CHURCHES SHOULD COMBAT PORNOGRAHY

If the church remains silent on the proliferation of pornographic materials in the society, then she must keep quiet when the consequences downplay Christian moral values. 

A Floridian pastor who gave remarks at an anti-pornography conference believes that the American Church must do more to combat pornography and its harmful effects upon the faithful.

Jay Dennis, senior pastor at First Baptist Church at the Mall in Lakeland and creator of the "One Million Men Porn Free" program, told The Christian Post on Saturday that he believes many churches are "afraid" to deal with the issue of pornography.

"I think a lot of pastors and churches are afraid that they are going to rock the boat and they're going to be criticized," said Dennis.

"Unfortunately this may be driven by some by 'if I make that group mad or if I make that person mad what's it going to do to the finances?' What God put on my heart is you share the truth and He will bring the right people in. We've seen that happen."

Dennis also told CP that various factors contributed to churches hesitating to tackle the problem of pornography, including his belief that "a lot of pastors are struggling with this issue, so they're reluctant."

"I think that a lot of churches just don't realize the problem it is. And that's where I feel like pastors have to be awakened," said Dennis.

Dennis delivered remarks on the matter of how churches should respond to pornography as part of the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation's Summit 2014.

Held at the Tysons Corner Marriott near Washington, D.C., the two day event began Friday and featured various experts speaking on pornography, its effects on individuals and society, and efforts to combat it.

The Summit was hosted by the anti-porn group Morality In Media and Pornharms.com, with sponsors and cosponsors including the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Leadership Institute, the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Family Watch International, and the Utah Coalition Against Pornography.

Dennis spoke about what the church must do to combat pornography, remarking that pastors have to regularly address the issue and recognize that they are in a "war" against impurity.

In comments to CP, Dennis explained that he believed there was a time when churches in the United States were better at dealing with the issue of pornography.

"I think if you come back to the 1950s, before the 60s revolution, I think we were not reticent to speak on moral issues," said Dennis.

Dennis also said that part of the challenge in getting pastors to address the pornography problem was that all too often the "extremes" dominate the conversation.

"You got the guy over here who says nothing much wrong with it so don't deal with it, but you got the pastor over here whose angry," said Dennis.

"Jesus was full of grace and truth in that order. So my heart is to communicate with pastors: you can share this in a non-threatening way with love."

In addition to Dennis, other speakers for the Saturday sessions included representatives of multiple Internet filter companies; Patrick Trueman, CEO and president of Morality In Media; Dr. Gail Dines, author and professor of sociology and women's studies at Wheelock College; and Clay Olsen, founder and executive director at Fight the New Drug.

"I've never seen more harm from pornography and its related sexual exploitation, but I've never been more optimistic about the future," said Trueman in remarks delivered on Friday.

"This is a coalition we are building here today. It's a coalition of people who have said I've had enough. We are coming together to say that the sexual exploitation of any individual will no longer be tolerated."

Credit: CP

WIPING AWAY CHRISTIANITY FROM THE WEST

The world has reached a stage where many people detest the things of God and would rather prefer liberalism to prevail to permit them to have their own way and do whatever they want. Any attempt of this nature is a clear indication of the schemes of the devil wipe away Christianity for the evil to silently prevail. 

"There is now a serious risk that Christianity will disappear from its biblical heartlands," said a report by think-tank Civitas about persecution of Christians in the Middle East. Ample evidence suggests there are those who would like Christianity to vanish from the West as well. 

The Civitas report was titled "Christianophobia." It "highlights a fear among oppressive regimes that Christianity is a 'Western creed' which can be used to undermine them," according to a report in the London Telegraph.

A "Western creed"? The contemporary "Western creed" is post-Christian and increasingly even anti-Christian. One could hardly classify as Christian a culture where the Selfie is the icon before which multitudes worship, where unbounded sexual engagement is the core sacrament (people have now used their God-given creativity to link sex and Selfie by photographing themselves just after a romp), where the biblically based family is becoming a museum piece, and where the blood sacrifice is too often unborn children.

In fact, as the growing movement to stifle free speech and expression reveals, Western culture would like to get rid of the pesky voice of biblical Christianity altogether.

Some nations suppress Christians, their beliefs and messages violently. Current Western culture, however, has its own style of trying to silence the real church. It follows a specific sequence, which has accelerated in recent years.

The chain moves from caricaturization to marginalization to vilification to villainization to criminalization to elimination.

One of the easiest ways to discredit someone, an institution, movement, or idea is to caricature it by making the subject look comical or grotesque. Some caricatures are done admiringly and lovingly, like those on theater playbills or the walls of New York delis.

The other style of caricaturization comes from spite, anger, and hatred – like those the Washington Post's Herblock drew of Richard Nixon (Herblock's most vicious was probably a cartoon of Chuck Colson just after he had become a Christian), or in the way some racist publications depict Barack Obama.

The aim of grotesque caricature is to make the subject appear clownish, a bumbling buffoon who should not be taken seriously, or a sinister monster, as we will see in a moment.

An interesting Ph.D. dissertation topic relating to the history of cinema might be the shift in film-making from the usual depiction of the church and clergy as noble people out to serve others to the now clichéd and formulaic Bible-thumping hypocritical fools who only want to exploit people.

That which is caricatured to the public mind as unserious and irrelevant can easily be marginalized.

I witnessed the launch of the age of marginalization as a reporter for a large daily newspaper in the 1960s. The anti-establishmentarians who became the present establishment pontificated widely on the unimportance of biblical Christianity. From that beginning, marginalization went on to become public policy as the church was sequestered behind a bigger and bigger "wall of separation" that fenced out the wrong culprit: a regime that might want to create its own religious establishment, or one whose godless policies would cause it to throttle the church.

Vilification easily follows from marginalization. To vilify is to defame and slander. The goal is to shrink respect for the person, movement, institution, or idea being vilified.

Marginalization says the person, movement, institution, or idea deserves only a minimal and peripheral role in culture. But vilification suggests there really should be no role at all for the vilified subject. It has nothing to contribute to the great societal conversation, not even from the cultural boondocks.

Now the danger mounts and the possibility of persecution looms. What has been merely caricatured, marginalized, and vilified is now villainized. That pesky person, movement, institution, or idea is no longer to be scorned merely, but feared. It's the bad boy on the cultural street, ready to trip or assault the noble civilization-builders and freedom-defenders who gallantly march by.

The consensus-makers in the contemporary Establishments of Entertainment, Information, Academia, and Governance raise national awareness regarding these villains. At this point, there's not enough evidence to send an armed team to get the villains off the street. But the cultural SWAT team is standing by.

After villainization comes criminalization. New laws are written redefining marriage, or infringing on the freedom of conscience and practice within the villainous class, and suddenly there's a smoking gun. Lawsuits stir in the minds of the protectors of the cultural consensus. A Chick-Fil-A here, a Hobby Lobby there; a pastor refusing to perform a same-sex wedding, a Christian baker refusing to bake for a marriage ceremony not in accord with his faith, Christian B&B keepers who won't accommodate homosexual couples.

Elimination logically flows from criminalization. The offenders must be removed for the greater good. In some parts of the world elimination is of the blatant style: hang them, gas them, behead them. Anything. Just eliminate them.

In civilized America elimination takes a different form. Fire corporate leaders who have gone against political correctness and the Establishment line. Dismiss them from boards. Lynch them in the media. Anything short of literal blood. Just get them out of the way.

The church needs to be ready. She also must rest in the hope that, like the early church in Rome, she is prepared in the catacombs for greater ministry up in the public square.

Credit: CP

CHIEFS AND QUEENS EXPERIENCED MIRACLE AT KOHINTA REVIVAL PRAYERS.

Chieftaincy and royalty in Ghana and in some part of the world are normally characterized with idolatry, animal sacrifice and clinging to traditions and ancestral practices which are in sharp contrast to true worship stipulated in the Bible. However, the third Kohinta Healing and Revival Prayers at Pentecost Convention Centre saw chiefs and queens, whom, instead of being worshipped by their subjects, rather came before God in humility to worship the King of Kings and to pray.

The Royals, clad in exquisite and colourful royal regalia, fully participated in the 5–Day revival prayers. They poured their hearts on the altar for divine directions in the year 2014. It was an awesome experience full of verve and vitality as the royals took turns to dance, praise and sing accolades to the King of Kings.

The hand of the Lord was mightily at work at the Centre during the revival prayers. This has undoubtedly yielded many astounding miracles of which the royals were not exempted. Nana Afua Badu II, the queen mother of Kissi, Komenda experienced excruciating pains for one year after her leg twisted. She received instant healing during the prayer time as she jubilantly testified to give glory to God. She accepted Jesus as her Lord and personal Saviour and was baptized by immersion. 

In a similar experience, Nana Owuakyireama, the queen mother of Busia Traditional Area in the Western Region shared her testimony with the congregants. She suffered from high blood pressure, heaviness and numbness in one part of her body for over a year. She received instant healing during the prayer time. She was declared medically fit after the Kohinta Revival Prayers.

The Royals were Nana Kofi Abuna V (Chief of Essipon), Nana Kwahin V, Nana Afua Badu II, Nana Owuakyireama, Nana Akomah Afrah I, Nana Dasiwah II and Nana Kwasi Asante. The Centre Manager, Rev. Samuel Edzii Davidson said a special prayer for the royals.

The revival prayers were attended by over 1,500 people from different churches and nations.

PASTOR CITED FOR MASSIVE FRAUD

The police have mounted a search for Dr. Prince Tetteh, purported co-founder of the London-based Worldwide Miracle Outreach Church (WMO), who is alleged to have been involved in numerous fraudulent activities.

Dr. Tetteh, said to be the younger brother of Reverend Dr. Lawrence Tetteh, a renowned evangelist, is alleged to have defrauded about 110 persons of various sums of money to the tune of GH¢102,150 under the pretext of sending them to London to work in a construction company.

He has been charged with defrauding by false pretence and is being hunted by the police after jumping bail at the Adabraka Police Station in Accra, in 2011.

His wife, Caroline Tetteh, who was also alleged to have taken part in the supposed dubious transactions, was arrested by the Accra Regional Police Command on Tuesday and remanded into police custody by an Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Wilhelmina Hammond.

She has been charged with abetment of crime. She will re-appear on May 20, 2014, for trial.

The Daily Guide newspaper checks has revealed that Dr. Prince Tetteh allegedly contacted one Kweku Frimpong to recruit people for him to be sent to London to work for a company that was into the construction of tunnels.

Police sources indicated that skilled men who were mainly masons and carpenters were charged an amount of GH¢2,000 each at that time in the guise of securing visas for the desperate artisans.

In all about 130 persons, all residents  of Sunyani in the Brong-Ahafo Region, allegedly expressed interest in the deal and purportedly made the payments to the suspect and his wife.

The police sources said Dr. Tetteh received some of the monies while his wife also received part on his behalf.

Dr. Tetteh, after receiving the said monies, allegedly went into hiding until the matter was reported to the Adabraka District Police by the victims in 2011.

His elder brother was said to have helped to refund part of the monies to the complainants in the case.

The suspect was said to have issued a cheque for $10,000 to the victims to cash from his Ecobank account but it bounced.

The victims then lodged another complaint of fraud with the Accra Regional Police Command and on hearing that he was wanted for fraud, Prince Tetteh allegedly bolted and has since been on police wanted list.

“When Daily Guide contacted Dr. Lawrence Tetteh, he denied ever knowing the said Prince Tetteh”, the paper reported on Thursday May 15, 2014.

He also denied having refunded any money and facilitated the release of the suspect, reports the paper.

Even though the international evangelist admitted that Worldwide Miracle Outreach Church (WMO) is his ministry, he claimed he had nothing to do with Prince Tetteh — who had indicated in his profile that he is co-founder of WMO.

Source: Daily Guide

PREGNANT CHRISTIAN MOTHER SENTENCED TO DEATH WITH 100 LASHES ON MOTHERS' DAY

A Christian mother living in Sudan, pregnant with her second child, was sentenced to 100 lashes and death on Mother's Day for adultery and apostasy, a persecution watchdog group revealed. 

"We grieve today at the sentencing to death of a mother, pregnant with her second child, for the expression of her faith and legal marriage to a practising Christian," said International Christian Concern Regional Manager William Stark.

"The handing down of such an extreme punishment under a law inspired by the al-Turabi radicalism of the early al-Bashir regime brings into question the direction Sudan intends to head following South Sudanese succession. Having embraced policies of Islamization and Arabization in the past, ICC fears Meriam could be the first of many more Christians to suffer under an increasingly radicalized Sudanese government intent on enforcing Shari'ah (Islamic) law throughout the land."

The woman, 27-year old Meriam Yahia Ibrahim, received the sentencing on Sunday, when the U.S. celebrated Mother's Day. She appeared before El Haj Yousif Public Order Court in Khartoum, Sudan.

ICC reported that Ibrahim was raised as an Orthodox Christian, is a graduate of Khartoum University and was a practicing MD. She married a South Sudanese Christian, Daniel Wani, but since she was born in Sudan, a heavily Islamic country, she is officially considered a Muslim, which makes her marriage to a non-Muslim illegal in Sudan's court system.

She has been kept at the Omdurman Federal Women's Prison with her 20-month-old son since Feb. 17, separate from Wani. Ibrahim's sentence is expected to be carried out following the birth of her second child.

Christian aid agencies have been helping followers of Christ flee persecution at the hands of the Islamic government in Sudan, after South Sudan gained independence in 2011. Barnabas Fund organized efforts in 2013 that helped 8,000 Christians flee to safety into South Sudan but said that other Christians remain stranded in Sudan.

"In the North the government is becoming increasingly anti-Christian," Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo, the international director of Barnabas Fund, said in an August 2013 interview with The Christian Post.

"The North is heavily Sharia-based and strongly anti-Christian. So we've got situations where women are arrested for breaching Sharia law on dress, and can then be whipped and imprisoned. That is a major problem," he added, noting that a number of Christian churches have been attacked as well.

Sudan underwent a major civil war between 1983 and 2005, which resulted in almost 2 million casualties, many of whom were Christians from the South.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has also found President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's Sudanese government to be guilty of "systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of freedom of religion or belief."

USCIRF's 2014 Annual Report states that Sudan uses "a restrictive interpretation of Shari'ah law on Muslims and non-Muslims alike, using amputations and floggings for crimes and acts of 'indecency' and 'immorality' and arresting Christians for proselytizing."

Credit: cp

LEADERS SUPPORT PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS

More than 175 American Christian leaders have signed a pledge of solidarity supporting persecuted Christians in other parts of the world.

Evangelical and Orthodox Christian leaders, including Catholic Cardinal Donal Wuerl, came together Wednesday morning at the nation's capital for the event. Signatories also include other civic society leaders.

Wuerl said the Church cannot be silent, especially while some of Christianity's oldest communities, such as those in Egypt, Iraq, and Syria, are driven into exile or even extinction.

"I often ask how is it that things like this can happen? Who is it that there can be concentrated, continuous, persistent acts of violence directed against groups of people?" Wuerl said.

"The answer keeps coming up. It happens because of the silence around it,” he continued. “It takes place because so many others are simply silent."

Credit: cbn

STOP COMPARING MANDELA TO JESUS CHRIST

I am yet to see someone as perfect, blameless, holy, unique in character and powerful in works and words as Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was both 100% man and 100% God having both attributes of mortal and immortality but a British journalist has denounced a recent British Broadcasting Corporation interview wherein recently deceased human rights activist Nelson Mandela was compared to Jesus Christ. 

Dominic Lawson wrote in a column published by the UK Daily Mail on Sunday that it was "absurd for the BBC to compare him to Christ."

"Mandela's greatness is not in doubt. His ability to work with and, apparently, forgive those who incarcerated him for 27 years in appalling conditions does conform to behaviour we might characterise as saintly," wrote Lawson.

"He also had a radiant presence in public, one that entranced all who witnessed it. Yet political history should also warn us never to confuse the public and private man. They are very different – and Mandela was a spectacular example of this disjunction."

Lawson quoted Richard Stengel, who helped Mandela write his autobiography, in noting the personal flaws Mandela, especially regarding the relationship he had with his family.

"He was warm with strangers and cool with intimates. The smile was reserved for outsiders. I saw him often with his son, his daughters, his sisters; and the Nelson Mandela they knew appeared to be a stern and unsmiling fellow not terribly sympathetic to their problems," said Stengel.

Lawson's piece was in response to a BBC program that featured multiple experts and commentators, including former United States President Jimmy Carter.

Centering on the life, work, and legacy of Mandela, BBC radio presenter Evan Davis argued that Mandela should be put on a par with Jesus in the "pantheon of virtue."

When asked what he thought of the comparison, former President Carter dismissed it, noting that there was no comparison given Jesus' divinity.

"I look upon Jesus Christ as the Son of God, as God himself, and I certainly wouldn't compare any human being with Jesus," said Carter.

While the focus of his column, Davis is not the only commentator drawing the parallel between Mandela and Jesus.

Peter Oborne of the Telegraph wrote a column last week where he argued that Mandela was one of the few human beings who "can be compared to Jesus Christ."

"There are very few human beings who can be compared to Jesus Christ. Nelson Mandela is one. This is because he was a spiritual leader as much as a statesman," wrote Oborne.

"His colossal moral strength enabled him to embark on new and unimaginable forms of action. He could lead through the strength of example alone."

Credit: cpworld

CHRISTIAN PASTOR AMONG 30 PRISONERS BADLY BEATEN IN EVIN PRISON RAID

A Christian pastor is among 30 prisoners who were badly beaten during a raid in Iran's notorious Evin Prison last week, when prison guards are said to have assaulted inmates who protested against an aggressive inspection. 

"CSW is extremely concerned by the reported events in Evin Prison. The treatment meted out to these prisoners is unacceptable and is in clear violation of Iran's obligations under article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which states that prisoners should be treated with humanity and with respect for their inherent human dignity. We call on the authorities to thoroughly investigate this incident, sanctioning those responsible," Christian Solidarity Worldwide Chief Operating Officer Andy Dipper said.

According to the Christian watchdog group, Evangelical church leader Farshid Fathi, who is serving six years in prison for what it says are false political charges, suffered a broken foot and toe during the raid. At least 29 other prisoners were also reportedly wounded, with injuries ranging from fractured skull to broken ribs and limbs.

CSW's Kiri Kankhwende told The Christian Post on Wednesday that initially there were reports that the Head of Prisons in Iran had been fired over the issue, but the group looked into it and found out that the reports were false.

Evin Prison has a reputation as one of the most brutal prisons in Iran and in the world. Pastor Saeed Abedini, a U.S. citizen, was initially kept there before being transferred to another prison in Iran to serve an eight-year sentence.

The latest incident, which reportedly occurred last week at Evin, involved over 100 prison guards who "unleashed unprecedented violence" on the prisoners of Ward 350. The inmates had apparently been protesting against an aggressive inspection that lasted over five hours.

Fathid told ELAM Ministries after the incident: "Today I celebrate our Lord's resurrection in a mixed feeling of joy and pain in a different way and in a different place. My left foot is in a cast after they broke it last Thursday in violations they applied against helpless prisoners under the excuse of inspections. After three days of pain, finally they took me chained and shackled to a hospital on Easter morning. Though I was in a dire pain, I took it as a gift from our Lord to get out of prison even for few hours."

The Christian pastor, who is the father of two children, was sentenced to six years in prison in February 2012 by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran for being a "chief director of a foreign organization in Iran and raising funds for the organization," an accusation that has been denied by Christian advocacy groups.

Fathid shared last year of the mental torture he has been subjected to in Evin. A story from Mohabat News in August 2013 read:

"In order to put him under mental pressure, his interrogators and prison guards lied to him in saying that they had arrested his wife and that his father had a heart attack."

CSW's Dipper said that the watchdog group is urgently calling for the release of the inmates in Evin currently held in solitary confinement, and for adequate medical treatment to the injured.

"Furthermore, we request that the Iranian regime releases all prisoners of conscience held in Evin and other detention centers immediately, including members of religious minorities imprisoned on false political charges," he said.

Credit: Cpworld

SUDANESE WOMAN MAY FACE DEATH FOR CHOOSING CHRISTIANITY OVER ISLAM

A Sudanese court gave a 27-year-old woman until Thursday to abandon her newly adopted Christian faith and return to Islam or face a death sentence, judicial sources said on Monday. 

Mariam Yahya Ibrahim was charged with apostasy as well as adultery for marrying a Christian man, something prohibited for Muslim women to do and which makes the marriage void.

The final ruling will be announced on Thursday. Ibrahim’s case was the first of its kind to be heard in Sudan.

Young Sudanese university students have mounted a series of protests near Khartoum University in recent weeks asking for an end to human rights abuses, more freedoms and better social and economic conditions. The authorities decided on Sunday to close the university indefinitely.

Western embassies and Sudanese activists sharply condemned the accusations and called on the Sudanese Islamist-led government to respect freedom of faith.

“The details of this case expose the regime’s blatant interference in the personal life of Sudanese citizens,” Sudan Change Now Movement, a youth group, said in a statement.

President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s government is facing a huge economic and political challenge after the 2011 secession of South Sudan, which was Sudan’s main source of oil.

A decision by Bashir last year to cut subsidies and impose austerity measures prompted violent protests in which dozens were killed and hundreds were injured.

Credit: Reuters

COULD CHINA BECOME THE LARGEST CHRISTIAN COUNTRY IN THE WORLD?

CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA

According to new reports and calculations, China, which is officially atheist, is quickly becoming a Christian country. 

The Telegraph recently spoke to Fenggang Yang. Yang is a professor of sociology at Purdue. His focus is on China and religion, as he is the author of "Religion in China: Suvival and Revival under Communist Rule." He discussed his predictions with The Telegraph.

"By my calculations China is destined to become the largest Christian country in the world very soon. It is going to be less than a generation. Not many people are prepared for this dramatic change," the professor and author said.

Yang went on to provide some historical context, saying, "Mao thought he could eliminate religion. He thought he had accomplished this. It's ironic – they didn't. They actually failed completely."

There are thousands legal churches in China currently, they are part of China's officially sanctioned churches, according to The Telegraph. These churches allow China's government to oversee the church to some extent. One of these such churches is in a town called Liushi. And the preacher of that church, Ms Shi, recently sat down for an interview with The Telegraph.

"We have two motivations: one is our gospel mission and the other is serving society. Christianity can also play a role in maintaining peace and stability in society. Without God, people can do as they please," the preacher said.

A patron of the Liushi Church, Jin Hongixn, also spoke up, saying she finds confidence in Christian worship, despite the oversight of China's government.

"It is a wonderful thing to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It gives us great confidence. If everyone in China believed in Jesus then we would have no more need for police stations. There would be no more bad people and therefore no more crime," she said.

CHINESE AUTHORITIES DESTROY CHRISTIAN STATUES DEPICTING PASSION OF CHRIST IN WENZHOU

Chinese authorities in the city of Wenzhou recently removed all statues representing the Passion of Jesus from a hilltop Catholic site in the city, saying that the statues violated construction regulations. 

The statues, located on Longgang Hill in what is considered to be China's Jerusalem, were either demolished or covered with brick. The statues included images of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and Saint Joseph, and each weighed about five tons.

According to UCA News, a Catholic news agency in China, workers arrived earlier this week to demolish the religious statues. Some of the statues were too heavy to lift, forcing workers to cover them with brick or use cranes to remove them from Longgang Hill. One observer of the demolition told UCA News that about 100 Catholics showed up to the site to witness the destruction, with some praying and others singing hymns.

Chinese authorities said they removed the Christian statues from Longgang Hill because they violated zoning rules and constituted illegal construction. One local Catholic, who provided only the name Joseph, told UCA News that authorities should allow the town to appeal the issue through legal means.

"Even if the authorities determined that erecting religious articles on the site is against the law, they should allow us to appeal through legal means. This could help build the rule of law in society and stop corruption."

Shortly after authorities destroyed the statues, they moved on to a large Protestant church, also located in Wenzhou. Authorities claimed that the Sanjiang church also violated construction codes, arguing that it was four times larger than the original blueprint suggested. Photos uploaded to social media and sent to media outlets show large bulldozers ripping down parts of the church, which took 12 years and $4.7 million to build.

Bob Fu, president of the Texas-based group China Aid, told The Telegraph that he finds the recent demolishing of Sanjiang church to be evidence of the government's disregard for religious freedom.

"This government-orchestrated barbaric forced demolition represents a serious escalation against religious freedom in Zhejiang. The Chinese regime chooses to disregard its own laws and the will of its best citizens."

Chinese authorities deny that their recent demolition projects are an attack on Christianity in Wenzhou. Jin Leibo, a spokesperson from the propaganda department of Yongjia County, told CNN that the church was destroyed simply because it was "illegal."

"The building area should be within 1,881 square meters, but they built 7,928 square meters illegally," Jin said. She went on to say that the church was asked to "self-rectify" the church by April 22, but it failed to do so in time.

Source: CP