Pastor at Early Rain Covenant Church, Qin Defu, was charged with “illegal business operations.”
According to Christian religious freedom charity China Aid, Pastor Defu learned at his trial on 25th November that he was being sentenced because of 20,000 Christian books the church used.
Pastor Defu’s imprisonment comes after authorities promised his family that he would be released if he accepted a state-appointed attorney, which he did.
Pastor Qin Defu (holding baby) and his family
Pastor Defu’s attorney said the church’s head pastor, Wang Yi, admitted in a testimony that he was involved with these books.
Pastor Yi is also imprisoned. According to China Aid, the lawyer has speculated he would receive no less than a 10-year sentence.
Authorities seized around 100 members of Early Rain Covenant Church during the night last December.
Most of them have since been released.
Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.
… Read More
—
Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.