by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Continuing its policy of “Sinicizing” the church and country, China’s ruling Communist Party (CCP) arrested four house church school teachers in Wuhu, Anhui Province earlier this month, and charged them with conducting “illegal business operations,” International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. China now ranks 17 on the US Open Doors 2021 Watch List of top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
The four teachers arrested are Wang Minghai, Wan Hongxia, Han Xuelei, and Xie Zhifeng, all of whom work for the same house church school, ICC reports. Six other teachers from the same school are currently on bail, after being arrested in a May 27 raid by government officials.
House churches have come under increasing persecution by the CCP, which has arrested believers under two new laws governing “Internet protection” and “government protection,” ICC reports.
“These two new inclusions to the law have resulted in more raids and closures of house church schools and heightened hostility against Christian teachers and other house church leadership,” ICC said in its report.
According to rights group ChinaAid, the “government protection” section even authorizes government officials to revoke parental custody if children are not receiving compulsory state-sanctioned education, ICC said.