Chinese authorities have arrested Pastor Ezra Jin and dozens of underground church leaders in a sweeping crackdown on unregistered Christian congregations.
Chinese authorities have detained Pastor Ezra Jin, leader of Beijing’s Zion Church, in what rights advocates say is a broad crackdown on underground Christianity. His daughter, Grace Jin, told Fox News Digital that her father and nearly 30 church pastors and workers were taken or went missing across multiple Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shenzhen, and Shanghai.
Zion Church, one of China’s largest unregistered congregations, was shut down in 2018 but continued operating online. Grace said authorities cited “online dissemination of religious materials” as the reason for the detentions. “They have not given any paperwork out to anyone physically,” she added.
China Aid President Bob Fu condemned the arrests, saying, “Faith is not a crime. Worship is not a crime. Prayer is not a crime.” He urged President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to speak out against the crackdown.
Jin’s family, who are U.S. citizens, called on Washington to demand his release. “The light of Christ cannot be extinguished by tyranny,” Fu said, warning that persecution of house churches in China has reached its worst level in 40 years.