China detains 200 Christians for ‘challenging’ state authority

Police in northeast China raided a Christian village gathering, arresting 200 participants for allegedly joining a church that defied a state-sanctioned theological doctrine, according to a report.

Around 150 police officers stormed the gathering in Xiaotuan, a village in Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang province, on January 27 and detained the Christians, Bitter Winter, an online magazine focused on religious freedom and human rights in China, reported on February 5.

Those arrested were members of a house church affiliated with the Sola Fide (Justification by Faith) network. Sola Fide, Latin for “faith only,” is a Christian theological doctrine taught by Martin Luther, a German theologian and reformer who initiated the Reformation Movement in the 16th century.

Luther argued that God’s righteousness is granted through a declarative and creative act of God, not based on human deeds, according to the Canada-based Gospel Coalition. This doctrine is widely accepted by most Protestant churches.

However, in China, the state-controlled Three-Self Church, which oversees Protestant Churches, disputes this doctrine and promotes “justification by love” instead.

Hundreds of local Christians and those from distant areas had been attending the monthly gatherings in Xiaotuan.

Before the latest gathering, locals noticed a “suspicious car” parked nearby, arriving early in the morning and leaving late at night.

Following the raid, the detained Christians were transported away in three large buses and several cars, local sources reported.

“Even when they arrest criminals, we have never seen so many police officers,” a villager reportedly said.

The whereabouts of the detained Christians remain unknown.

Since Xi Jinping became China’s president in 2013, religious groups, especially those not registered with state-run bodies, have faced increased persecution, according to rights groups.

The crackdown on religious activities intensified after 2018 when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) introduced new regulations on religious affairs, requiring all religious groups and members to register with the government and prohibiting activities without prior permission.

Despite China’s constitution guaranteeing freedom of religion or belief, the officially atheist state is ranked among the world’s worst violators of religious freedom by rights groups.