Ten members of church falsely accused of “fraud”, sentenced to harsh prison terms
The Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen City, Shanxi Province, was handed a harsh sentence June 20. Ten church members were each sentenced to multiple years in prison on charges of “fraud.” Among them, core member Brother Li Shuangping was sentenced to nine years and two months in prison, fined 100,000 yuan — the harshest sentence. The cases of Yang Rongli, the church’s founder, and Pastor Wang Xiaoguang will be handled separately. This trial not only severely violates legal justice but also highlights the Chinese authorities’ increasingly aggressive and unabashed systematic suppression of Christian house churches.
Baseless Fraud Charges Against Church Offerings
The so-called “fraud” charges are completely baseless. According to the indictment, all charges are related to voluntary offerings made by believers during normal church worship services. There are no victims to provide evidence, nor are there any unclear fund flows. The court, however, forcibly characterized this behavior, which is in line with religious beliefs and transparent, as “illegal fundraising,” and then framed it as “fraud.” This is a blatant trampling of the most basic rights of religious belief.
Violation of Judicial Fairness and Interference in Defense Rights
The procedural aspects of this case severely violate the principles of judicial fairness. Under pressure from the police and the court, several defendants were forced to dismiss their original retained lawyers and instead use state-appointed defense counsel, thereby losing their right to independent defense. Furthermore, Vice President of the Court and Presiding Judge of this case, Jie Binghua, personally visited the detention center on multiple occasions to coerce detained believers into changing their lawyers, thereby interfering with the defense strategy of the case, which clearly constitutes a gross interference in the trial process.
Absurd Legal Logic and Religious Persecution
The logic of the judgment in this case is utterly absurd: the Linfen Court deemed Golden Lampstand Church an “illegal organization” on the grounds that it had not joined the “Three-Self Patriotic Church” or registered with the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, and characterized its acts of worship and offerings as “fraud.” This logic not only violates the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of religious belief but also completely exposes the hypocrisy of the Chinese government’s claim to “govern the country according to law.”
History of Persecution Against Golden Lampstand Church
The Golden Lampstand Church has consistently upheld the stance of a house church, refusing to submit, compromise, or remain silent. Since the “September 13 Incident” in 2009, the church’s founder, Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, and his wife, Yang Rongli, have repeatedly faced persecution and imprisonment. The church has built an altar of faith through belief, blood, and endurance. The Golden Lampstand Church, built with 17 million yuan raised by believers, was forcibly demolished by the government in 2018, becoming a blood-stained testament to religious oppression. Now, with another absurd charge leading to a harsh sentence, it further reveals the Chinese regime’s determination to completely eradicate the existence of house churches.
Courage and Dignity of the Persecuted Believers
Among the 12 pastors and church workers arrested in August 2021, 10 have already been sentenced to heavy prison terms. Despite facing immense pressure, they remained steadfast in their refusal to plead guilty or compromise in court, demonstrating the true courage and dignity of the Christian faith. Their stance is a indictment of authoritarianism and a testimony to the truth.
A Systemic Crackdown on Religious Freedom
The Linfen Golden Lampstand Church case is a comprehensive crackdown on religious freedom and an open betrayal of the constitutionally guaranteed bottom line of human rights. In this case, we see a regime’s zero-tolerance attitude toward unofficial churches—simply because believers refuse to be controlled by a politicized religious system, they are labeled as an “illegal organization” and swept away; simply because believers willingly contribute to the church, they are falsely accused of “fraud.”
This is the collapse of the rule of law, and the cross of faith is once again being borne upon Chinese soil. To label the sacred work of the church as criminal and the love of pastors as culpable is an insult to the Christian faith and a desecration of human conscience.
A Nationwide Threat to House Churches
Chinese authorities are setting precedents to classify all unregistered house churches as illegal, aiming to eradicate their existence through criminal law. This is not an isolated legal case but a harbinger of a nationwide campaign to purge faith. The international community, church groups, and human rights organizations must not remain silent. If no one speaks out against the harsh sentence imposed on Golden Lampstand Church today, more faith communities will face the same persecution tomorrow.
Suffering as Witness: A Call to the Global Church
This is persecution, but it is also a call to awakening. The believers of Golden Lampstand Church are walking the path of the cross—they suffer for righteousness and set an example for all churches. Their suffering is the glory of the contemporary church.