100 Christians snatched in overnight raids on underground Chinese church

About 100 worshippers at an unofficial church in southwestern China were snatched from their homes or from the streets in coordinated raids which began on Sunday evening.

Chinese authorities targeted members of the Early Rain Covenant Church across various districts of Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, in what appeared to be an effort to close down one of the country’s most prominent Protestant house churches.

Members’ personal accounts and cell group discussions on social media channels were blocked at around 9pm on Sunday while the church’s telephone line was also cut. The homes of the church’s leaders, including pastor Wang Yi, were among those raided.

Many house churches have been closed this year in China’s harshest religious suppression in decades.

Bob Fu of China Aid, a US-based Christian non-profit organization, said the crackdown represented a major escalation of religious persecution in China.

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