VOM Expresses Continued Concern for Detained Pastor

A ministry to the persecuted Church has expressed deep concerns over the arrest of a prominent China house church leader in China earlier this month.

By Kenneth Chan, Friday, December 31, 2004

A ministry to the persecuted Church has expressed deep concerns over the arrest of a prominent China house church leader in China earlier this month. Since Pastor Jhang Rongliang was arrested by Chinese Communist officers on Dec. 1, he has not been heard from since.

"They confiscated the pictures of him with foreigners, which could mean that they will charge with something they have charged other Christians with, which is releasing what they call 'top secret information' to organizations outside of China," explained Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs to AgapePress.

Nettleton said the so-called "top secret" information shares how Christians in China are being arrested and tortured. "That is information that the Chinese government simply does not want the world to know," he added.

"It is not a free country," Nettleton told AgapePress. "We sort of think if they sell us all the [consumer] goods, and if we can go and visit there, and if there is a church building that's standing and has the doors open, it must be free. But the reality for the people on the street in China is that it is a hundred and eighty degrees away from being free."

Nettleton maintained that the Communist-led Chinese government wants to control every aspect of Chinese society. That is why believers in the U.S. "need to be speaking out on behalf of the people of China," Nettleton said. This includes contacting the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC.

According to AgapePress, the VOM official is fearful that Jhang will face an especially harsh sentence as he leads the China for Christ Church—a church network estimated to have more than ten million members.

Earlier this month, UK-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide expressed similar concerns. “We are gravely concerned for Pastor Zhang, especially for his health,” said Stuart Windsor, CSW’s National Director. “In previous detentions the police have shown themselves ruthless in their torture of Pastor Zhang and we fear for his welfare if he is subjected to similar treatment in his current medical condition.”

Last week, Amnesty International issued an 'Urgent Action' appeal, asking for the immediate and unconditional release of Zhang.