MXp

GONG SHENGLIANG - den fängslade ledaren för South China Church - åter mishandlad (enligt CAA China Aid Online) Läs rapporten från:  MKV Martyrkyrkans Vänner

Kina installerar en kontroversiell ny katolsk biskop denna söndag i en ceremoni som reflekterar splittringen mellan Vatikanen och den godkända CCP 'katolska' kyrkan. Händelsen splittrar många bybor i ett starkt katolskt område. Biskopsvigningen utan påvligt erkännande ägde rum i den lilla staden Ningde i Mindong stiftet i östra Kinas Fujian provins. "Underground"-kyrkan har omkring 60,000 till 70,000 medlemmar med omkring 46 präster i stiftet. den statligt kontrollerade 'katolska' kyrkan har 6.000 medlemmar och sex präster. - Kina har omkring 10 miljoner katoliker, men de är uppsplittrade i en "under-ground" kyrka lojal mot påven och i en statligt godkänd kyrka, vars medlemmar respekterar påven men saknar formella band till Vatikanen. - Se artikeln: Move underscores row between Vatican, China's Catholic church - CNN

REFLEKTION Händelsen återspeglar hur Kinas CCP-regim i praktiken betraktar alla kristna alltifrån protestaner till katoliker som sekter. Den bedjande kyrkan påminns om alla trons syskon i Kina som förföljs...

Om Back to Jerusalem:
Se den svenska hemsidan - BTJ 

Ljus i Öster i Sverige är synnerligen delaktig i denna vision. Se: M'Xp 060316

Det finns en stor överlåtelse till visionen från den kinesiska underjordskyrkan. Visionen stöds av ett stort antal nyckelledare bland husförsamlingskyrkan, men också av många ledare ute i världen. Back to Jerusalem-rörelsen är någonting alldeles extra i sin vidd och omfattning och komplext. Och den uppfattas också som kontroversiell av somliga, men mitt uppe i allt som sker tycks Gud själv vara med och stärka och styrka visionen bland kinesiska troende. Man når ut till onådda delar av Kina såväl som ute i världen.

REFLEKTION
Låt oss bedja för denna vision och om Guds nåd och beskydd över
visionen i den tid som är just nu... Se FAQ/Answers & Questions

China's state-sanctioned Roman Catholic Church ordained a new bishop Sunday, rejecting the Vatican's request to delay the appointment and threatening efforts to restore official ties between the sides after five decades.  China's Foreign Ministry defended the official church's right to ordain bishops without Vatican input and called the Holy See's criticism of such appointments "groundless."

Catholics in the mainland are only allowed to worship at churches run by the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. However, millions of worshippers belong to underground churches loyal to the Vatican. Those who meet in such churches are frequently harassed, fined and sometimes sent to labor camps.
Read all the Article... Newsday/AP

VOM Prayer Watch sent today an e-mail with info and a prayer request concerning Zhang Rongliang.
See:  Voice of the Martyrs Australia. With licence today 06/04/2006 from Nancy von Schimmelmann Compass Direct M'Xp is publishing the story about Zhang Ronliang below.

Please pray for Zhang Rongliang and his wife, Chen Hongxian, as the court case is held today.  Pray that they will be strengthened physically and spiritually, that justice will be done and Pastor Zhang released.  Pray for his health to be restored so that he can continue to spread the gospel message in China.

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Zhang Rongliang the house church leader has spent 16 months in custody; Christians hope for "truth and justice". A major Chinese house church leader is scheduled for a potentially decisive court hearing today April 6 after more than 16 months in police custody.

Zhang Rongliang, 55, was arrested by Henan police without charges on December 1, 2004. Only months later was he charged with "attaining a passport through cheating" and with "illegal border crossing".
Chinese authorities often deny passports to well-known house church leaders. Previously Zhang had been detained five times and spent a total of 12 years in prison for his religious activities.
"This will be his third hearing" said a co-worker who asked to remain anonymous. "This time I hope the court can make an independent decision based on truth and justice."

Zhang, who has suffered from diabetes for six years and high blood pressure for four years, has spent most of his time in the hospital since December 19, 2005, but officials believe he is well enough to attend the hearing.
Zhang is a key leader of the China for Christ house church movement, formerly known as Fangcheng but renamed by Zhang in October 2004. During a court hearing in 2005, Zhang said the movement was now 10 million strong, though other estimates put the number at 1 million.
Zhang also co-authored a joint house church "Confession of Faith" written in 1999, to plead for clemency during a widespread government crackdown against "cult" movements.

Following his arrest, authorities confiscated Christian DVDs and other materials from Zhang's house that allegedly linked him with foreign Christians. Contact with foreign co-religionists can constitute illegal activity in China.
A few of Zhang's relatives and church members were allowed to attend two court hearings in the People's Court of Xinmi city on June 6 and August 2, 2005.

Xu Zhijun, the chief judge at these hearings, later told Zhang's family that he had no personal grudge against Zhang and that he would judge his case fairly according to the law. But four months later, in December 2005, officials suddenly transferred Zhang to a prison in Zhongmu city, about 60 kilometers away from Xinmi.

By that time, Zhang had been held in police custody for 12 months. Although a verdict had not yet been issued, he had already served the maximum sentence for anyone found guilty of using a false passport.

According to one government official sympathetic to the plight of house church members, the Zhengzhou City Political and Legal Committee was displeased with an impending decision by the People's Court of Xinmi to dismiss all charges and release Zhang. The Zhengzhou committee therefore asked the Zhongmu city court to re-examine the case.

Officials in Zhongmu refused to accept Zhang, however, fearing he might die in their custody as a result of serious health problems. Zhang was then admitted to the Xinmi city People's Hospital on December 19, 2005, where he stayed until January 23. One witness reported seeing Zhang handcuffed and chained to his hospital bed.
Later Zhang was transferred to a Zhongmu City hospital, where he spent most of February and March. Doctors have advised him to remain there for treatment.

Hospital staff have confirmed the diabetes and high blood pressure and diagnosed four other chronic health problems.
"I am really concerned about his health" said Zhang's wife, Chen Hongxian, in a recent interview. "This is so unfair. Why are we house church Christians being treated like second-class citizens in our own country?"

Chinese house church historian Zhang Yinan, released from prison on September 2005, feels strongly about the passport issue.
Zhang Yinan was arrested on September 26, 2003 and imprisoned for two years on charges of "attempting to subvert the national government" for his efforts to document the condition of Chinese house churches. He applied for a passport earlier this year, after friends in the United
States invited him to attend the 56th National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C.

Authorities knew of the invitation and rejected his application. An estimated 50 to 60 policemen took turns guarding his apartment in Henan for three weeks, from the time of his application until February 1, the day before the prayer meeting began.

"Freedom of religion includes the freedom to travel and fellowship with Christians worldwide" Zhang Yinan said. "As citizens of the People's Republic of China, every Christian has the right to have a passport to travel freely abroad."
He noted that the government grants passports to Chinese Muslims for pilgrimages to Mecca but denies them to many house church leaders.
Civil authorities have rejected passport applications from several other top leaders of the China for Christ house church movement.
One of them is Han Yongqin, a co-worker of imprisoned pastor Zhang Rongliang since the 1980s. A few months ago, when her daughter applied for a passport for overseas study, the police asked her to bring her mother in for questioning.
"I just don't understand the logic here" said Han. "Pastor Zhang and I have been on the blacklist for many years. But why should the police pick on our children?"

Chinese house church leaders said there appeared to be no channel for open dialogue with the government on this issue.
As for Zhang, his wife Chen hopes the hearing on Thursday will bring a positive resolution.
"I hope my husband can come home soon, so that I can take good care of his health" she said.

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Copyright 2006 Compass Direct

Den svenska kristenheten - 
förutom biskop Anders i Stockholms stift - kunde månne följa efter  både Utrikesutskottet och dess agerande och Vatikanen. 

Läs: The Pope and the secret Christians in China

REFLEKTION Den 5e oktaven i Fastan inför Långredag-Påsk kan kanske vara den vecka som blir speciell ur flera perspektiv, inte minst det östliga. Österns assyriska kyrka var först i Kina, nu kanske hon får ett sentida större sällskap... 

Pastor Zhang Rongliang, ledare för rörelsen "Kina för Kristus" med ca 10 miljoner medlemmar arresterades i november 2004 i byn Zuhai i Henan-provinsen. Läs om pastor Zhang

Kringskuren frihet för religionsfrihetsförespråkare 
En framstående kinesisk aktivist, som arbetar för kristnas rättigheter i Kina, har fått sin frihet begränsad efter att han frisläpptes från fängelset.
 China Aid Association (CAA) rapporterar att den före detta läkaren Dr. Xu Yonghai från Peking har blivit ingående övervakad sedan han avtjänat sitt tvååriga fängelsestraff. Enligt Dr. Xu själv har den kinesiska säkerhetspolisen installerat tre övervakningskameror utanför hans bostad för att kunna följa med hans rörelser.
Läs om Dr. Xu Yonghai  

REFLEKTION
Den svenska kristenheten har observatörer i Kina och vet bl.a. genom Svenska kyrkan i utlandet [SKUT] om hur verkligheten ser ut för alla dem som betraktas utifrån "sekt"-perspektiv men spelar med i tystnaden. Martyrkyrkans Vänner i Finland och Sverige vet om pastor Zhang och Dr. Xu och alla andra.
I ett pressmeddelande under vecka 12 meddelas att man ska tillsätta en prästtjänst i Beijing. Varför? Svenska företag och marknadsutvecklingen i Kina innebär att många svenskar finns boende i Kina. Dessutom vill man finnas med inför Kina och OS 2008.

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* Tystnad i solidaritet med marknadens girighet. * Ingen solidaridet med ofriheten och förföljelsen av kristna trossyskon. 

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OFFICIELL VÄNLIGHET
men terror och hot bakom lyckta dörrar

 
Det officiella kinesiska ansiktet uppvisar en vänlig inställning gentemot religion. Engelskspråkiga magasin placeras ut på hotellen där turister och affärsfolk bor. Garanterad frihet utlovas för religiösa troende i Kina. 

Förläggaren Lin Liangqi skriver exempelvis i Beijing Review, utgiven den 4 april 2002, följande:” Religiösa aktiviteter tillhör det normala i Kina. Faktum är att Kina är ett land som har religionsfrihet. Detta är absolut inte tomt prat.”

Bakom detta vänlighetens officiella ansikte finns en annan verklighet. Man skymfar, misshandlar och torterar i hemliga rum på polisstationer och i fängelseceller. Detta fick exempelvis en kinesisk troende vid namn Ling Wang erfara förra året.

Ling Wang, 49, levde med sin make och dotter i rum 102 på institutet för konst i staden Shuqian, Jiangsu-provinsen. Den 18 april 2001 stormade tjänstemän från säkerhetstjänsten PSB in i hennes hem. ”Vi kommer från PSB” skrek de. Ni tillber Gud och predikar om honom helt olagligt, så vi är här för att göra husrannsakan och arrestera er.”

När Ling Wang bestred att hon hade överträtt någon lag svarade en tjänsteman från säkerhetspolisen: Ni är troende och kommer samman med andra troende i hemlighet. Detta är ett lagbrott.”

Man sökte igenom hela lägenheten, till och med i skor och garderobsutrymmen. Man fann och konfiskerade några biblar och sångböcker samt 200 Yaun i kontanter, vilket är drygt 200 kronor. Ling Wang och hennes dotter Xu Haiyan togs med till polisstationen.

Xu hölls i häkte under femton dagar och utsattes för ständiga förhör och även slag av förhörsledarna. ”Vilka är det som kommer på be-sök till din mor? På vilka platser brukar hon predika? Hur många troende kommer samman?” På detta sätt fortsatte ut-frågningarna med ständiga hot om fängelse på två år. Men Xu stod fast besluten att inte svara på frågorna och berätta om hennes mors kristna arbete.

Ling Wang utsattes för än hårdare förhörsmetoder non-stop under en veckas tid.

Förhörsledarna Miao Wu, Zhijun Cai och Zhao turades om att omväxlande slå och förhöra henne. ”Att tro på Gud är ett öppet uppror mot Partiet”, framhöll de. Ling Wang fick inte någon mat under en hel veckas tid. Hon höll ut i sitt lidande och valde att inte förråda sina troende vänner. Under hela två månader fortsatte förhören och tortyren i stadsfängelset. Varje kväll tvingades hon recitera fängelsebestämmelserna för vakterna. Om hon skulle glömma någon enda så uteblev kvällens knapphändiga matranson.

När två månader hade förflutit förde man ut henne med händerna bakbundna till en offentlig rättegång på marknadsplatsen. Dottern Xu berättade för oss senare. ”Jag såg min mor hur hon nätt och jämt kunde stå upprätt där på podiet. Hon hade okammat och smutsigt hår. Hennes ögon visade på utmattning och hennes magra, bleka ansikte tecken på fruktansvärd tortyr.” Efter en snabb rättegång, skickades Ling Wang till två års återanpassning via ett arbetsläger. Orsaken var ”medlemskap i en organisation betecknad som kult, illegala sammankomster, samt störande av allmän ordning.”

Den sista gången Xu såg sin mor föstes hon in i en bil för att forslas till arbetslägret för återanpassning av kvinnor i Nanjin.

Propagandan säger att Kinas medborgare äger tros- och religionsfrihet men polismyndigheterna talar ett annat språk: ”Att tro på Gud är ett öppet uppror mot Partiet”.

Kanske man i Kina menar att ordet trosfrihet står för att dyrka och tro på sina kommunistiska ledare?

Syster Tong släpptes från fängelset i januari detta år.
Hon hade suttit i ett av sydöstra Kinas fängelser i sex
månader. Hennes brott bestod i att hon hade lett en
oregistrerad husförsamlings sammankomster.

PSB tjänstemän gjorde en räd i en gudstjänst som
syster Tong ledde. Hon beordrades att sluta sin
predikan och följa med dem ut. På polisstationen
dit hon fördes, förhördes hon under timmar tillsammans
med andra troende.

Syster Tong blev dömd till fängelse i femton dagar men frigavs först efter sex månader. I Kina kan polisen hålla folk fängslade upp till tre år utan en formell rättegång.

I fängelset delade hon cell med 17 andra kvinnor. Där fanns inte tillräckligt med sängar så man alternerade att sova i säng och på golvet. Trots dessa fruktansvärda förhållanden så är de första orden hon uttalar med hänvisning till sin fängelsetid endast tacksägelse till Gud. Hon talar om hur Gud välsignat henne så rikt. ”Att bli arresterad var för mig inget problem”, menar hon. ”Jag var så van vid polisens taktik och sätt att agera därför att jag så ofta har tagits i förhör på polisstationen. Jag hade stor frid och glädje i mitt hjärta när jag följde med dem ut”, berättar hon.

Polisen förbjöd henna att predika om Jesu kärlek och Hans erbjudande om frälsning. Men i sitt svar till en högre instans än den lokala polismyndigheten meddelade hon att detta är helt omöjligt.

Satan vill att Kinas kristna skall bli skrämda och fly ifrån denna andliga kamp, men syster Tong och andra troende vägrar.

”Bibeln säger att vi ska predika evangeliet för dem som ännu inte tror”, framhåller hon. ”Bibeln säger också att vi inte ska frukta utan tro. Det finns ingen anledning till fruktan”. Polisen sa: ”Du får inte predika evangeliet!” Men bibelns säger: Predika evangelium! Vi lyder bibeln.”

Kristna som syster Tong är betydelsefulla soldater i kriget om Kina.

Genom trogna missionsvänner har det varit möjligt för oss att bistå syster Tong och andra troende med litteratur i den region där de verkar i Kina

Källa: MISSION 2000

* Bildtext/REVIEW: Kinesiska magasinstidningar, tryckta på engelska basunerar ut landets "garanterade" religionsfrihet. De kristna i landet kan berätta en helt annan historia

* Bildtext/KRISTEN LITTERATUR: En kvinna som olagligt läser kristen litteratur från Martyrernas Röst.

About the religious policy in China
See following Update Intercessors Network article below

20/03/2006
/Dag Sr

***
 

CHINA: DESPITE NEW REGULATIONS,
RELIGIOUS POLICY STILL UNDER STRAIN
By Hans Petersen
 
One year after China promulgated new Religious Affairs Regulations, it is difficult to quantify their practical effect on the implementation of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) religious policies at the grassroots. One thing is clear, though - the government’s increasingly hard-line policy on religion is itself coming under increasing strain.
The new Regulations - in forty-eight detailed articles - were promulgated by the State Council in November 2004 and took effect on 1 March 2005.
 
On the surface it might appear that, as China remains a one-Party State controlled by the CCP at every level, religious affairs are simply a matter of the Party/State’s fiat. However, the fact that the new Regulations took six years to draft shows that matters are not quite that simple. China still awaits the promulgation of a comprehensive religious law (as opposed to mere regulations). The government appears to favour a law which focuses on administrative control of religion, whereas many religious leaders themselves would prefer a law which focuses on the protection of the democratic rights of religious believers. Both Christians and Buddhists in China have debated this important issue. However, religion remains a highly sensitive topic for the government, which is unlikely to relax its tight control of religious affairs.
 
On every side, religious faith and practice is burgeoning in China. Buddhism and Islam are intertwined with the nationalist aspirations for greater autonomy (or even complete independence) of the Tibetan, Mongol and Uygur peoples. Buddhism, Daoism and folk-religion are on the rise among the majority Han Chinese population. The majority of Catholics are loyal to the Pope and there is a vigorous network of underground bishops and priests. Explosive growth continues among unregistered Protestant house-churches. As former President Jiang Zemin admitted, “Religion is no small affair”.
 
Even the definition of what is a “religion” - and particularly a “legal religion” - is under debate, not just among religious communities and academics but among officials too. Since the early 1950s the CCP’s religious policies have tolerated only five major religions - Buddhism, Daoism, Islam, Protestantism and Catholicism (without official ties to the Vatican). Only these five religions are allowed legal existence with their own “patriotic” religious associations, religious buildings and seminaries and tightly-controlled religious publishing outlets. The 2005 Regulations appear to assume the continuation of this artificial and arbitrary definition of legalised religions.
 
In practice, tensions have emerged which make the whole ideological foundation of control of religious affairs increasingly out of touch with reality. For instance, the Russian Orthodox Church still has a small foothold in both the far north-east (Harbin in Heilongjiang) and the far north-west (Xinjiang) of China (and possibly elsewhere). In Harbin it has had one active church operating with the full approval of the local authorities for many years. Yet on the national level, Orthodoxy is still not on the approved list of legally-recognised religions and so remains technically proscribed.
 
Other Christian denominations are in a similar position to the Orthodox.  Seventh-day Adventists are allowed to meet separately on officially-registered Protestant church premises but are not allowed a legal identity as a separate denomination. Nor are any other Protestant denominations which were all formally abolished in 1958 when the Three Self Patriotic Movement forcibly “unified” all the Protestant churches under CCP pressure.
There are clear advantages for government control in having a united Protestant church. But should Chinese Christians be denied the right to re-establish their former churches (such as Anglicans, Methodists and Presbyterians) if they so wish? Adherents of the Bah’ai faith, of Mormonism, and of Jehovah’s Witnesses exist in China in small numbers but are not allowed any legal existence. Hindus, Sikhs and members of other faiths visit China and live there to conduct business, but they, too, are denied any legal expression of their faith.
 
More seriously, at least in terms of the numbers of people involved, is the government’s seeming inability to define clear boundaries between licit “religion” (zongjiao) and illicit “feudal superstition” (fengjian mixin). In its first major policy statement on the management of religious affairs since the Cultural Revolution, the CCP stated in 1982: “We should make a clear distinction between normal religious activities and feudal superstitious activities. We should not allow those reactionary superstitious sects and secret societies and sorcerers and sorceresses that we have banned to resume their activities. We should ban and severely punish all those who carry out superstitious activities to lure the people and defraud them of their money and property.”
 
Over the last twenty years, “folk religion” (however defined) has made a major comeback. Forum 18 News Service has observed many people on the streets reading palms and engaging in other clearly “feudal superstitions”. In most cases these seem to be tolerated. Further, the boundaries between what is “religious” and what is magical and superstitious even within the officially-tolerated religions of Buddhism and Daoism (particularly the latter) are far from clear.
At the provincial level, religious affairs regulations issued in recent years (and which still seem to be in force) appear to reflect this confusion, at least on paper. In some provinces, “feudal superstition” is still clearly condemned. For instance, Article 31 of the Hainan Regulations (published in Hainan Daily, 22 October 1997) state bluntly:
 
“Nobody can use religion to undertake feudal superstitious activities or to cheat people of their money”. More recently, Article 24 of the Jiangsu Regulations (published in Wujiang Daily, 15 July 2002) go even further in spelling out what is proscribed: “It is forbidden to carry out the Bagua (Eight Diagrams), fortune-telling, physiognamy, glyphomancy, fengshui (geomancy), exorcism, healing and other feudal superstitious activities at [registered] religious sites.”
Even here, however, the Regulation is far from clear: what is the status of all these activities OUTSIDE registered “religious sites” (which clearly refers only to the temples and churches of the recognised five major religions)? Are these activities banned everywhere else in the province? Or, conversely, is this a subtle admission of the authorities that they have lost the battle against “superstition” and can only hope to control it to some extent on “patriotic” religious premises?
 
The religious regulations of several other provinces - such as Zhejiang and Liaoning - make no mention of the need to crack down on “feudal superstition” at all. Beijing went further - in 2002 it dropped an article from its original draft religious regulations condemning “fortune-telling, palm-reading and exorcisms and healings”. When the new law was publicised the fact that these activities were now legal was actually highlighted with the heading: “Beijing Promulgates Its Religious Law: Fortune-telling and Exorcism are Legal at Religious Sites”.
In view of this confusion, is it coincidental that in the new March 2005 Religious Regulations there is a deafening silence on this important and controversial issue? (The only brief reference which might be taken to refer to it is the stereotypical and catch-all Article 3 which states: “No organisation or individual may make use of religion to engage in activities that disrupt public order, impair the health of citizens or interfere with the educational system of the State.”) Otherwise, no mention is made of “feudal superstition” at all.
 
Article 3 also states: “The State in accordance with the law protects normal (zhengchang) religious activities.” The problem for religious believers in China is that the CCP fiercely upholds its arbitrary prerogative to define what is “normal” and what is “abnormal”. One obvious implication of the government’s failure to distinguish between “religion” and “feudal superstitions” is that religious worshippers will always be concerned that they could be seen as practising feudal superstitions if the categories are not clearly delineated. Yet should it be the government’s right to make such distinctions in the first place?
 
The government’s arbitrary prerogative also affects children’s rights to participate in religious activity. In most other countries, the rights of children to attend religious meetings freely are upheld as natural - as international law requires. In China, however, for many years the CCP has strongly discouraged under-18-year-olds from becoming religious believers.  The March 2005 Regulations make no mention of this ban, and this is regarded by some as a step forward. The reality seems to be that whatever paper regulations may state or not state, the CCP keeps a jealous hold on children and youth.
 
This was dramatically highlighted by reports from the largely Muslim area of Xinjiang in north-western China earlier this year. Radio Free Asia quoted Muslim religious leaders as declaring that children under 18 are now being forbidden entry into mosques across the region (as are CCP members). A devout Muslim school teacher has been dismissed after 20 years service just for being a Muslim. Recent visitors report complaints from local people in scores of other cases of religious discrimination, including arbitrary arrests and severe restrictions on religious activities.
 
For Chinese Christians, the vexed question of registration of religious meetings has been a perennial problem. The new Regulations state categorically that all religious meetings have to be registered and obtain permission from the local religious affairs bureau. Article 43 states:
“Where a site for religious activities is established without approval or a site originally for religious activities continues to carry them out after its registration has been cancelled, or an institute for religious education is established without approval, the religious affairs department shall ban such a site or institute and confiscate its illegal gains.”
 
In reality, there are more Christians across China worshipping in “illegal” churches (whether Protestant house-churches or “underground” Catholic churches loyal to the Vatican) than there are attending the “patriotic” churches. Chinese Christians are law-abiding but many refuse to countenance State interference in the churches’ internal spiritual affairs. At the end of 2005, senior house-church leaders in Shanghai and Beijing confirmed to Forum 18 that they had not heard of any house-churches registering under the new March 2005 Regulations.
 
In 2004-5 a few younger Beijing house-church leaders (mostly young professionals) had been considering whether to attempt registration directly with the government, while avoiding control by the Three Self Patriotic Movement, which they found theologically abhorrent. However, such hopes were brutally stifled when in December 2005 and January 2006 police raided Beijing house-churches largely attended by university-educated young professionals. Just after Christmas 2005 Pastor Jin Tianming, who pastors at least nine house-churches in the university Haidian district, was held overnight at a police-station for questioning.  China Aid reported that dozens of other leaders in his church were also interrogated.
 
Then, on 8 January 2006 and again on 15 January four police agents rushed into the apartment building where members of the Beijing Ark House Church were holding their normal Sunday worship meeting and told the congregation that they were an “illegal religious meeting-place” because it was not registered. Many of the members are prominent lawyers and writers.

More sinister was the alleged murder attempt on Gao Zhisheng, a prominent Christian lawyer who has taken up cases of brutality against both the proscribed Falun Gong practitioners and house-church Christians in Xinjiang. On the afternoon of 18 January a car with a deliberately covered number plate suddenly accelerated and tried to run down Gao, who only escaped death by throwing himself into an alley. He has subsequently launched a hunger strike for “the restoration of human rights in China”.
The authorities could not have given a more brutal rebuff to the conciliatory stance of the Beijing Christian intellectuals. It appears to be a clear signal to the house-churches that registration directly with the authorities, while maintaining continuing independence from the Three Self Patriotic Movement, is not an option.
 
The new Regulations have a whole chapter (no. 5) containing eight articles dealing with “religious property”. Article 30 states: “No organisation or individual may encroach upon, loot, privately divide up, damage, destroy, or illegally seal up, impound, freeze, confiscate or dispose of the legal property of a religious body.”
This seems to guarantee watertight protection for the property of the five legal religions. But events over the last year, particularly with regard to seizures of Catholic property, show that paper regulations count for little in reality.
 
The most horrifying incident came last November in the central city of Xi’an, when armed thugs attacked Catholic nuns peaceably demonstrating for the return of property legally theirs. Several nuns were badly injured and had to be hospitalised, with one losing her sight in one eye. The brutal assault drew widespread international condemnation and outraged the Chinese Catholic community who tried to share the news before the authorities clamped down on websites based in China.
Demonstrations also took place for similar reasons in Tianjin while, as UCANews reported in October 2005, in Hanzhong the (patriotic state-approved) bishop had earlier issued an urgent appeal accusing the city’s Civil Affairs Bureau of denying the church’s legal right to its own property. In all these cases, it seems the Catholic Church had fallen foul of greedy developers allied with corrupt officials seeking to get their hands on valuable church property.
 
In conclusion, the year that has passed since the promulgation of the new Regulations has seen no hint of liberalisation of religious policy - rather the reverse. Religious policy is still implemented by fiat by the CCP in an arbitrary fashion according to its own political requirements rather than by the rule of law. The situation is increasingly serious both internally and internationally. Inside China, religious believers of all hues are much more vocal in demanding their rights. To them, the CCP’s religious policies appear repressive and moribund. Overseas, China’s image has received severe blows. In the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, international attention on religious freedom violations and human rights more widely is likely to increase.
 
The government of Hu Jintao has taken a step backwards even compared to that of Jiang Zemin, himself no liberal. The top-heavy structure for controlling religious affairs seems to be creaking at the seams. Greater freedom for China’s hard-pressed religious believers seems to be only a matter of time as economic and social forces converge to loosen the CCP’s control. Will the government bow to the inevitable and seek to create a better environment for religious practice or will it resist genuine reform to the last? The events of the last year show that the latter outcome is - sadly and unnecessarily - more likely.
 
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The Normal Christian Life
Watchman Nee
 
“What is the normal Christian life?  We do well at the outset to ponder this question.  The object of these studies is to show that it is something very different from the life of the average Christian.  Indeed a consideration of the written Word of God—of the Sermon on the Mount for example—should lead us to ask whether such a life has ever in act been lived upon the earth, save only by the Son of God Himself.  But in that last saving clause lies immediately the answer to our question.
The Apostle Paul gives us his own definition of the Christian life in Galatians 2:20.  It is “no longer I, but Christ”.  Here he is not stating something special or peculiar—a high level of Christianity.  He is, we believe, presenting God’s normal for a Christian, which can be summarized in the words:  I live no longer, but Christ lives His life in me.”
 

Fourteen rich chapters on what is to be labelled as normalcy, defined as a foundation for a spiritual growth unto maturity.
 
As usual, available on request.
Tell us if you want to receive this item as text in
an ordinary e-mail or as a MS WORD file via e-mail.
Intercessors.Network@Comhem.se
 
--------------
 

Intercessors engaged in this prayer operation in more than 5000 prayer groups and churches in 115 nations.
The networking factor increases and multiplies the number to a degree beyond estimation.
 
Please, take part as watchmen reporting events in need of prayer cover – send articles found on the web and elsewhere or your own writings.
 
The articles sent to the Network may be freely circulated via e-mail; display on web sites not allowed.
 
Encourage your friends to partake in intercession and tell them about the possibility to link up to Intercessors Network.
--------------
 

Give the king knowledge of Your way of judging, O God
and the spirit of your righteousness to the king’s son to control his actions.
Psalms 72:1  Amplified version.
 
*******************************
 
PRIORITY NUMBER ONE:
PRAY FOR MEN IN AUTHORITY, 1 TIM 2:1-4
 
Lars Widerberg
Intercessors Network
Storskiftesgatan 87
S-58334 Linkoping, Sweden
 
Intercessors.Network@Comhem.se
 
Phone + Fax:  +46 13 213630

----------

MORE CHINESE CHRISTIANS ARRESTED
While raids on unregistered churches in China are frequent, the Chinese government’s opposition to so-called “illegal evil cults” took a different turn on March 6 when an officially registered church was raided for allegedly providing “illegal evil cult” training. 
An eyewitness told China Aid sources that a Three-Self Patriotic Church in the village of Qiaozhuang, Henan Province was raided by Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers as fifty Christians were receiving Bible training from Pastor Liu Tuanjie.
 
Pastor Liu is from Shangshui County in Henan Province. According to Chinese regulations, even within government churches, church leaders can only minister in their designated areas.
Pastor Liu and two other church leaders, Mr. Li Xueqin and Ms. Ma were taken into custody. Ma was released after her family paid a fine.  As of March 10, Liu and Li remained in custody.
----------

CHINESE MUSICIAN PLACED UNDER HOUSE ARREST
China Aid reported on March 10 that a prominent Chinese musician, Su Wenxing, was recently placed under house arrest.  Su is regarded as one of the best conductors in the country.  In April 2004, a performance of Handel’s Messiah by the China National Orchestra conducted by Su was abruptly cancelled without reason. Su was reportedly told by guards at his door that he could face arrest if he continues his “provocative (evangelistic) activities” through music.
On March 6, two house church leaders were taken by PSB officers from their homes in Baihe County, Shanxi Province. Both Pastor Ruan Yonggui and Pastor Liu Fukao belong to a well-known House Church group called China Gospel Fellowship.
 
Pray that these arrested leaders will be released soon and that they will have opportunities to share Christ with others while in custody. Pray for renewed determination on the part of Chinese church leaders to continue to follow Christ regardless of the cost. Pray that the eyes of world leaders will be opened to the reality of China’s restrictive anti-religious policies.

*******************************
 
PRIORITY NUMBER ONE:
PRAY FOR MEN IN AUTHORITY, 1 TIM 2:1-4
 
Lars Widerberg
Intercessors Network
Storskiftesgatan 87
S-58334 Linkoping, Sweden
E-address: Intercessors Network

’Hela vägen gick han med’ är Efterskriftens rubrik i boken DEN SVÅRA VÄGEN återberättat av broder David och Lela Gilbert (ISBN 91-7218-135-4), HFs Förlag. Boken handlar om den kinesiske ledargestalten
Wang Ming Dao (1900-1991).

Denne var under 1930- och 1940-talen ”store eldsprofet” - enligt bokens översättare Sven Kårbrant – ibland kallad ”Kinas Johannes Döpare”. Han har med Watchman Nee räknats bland Kinas främsta evangeliska förkunnare.

Wilgot Fritzon besökte honom 1980 och fick göra den första intervjun med honom efter att han frigivits efter över tjugo år i fängelse för sin kristna tros skull. Wilgot Fritzon skriver att han är ”en fysiskt bruten man, nästan döv, till hälften blind, nästan tandlös och med ett gnagande magsår. Men andligen var han stark som ett ungt lejon”. När den 80-årige kinesen fick frågor om fängelsetiden undvek han att beskriva det lidande han genomgått. Men han berättade hur han hela tiden levt fullständigt isolerad från familjen. Inte ett enda brev fick han ta emot. Han såg inte skymten av en bibel. När man kom in på dem som tillfogat honom all smärta under åren svarade han:


”När Gud har förlåtit mig så mycket, varför skulle jag då inte förlåta dem som gjort mig illa?” Han summerade de tjugotre åren med orden ”De många fängelseåren har varit som ett universitet för mig. Genom lidande och prövningar har jag mognat. De 23 åren har varit som en enda lång smekmånad med Jesus.”

Flera som besökt honom har berättat att den gamle Wang Ming Dao brukade sjunga sången ”Hela vägen går han med mig”, och gjort det så gott som dagligen under fängelseåren. Sången blev en signaturmelodi för honom. Hela denna sångtext är ju en bekräftelse på Guds trofasta omsorg vad som än händer i livet. (Se sångtexten här nedan!)

Ett halvår innan Wang Ming Dao dog besöktes han i Shanghai av svenskarna Anders och Micael Gustavsson. De frågade honom om han hade någon speciell hälsning att ge till Sveriges kristna, och han svarade med att citera från 1 Kor 16:13-14.

* Imperfect People Do God's Will, an article from Open Doors

August 7, 1954 - What Wang Ming-Dao Preached before His Arrest, see:  Christian History Institute.

Om den patriotiska och religiöst godkända Tre-Självrörelsen och dess hållning till de kristna protestantiska husförsamlingarna - med stor sannolikhet över 50 miljoner medlemmar uttalar sig Cao Shengjie, kallad ”Fru Marx”, för några år sedan. Läs artikel av Wilgot Fritzon, Ljus i Öster.

* Kort biografi om Wang Ming Dao, se: Wikipedia

REFLEKTION
Den svenska kristenheten fick en hälsning av Wang Ming Dao för 15 år sedan: 
Vaka, stå fasta i tron.
Var manliga och starka.
Låt allt hos er ske i kärlek. De orden är ännu i dag en utmaning för oss 2006. Det finns hos många en brinnande tro och övertygelse om att inom några få år ska murar rasa samman och tortyrens och förföljelsernas tid ska vara över. Den mur av tystnad som idag råder i stora delar av samhället, den muren - Tystnadens mur - ska komma att falla precis såsom Berlinmuren föll efter år av bön, den 9 november 1989.  Inför denna nya frihet för Kina är textorden ”Hela vägen går han med mig” med vittnesbördet från Wang Ming Dao och hans 91-åriga liv en kinesisk gudsrikes-inspiration, som fyller oss med tacksamhet. Och förnyar vår förståelse av kärlek från Herren, men också till Kina och dess folk år 2006, 2007 och 2008…

******************************************************************************************************************

Hela vägen går han med mig, vad kan jag väl önska mer? Kan jag tvivla på hans godhet
när jag här hans ledning ser? Himmelsk frid, gudomlig trygghet uti honom har min själ.
Ty jag vet, vad än mig möter, gör dock Jesus allting väl, Ty jag vet, vad än mig möter,
gör dock Jesus allting väl

Hela vägen går han med mig, hjälper mig och är mitt stöd, ger mig kraft i varje prövning,
mättar mig med livets bröd. Och om hjärtat skulle törsta, vägen kännas tung och lång.
Glädjekällor då ur klippan springer fram som förr en gång, Glädjekällor då ur klippan
springer fram som förr en gång.

Hela vägen går han med mig. Vilken kärlek hög och rik! Och till sist en evig vila
ger han mig i himmelrik. När jag där får fri, förklarad, inför honom falla ned,
Skall med glädje jag det minnas: Hela vägen gick han med. Skall med glädje jag det minnas:
Hela vägen gick han med.

- Den Svenska Psalmboken, Nr 252, text: Fanny Crosby, 1875, musik: Robert Lowry 1875 -

About 60 percent of Chongqing municipality is rural, and unemployment is a problem both in the rural and more urban areas. Farmers often come to the city as unskilled workers, seeking a better quality of life for themselves and their families.
Chongqing’s population includes about 1.7 million people from the Miao and Tujia minority groups. Although the city is made up of atheists, Buddhists and Christians, materialism seems to be the practical religion here.

----------

CHINA – LAWYER IN NEED OF PRAYER PROTECTION
Gao Zhisheng, a prominent lawyer who had his legal license suspended by Chinese authorities for representing religious rights, faced an attempt on his life January 17th. China Aid Association reported Gao was traveling in Beijing when a vehicle with an obscured license plate suddenly stopped in front of him. He narrowly missed hitting the vehicle, stopped and got out to investigate.
The driver of the other car then attempted to run down Gao, but he was able to dodge out of the path of the vehicle. As the car sped away, the newspaper covering the license plate blew away and the plate number was reported. It is believed the driver was a security agent of the Chinese government. Throughout the incident, a military vehicle was observing nearby.
 
Pray Gao will continue to experience God’s protection even though his work angers those in authority. Pray Gao and his friends within the house churches will continue to share Christ with boldness and even share their faith with their persecutors. Pray with confidence for Chinese authorities, knowing God’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save.
---------

February

CHINESE CITIES  -  DATONG
Datong (pronounced DA-tahng), Shaanxi Province, is one of the most prominent Buddhist areas in China today, thanks to the rulers of the Northern Wei Dynasty who controlled the entire country from 386 to 534 AD. Because of Datong’s close proximity to the Great Wall, the rulers chose to locate there. They also proclaimed Buddhism as the state religion and built many important Buddhist sites in the area. People still come from all over China to visit and worship at these statues and monasteries.
Despite its glorious and important position in Chinese history, the Datong of today is a struggling city. Poor, polluted from years of coal production, and devastated by earthquakes, Datong’s only drawing card is the historical and cultural relics nearby. The city has a significantly lower literacy rate than most others in China, and as a result of the strict “one-child policy” and many families’ desire for a son, has over 85,000 more men than women. Only around 0.3 percent of Datong’s population are Christians.

----------

CHINESE CITIES  -  XINING
The name for Xining City (pronounced SHE-ning), the capital of China’s western Qinghai Province, is derived from “Xipingting,” meaning “hope of stability along western borders.” Because of its location and popularity as a stopping-off point along the Silk Road, Xining was a strategically important city during ancient times.
Today it is a popular place for tourists to travel into Tibet. In a spiritual sense, Xining is an ideal gateway for reaching nearby minority groups with the gospel of Christ.
 
Xining, population nearly 928,000, is home to thousands of Hui Muslims and Tibetans, as well as to a significant number of people from the Manchu, Tu and Mongol ethnic minorities. Tibetan Buddhism is the dominant religion in the areas surrounding Xining.
Missionary work in Qinghai Province during the late 1800s resulted in a new church start in the city. Now there are about 8,000 known Christians in Xining, but this still represents less than 1 percent of the total population.

----------

CHINESE SECURITY KEEPS CLOSE EYE ON CHRISTIAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST
China Aid Association (CAA) learned that the freedom of a prominent Christian rights activist continues to be restricted by Chinese security agents even after his release from a two-year prison term. Xu Yonghai, a former psychiatric doctor at Beijing Pingan Hospital, has been under surveillance since his release from a prison in Hangzhou in China’s Zhejiang province on Sunday, Jan. 29.
Xu told the CAA that before his release, Chinese security agents installed three video cameras in front of his apartment in order to monitor his activities. Officials also failed to return his identification cards. Xu’s wife, Li Shanna, refused to sign a form demanding she report her husband’s activities to the Chinese authorities.
Xu was arrested in Beijing along with two others in November 2003 because of their role in documenting the destruction of churches and the persecution of Chinese Christians. Both Xu and his wife lost their hospital jobs after his arrest.

----------

March

CHINA: AUTHORITIES RAID CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Police in China have reportedly arrested 36 people, including pastors and students, in a raid on a school that is operated by an underground church.
A US-based religious rights group says more than 50 police officers, some in anti-riot gear, swooped down on the school in Anhui province early Wednesday morning as classes were about to begin.
 
The Texas-based China Aid Association has released a statement saying the officers, who were armed with electric batons, took almost everyone in the Little Shanghai Tailoring School into custody. The Association says the school teaches Bible studies and sewing.
The arrests are believed to be part of a wider crackdown against a network of churches that refuse to register with the government.
China allows worship only in state-approved churches.
The AFP newsagency says local police have either denied knowledge of the incident or refused to comment.
 
--------------

Intercessors engage in this prayer operation in more than 5000 prayer groups and churches in 120 nations. The networking factor increases and multiplies the number to a degree beyond estimation.
Encourage your friends to partake in intercession and tell them about the possibility of linking up to Intercessors Network.
--------------

Give the king knowledge of Your way of judging, O God
and the spirit of your righteousness to the king’s son to control his actions.
Psalms 72:1  Amplified version.
 
*******************************
 
PRIORITY NUMBER ONE:
PRAY FOR MEN IN AUTHORITY, 1 TIM 2:1-4
 
Lars Widerberg
Intercessors Network
Storskiftesgatan 87
S-58334 Linkoping, Sweden
Contact Intercessors Network
Phone + Fax:  +46 13 213630

-- -- --

R E F L E C T I O N
The swedish and global christianity has above a lot of prayer requests for China and chinese christians.

Foot note
Read about Open Doors' seven-year China Prayer Campaign

 
SHORT NOTES ON CHINA AND CHINESE CHRISTIANS (# 1)
September- December 2005

September 2005
CENSORSHIP OF E-MAIL MESSAGES PUTS CHINESE CHRISTIANS AT RISK
Chinese sources have reported widespread phone tapping, interference with e-mails and Internet censorship in mainland China. Representatives of the China Internet Project at the University of California at Berkeley shared their concerns about Internet censorship before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission in April.
Member Xiao Qiang pointed out, “The [Chinese] government . . . is expending significant resources to maintain control over both Internet content and public access to that content.” Xiao added that all Internet traffic in China passes through six gateways that are tightly controlled by government agencies. These gateways are protected by a firewall that screens any incoming content deemed “undesirable” for a Chinese audience.
 
“In effect,” Xiao said, “the Internet in China is really a nationwide intranet (internal network) with limited and government-controlled access to the global Internet.” Internet police in more than 700 centers monitor websites and e-mail for “heretical teachings or feudal superstitions” and information that is “harmful to the dignity or interests of the state.” They also use software to detect key words in e-mails and Internet downloads and to trace “subversive” messages back to the computers from which they were sent.
China has passed several laws since 1994 to regulate the content of the Internet.  “Illegal content,” however, is vaguely defined, putting Christians at the mercy of local officials who may or may not approve of Christian references in e-mail or Internet postings.

----------

CHINA  -  ESCALATING PERSECUTION
Two recent news releases from China Aid Association (CAA) document a shocking escalation of persecution in China. There seems to be a direct correlation between increasing Russian-Chinese-Central Asian solidarity and growing persecution of unsanctioned Protestant Christians in those states. China is systematically strengthening its assault on “cults” (which includes house churches.)
On July 7th, Pastor Cai Zhuohua faced court in Beijing charged with “illegal business operations” for printing more than 200,000 Bibles and other Christian books. (As they were given away and not sold, there was no “business.”) He is in prison awaiting sentence. Two women, Ms. Gu Junging (38) and Ms. Ren Daoyun (60) are still in prison following the detention and interrogation of two American students and 43 Chinese believers whom Ms. Ren Daoyun had hosted in her home.
Mr. Song Jun, Mr. He Jiangwei and Ms. Liang Fanglan are still held incommunicado following a house-church raid in Xinjiang province on August 7th. On August 15th, five American church leaders were arrested in Jiangxi province along with 27 house-church pastors. The group had simply been enjoying Christian fellowship together. Where they are being detained is not known, but God knows, therefore, we will confidently and dependently approach his “throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16).

----------

PRAYER FOR THE ZHUANG CHRISTIANS IN CHINA
While China is opening to the outside world through trade and business, the current government is actually moving to tighten control on political and religious freedom.
Across China, specifically in Guangxi and Yunnan where most Zhuang live, members of the national Public Security Bureau have since last spring been sent to most cities and many smaller towns to make sure the local Public Security Bureaus are enforcing laws that govern political and religious issues.
This has resulted in many foreign Christians, including some on the teams in Guangxi, being called in for questioning. Local believers have also been offered money by the PSB if they will spy on other local believers, or foreign Christians who work in the area where they live. An older believer stated that he feels the scrutiny of local and foreign Christians is the tightest it has been in 30 years.
 
Pray for Zhuang Christians who will be brought in and questioned, pray that they will have clear guidance and know how to answer. Pray for the lady house church leader and others who are currently in prison in Guangxi because they have lead groups in their homes.
 
Pray for the protection of foreign Christians who are working among the Zhuang, pray that they will have wisdom as they go about trying to reach out and share the gospel.

----------

November

CHINESE CITIES
Wulumuqi
 
Wulumuqi (pronounced oo-le-MOO-chee), the capital city of Xinjiang, China’s westernmost province, adequately reflects the history of the area. Throughout most of recorded time, the population of Xinjiang has been overwhelmingly Uygur (WEE-ghur), an Islamic minority group of Turkic descent native to the region. The early 1950s, however, saw the new Communist government encouraging Han Chinese to settle in the area in order to increase the population.
The Uygurs felt their land was being invaded, as Han Chinese poured into the province to dominate its government and business opportunities. Mounting tensions between the two people groups have been expressed by riots, protests and bombings as the Uygurs fight for an independent Xinjiang. However, this minority group has little hope of overcoming the sheer numbers of Han Chinese in their homeland.
Wulumuqi sees more Uygur-Han interaction than many other places in Xinjiang, yet racial tensions run high and the city in many ways remains deeply segregated. Prejudice and hatred have infiltrated the church, as well. The hearts of many Han Christians have become hardened towards their lost Uygur neighbors. Some openly acknowledge that they do not have a burden for the minority group.
Those Han Christians who do reach out with the Good News are often met with hostility and resistance. Although there is a thriving Christian church among Wulumuqi’s Han population, the city’s Uygur residents remain almost completely un-evangelized.

----------

HOUSE CHURCH IN CHINA GROWS TO 5,000 FROM 70 IN 3 YEARS
Southwestern China’s Guangxi province in has been, until recently, a spiritual “desert.” Idol worship was the norm, and the few Christians could not imagine revival. Recently, however, churches have begun growing rapidly.
For example, three years ago a house church in one region had 70 members; today it has 5,000. The revival is being led by a middle-aged couple who were expelled from the state-sanctioned church (Three-Self Patriotic Movement) in 1998. They started a house church where they met sitting on the floor.

----------

NEED FOR SPIRITUAL TRAINING INCREASES AS CHURCHES MULTIPLY
The rise of religion in China is catching the attention of the country’s leaders, says Erik Burklin of China Partner Ministries. However, there is a lack of trained pastors to lead the fast-growing churches. “Young emerging Christian leaders and pastors have to be trained to take on the ministry responsibilities being vacated by older pastors,” he said.
A China Partner lecturing team recently finished a week of training at the newly established Christian Counseling Center in Nanjing, founded in 2002. “Around 40 people signed up for this training session from 40 different provinces,” Burklin said, adding that similar activities can be expected as churches continues to expand.
In some areas Chinese government officials are cracking down on believers, but in other areas churches are being reopened and seminaries are being built. Church leaders are likely to continue on the path of specialized training to meet new needs as people discover themselves in Christ, Burklin said.

----------

CHINESE CITIES
AKSU
Four times the size of Japan and comprising 16 percent of the land mass of the country to which it belongs, Xinjiang is the largest province in China. In the 1950s, it was officially named the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, after the majority Muslim Uygurs who made their home there. At that time, over 90 percent of Xinjiang’s population was non-Han Chinese.
Today, however, the ethnic make-up of Xinjiang is much different. In recent decades, Han Chinese have literally flooded the province, resulting in ethnic unrest between the Han and other minority groups in the region. While most Uygur and other Muslim people groups in Xinjiang work towards peace, stability, and a better standard of living, there is a small band of Muslims actively fighting for an independent state. Their sometimes violent protests are stark reminders of the challenges that the Chinese government faces in its remote western regions.
In June of 1994, the small city of Aksu (pronounced AK-soo), current population 145,500 people, was the site of one such protest, when several Muslim separatists bombed a small bridge there. Thankfully, no one was injured. In spite of this negative attention, however, Aksu is best known for its beautiful scenery and rich history as a prominent stopping-off place along the ancient Silk Road.
 
Chinese Cities:
The total number of Chinese cities is 666.
11 cities with population over 2 million;
23 cities with population between 1 millions and 2 million;
44 cities with population between 500,000 and 1 million;
159 cities with population between 200,000 and 500,000;
393 cities with population less than 200,000.

----------

CHINESE CITIES
HENGYANG
The second-largest city in Hunan Province is Hengyang (pronounced HUNG-yahng), population nearly 7 million. Although it is an important center for lead and zinc mining, Hengyang is probably best recognized for its close proximity to Mt. Hengshan. Mt. Hengshan is considered the foremost of China’s five sacred mountains. In ancient times, kings and emperors visited the mountain to hunt and offer sacrifices to heaven and earth.
Today crowds of Chinese tourists visit the mountain to pray to the gods and enjoy the scenery. The mountain is dotted with many temples, and holds special significance to both Buddhists and Taoists alike. At the top of the mountain sits Wishing Harmony Palace, built during the Ming dynasty. It is here that Zhu Rong, an official “in charge of” fire, is buried. Taoists have chosen Hengshan to represent fire, believing that it is an important element in the world.

----------

December

CHINESE CITIES  -  Hohhot
Hohhot, capital city of China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, sits at the base of the Daqing Mountains on the Mongolian Plateau, surrounded by vast grasslands. Over the years, both Mongolians and Han Chinese have used the city as a military outpost in conquests of the land north of The Great Wall.
Today, several people groups have settled in Hohhot—population more than 2 million—including Han, Mongolians, Hui, Daur, Ewenki and Oroquen. Hohhot’s well-planned New City District, site of many of the city’s government buildings, teems with middle school and college students, bicycles and street vendors.
The Old City District, with its distinctive crooked and winding roads, houses the city’s Buddhist temples and many of Hohhot’s cottage industries. In the Hui District are found busy outdoor markets, several mosques, an Islamic seminary and a Catholic church. People from all over Inner Mongolia come to Hohhot, as it is the province’s center for education, commerce, government and medicine.

----------

CHINESE CITIES  -  GUIYANG
Guiyang means “Precious Sunshine,” and is an apt name for this city of frequent rain and overcast skies. Guiyang city is the capital of Guizhou Province, a land known for its steep mountains.
Guizhou is considered to be the poorest province in China and is home to 13 of China’s official minority ethnic groups. Guiyang is a city of 3.5 million souls and is the political, economic, transportation and cultural center of the province. The dominant religion in the city is atheism, but many people still follow traditional Chinese folk religion.
Many years ago Guiyang was a stronghold of the Miao minority group, and today many Miao, as well as Buyi, villages lay in the suburbs. The failure of communism to meet deep spiritual needs has created a hunger for belief in Guiyang, and many people are ready to hear the Good News.

----------

29 CHINESE CHRISTIANS ARRESTED
Just two weeks before Christmas, the Chinese government yesterday arrested 29 Christians for holding an “illegal religious gathering.”
According to the China Aid Association, citing eyewitness reports, 40 law enforcement officers with eight police vehicles raided a house church leadership meeting at Xiapigang Village in China’s Henan Province.
 
Some 100 major church leaders from Henan and Anhui were gathered at a believer’s house, discussing how the house churches could help a large group of peasants who had contracted AIDS. That area is widely known as “the AIDS Disaster Area” because many peasants became infected when they sold their blood to local blood centers contaminated with the AIDS virus.
 
When the 29 leaders were arrested, say witnesses, their private property was confiscated without receipts, including three motor bicycles, one cell phone, all of their luggage and winter blankets. According to one pastor who was at the raided meeting, the police officers showed a search warrant and stated the meeting was an “illegal religious gathering.”
Pastor Shen Yiping, the founder of internationally known House Church group called China Gospel Fellowship, as well as the host of the meeting, Yang Huamin, were among those arrested.

--------------

Intercessors engage in this prayer operation in more than 5000 prayer groups and churches in 120 nations. The networking factor increases and multiplies the number to a degree beyond estimation.

--------------

Give the king knowledge of Your way of judging, O God
and the spirit of your righteousness to the king’s son to control his actions.
Psalms 72:1  Amplified version.
 
*******************************
 
PRIORITY NUMBER ONE:
PRAY FOR MEN IN AUTHORITY, 1 TIM 2:1-4
 
Lars Widerberg
Intercessors Network
Storskiftesgatan 87
S-58334 Linkoping, Sweden
Contact Intercessors Network

****

R E F L E C T I O N
The swedish and global christianity has above a lot of prayer requests.

Foot note
Read about Open Doors' seven-year China Prayer Campaign

'

PSALM 47
Clap your hands, all you nations; 
shout to God with cries of joy. 
How awesome is the LORD Most High, 
the great King over all the earth!

He subdued nations under us, 
peoples under our feet.

He chose our inheritance for us, 
the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. 
God has ascended amid shouts of joy, 
the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.

Sing praises to God, sing praises; 
sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.

Sweden, 28th of February 2006 A.D.
With Greetings to China from The Swedish Christianity
Mission Xp [M'Xp] Dag Selander editor