Inside China’s unofficial churches faith defies persecution
- Millions of Protestant Christians continue to resist pressure to comply with regulations and join a registered church
- Local authorities are taking an increasingly aggressive approach
Tucked away in a narrow alley off the Dezheng Bei Road in Guangzhou’s Yuexiu district, the Rongguili Church was eerily quiet over Christmas.
The well-known house church was closed down on December 15 for allegedly breaking China’s religious affairs regulations, and worshippers were told to attend official churches elsewhere in the southern Chinese city.
Rongguili, formerly known as the Damazhan Church, was established in 1950 but forced to shut down in the turbulent years of the Cultural Revolution when all religious activities were deemed “counter-revolutionary”. It was among the first group of Protestant churches to reopen in 1978 when China resumed contact with the outside world.
Its pastor, Samuel Lamb Xiangao, a legendary Protestant Christian leader and one of the leading figures in China’s independent house church movement, spent more than 20 years in prisons and labour camps for refusing to register the Damazhan Church with the authorities.
Before Lamb died in 2013, the church moved to Rongguili to make way for urban redevelopment. His work continues to inspire the members of the church, like long-term staff member Paul, whose real name has not been disclosed to protect his safety.
“We did not resist, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood. This is a battle against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms,” Paul said, when asked why the Rongguili congregation did not resist the shutdown.