercises hostility towards Christians who reject Party interference in their faith and choose to worship at unregistered house churches,” Rubio stated in an official statement.
Jin, who founded the Zion Church in 2007, has been a prominent figure in China’s underground church movement. His church grew rapidly, securing its place as one of the largest underground congregations in the country. Jin’s past includes participation in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, an event that led to his conversion to Christianity. He later pursued theological studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in California.
After Chinese authorities shut down its Beijing sanctuary in 2018, Zion Church transitioned to online services, which reportedly attracted up to 10,000 participants across platforms like Zoom, YouTube, and WeChat, as per a report from The Wall Street Journal.
Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, who works as a U.S. Senate staffer, shared that her father has been leading the church remotely while under surveillance in China. His wife, Chunli Liu, resides in the U.S. with their three children. “They are afraid of my husband’s influence,” Liu stated in a video interview. Grace revealed that her father attempted to renew his U.S. visa at the embassy in Beijing but was detained and forced to leave the capital. His family has lost contact with him since his detention, leaving them uncertain about any formal charges.
U.S.-based Zion Church leader Pastor Sean Long expressed concerns that Jin could be charged for disseminating religious content online, an act now under stricter regulation. Church leaders fear Jin might face a lengthy prison sentence.
Grace Jin mentioned her father’s intentions to step back from his leadership role and reunite with his family, expressing uncertainty about the timing and nature of the current crackdown. Congregants share these concerns, fearing an expanded campaign against church leadership.
Bob Fu of the ChinaAid Association called the crackdown “the most extensive and coordinated wave of persecution” against underground churches in over four decades. Corey Jackson of Luke Alliance warned of further deterioration, highlighting this as the most significant crackdown since 2018.
Though the Chinese Constitution ostensibly guarantees religious freedom, the Communist Party only acknowledges state-sanctioned religious bodies. These groups, along with unregistered house churches, face government scrutiny and intervention. Under Xi Jinping, the government has intensified its control over unofficial religious groups, labeling some as cults and encouraging public reporting on them.
This article was originally written by www.christianpost.com
