A Henan church pastor was arrested and imprisoned for refusing to abide by the Chinese Communist Party's anti-God demands.
On Jan. 2021, Li Juncai, the head pastor of Yuan Yang County House Church in Xinxiang, Henan Province was sentenced to five years imprisonment. Li allegedly refused to obey the demands from CCP that violated his stance on his faith.
After almost two years of pre-trial detention, Li, together with three other believers, had their day in court. The court acquitted the three others but sentenced the pastor to five years and six months in prison. He is also required to pay 210,000 RMB (32,487 USD), according to Bitter Winter.
Pastor Li was one among those who resisted the crackdown of churches in his city. He boldly refused to bow down to the communist ideologies pushed by the government.
Li opposed when China demanded the removal of crosses in churches. He also did not allow a space in his church for a stand for a national flag.
When China sanctioned churches to replace the church slogan "Love God and Love Others" with a more patriotic "Love the Country and Love Religion," the head church leader did not abide as well.
According to reports, Chinese officials raided the Yuan Yang County House Church on Feb. 20, 2019. The church accommodates 500 to 800 believers.
The police arrested Li along with three other believers namely Wu Raoyun, Bai Yun, and Ma Yanfang for allegedly disrupting public service. China Aid claimed that authorities accused the pastor of of embezzlement, obstructing government administration, and destruction of accounting records against the Chinese Communist Party.
Li Chao, the pastor's son claimed that the charges against his father were only made up. He believed that the arrest was more about contempt because of his father's refusal to bow down to CCP's ideologies.
A statement from a legal practitioner in China supported Li Chao's allegations saying, "What Pastor Juncai has done does not constitute a crime. The charges by the authorities against him consist of unclear facts and insufficient evidence," Christianity Daily reported.
Meanwhile, days after the arrest, personnel from the local religion bureau, public security, and the city administration demolished the cross from the Yuan Yang County House Church. They managed to remove the symbol in Li's absence.
Months after the incident, the officials released the three arrested believers on bail. Li had to remain under their custody until the completion of the proceedings.
The Prosecutor's Office returned his case to the Public Security Bureau twice for further investigation. Reports believed that the remand was due to the lack of evidence to support the false accusations.
Pastor Li Juncai who was declared guilty of all three accusations will serve his sentence in Yuan Yang County Detention Center in Xinxiang City. Considering his pre-trial detention, he will remain in detention until Aug. 20, 2024.
Commentators call Henan the "Galilee of China," as it is a home for millions of Christians in the country. A report in 2018 says the province is the origin of the underground church movement. It is also where the first house churches began.
Believers are urged to pray for Pastor Li's safety and freedom.
