Six leaders of the Early Rain Covenant Church were removed from their homes and detained by Chinese authorities whilst watching an online service on Easter Sunday. Taking place via Zoom, it was interrupted as police raided members’ homes. Someone watching the service said: ‘I thought it was the network connection issue at first, but I soon heard a quarrel erupt.’
The electricity was disconnected in one of the homes and others received phone calls warning them that the police were coming. All six leaders were later released.
Vimeo editing Christians
Video-streaming website Vimeo censored a pro-family organisation after a discredited group accused it of spreading ‘hate’.
The American Family Association (AFA) says it was told by Vimeo that its account was being shut down because it will not host an account if the owner is a member of a ‘terror or hate group’.
AFA vice-president Walker Wildmon accused the website of shutting down free speech and kowtowing to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) – an organisation that branded the charity an ‘extremist’ group.
AFA describes its mission as ‘to inform, equip, and activate individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of American culture and give aid to the church here and abroad in its task of fulfilling the Great Commission’.
Wildmon said: ‘They’ve officially shut down American Family Association’s video account with no in-depth explanation and no recourse, no way to defend our credibility. Vimeo’s done great harm to American Family Association by limiting our free speech and basically targeting us based on our religious beliefs’.
Comment
The future of the persecuted church isn’t Zoom. The Internet cannot be relied upon in times of persecution, at least, not the version of it that exists at the moment.
If this pandemic is seen by some as how to prepare for persecution by just moving church online to avoid the authorities, these stories show that some other form of preparation is required. Perhaps what is needed is for Western Christians to know their God and their Bibles more deeply.
