Chinese Christians face hefty fines for ‘illegal gatherings’
A court in a city in southeast China ordered a Protestant pastor and his wife to pay a fine equivalent to US$25,000 for allegedly organizing ‘illegal gatherings’ with house church Christians, reports a rights group.
Yang Xibo, pastor of Xunsiding Church at Xiamen in Fujian province, and his wife Wang Xiaofei were asked to pay the amount by the court after they lost an appeal against an administrative lawsuit, ChinaAid reported.
The couple was accused and fined for organizing illegal gatherings by Siming District People’s Government in July 2021. Their appeal for reconsideration of the penalty was rejected, forcing the couple to appeal against the decision from Xiamen Municipal Intermediate People’s Court.
The court revoked their appeal and upheld the initial administrative penalty.
Following the final verdict, Wang Xiaofei posted on social media, stating that they consider their ordeal as “the glory God granted them to join in Christ’s suffering.”
“For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in His steps,” she posted, quoting from 1 Peter 2:20-21.
Xunsiding Church is the largest house church in Xiamen. The church has a rich history in the city for the past 100 years, ChinaAid reported.
Both Yang’s aunt and father were significant figures in the Chinese house church, imprisoned for 15 and five years, respectively.
Yang Xibo is the 4th generation of preachers. The religious affairs bureau and other departments target Xunsiding Church due to their house church status. Leadership, like Yang and those before him, refuse to submit to the state-sanctioned Three-Self Church.
The church faced the state purge earlier as well.
On May 19, 2019, police shut down the church and imposed a fine of 25,000 yuan (US$3,600). Local government blockaded the church for a month and surveilled Christians.
The church members attempted to meet at different places, but their gatherings were always raided by police. Officers would regularly show up on Sundays to beat and arrest congregants. They even destroyed private property and forced members to send their kids to public schools.
