1<!DOCTYPE html> 2<html class="no-js" lang="en"><head> <title>Freed Chinese pastor joins advocates in urging Christians to speak for the imprisoned - Christian Daily International</title> 3 <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> 4 <meta name="HandheldFriendly" content="true"> 5 <meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-status-bar-style" content="black-translucent"> 6 <meta name="http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible"" content="IE=Edge"> 7 <meta name="keywords" content="China,Ezra Jin,Zion Church,Christianity,Chinese Communist Party,persecution,religious freedom"> 8 <meta name="description" content="A Chinese pastor freed from prison three months ago joined advocates at a religious freedom conference in Dallas, Texas, on Monday (Sept. 28) in urging Christians to pray and speak out for those jailed for their faith. Speakers credited such pressure with helping win the pastorâs release."> 9 <meta name="twitter:title" content="Freed Chinese pastor joins advocates in urging Christians to speak for the imprisoned"> 10 <meta property="og:description" content="A Chinese pastor freed from prison three months ago joined advocates at a religious freedom conference in Dallas, Texas, on Monday (Sept. 28) in urging Christians to pray and speak out for those jailed for their faith. Speakers credited such pressure with helping win the pastorâs release."> 11 <meta property="og:title" content="Freed Chinese pastor joins advocates in urging Christians to speak for the imprisoned"> 12 <meta property="og:type" content="article"> 13 <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"> 14 <meta name="twitter:creator" content="summary_large_image"> 15 <meta name="twitter:site" content="ChDaily_News"> 16 <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/thumbnail/0/42/4213.jpg"> 17 <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/thumbnail/0/42/4213.jpg"> 18 <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.christiandaily.com/news/freed-chinese-pastor-joins-advocates-in-urging-christians-to-speak-for-the-imprisoned"> 19 <link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon" href="/assets/images/favicon/favicon.ico" /> 20 <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="/assets/images/favicon/favicon-96x96.png" /> 21 <link rel="icon" type="svg+xml" href="/assets/images/favicon/favicon.svg" /> 22 <link rel="manifest" href="/assets/images/favicon/site.webmanifest" /> 23<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" integrity="sha384-sRIl4kxILFvY47J16cr9ZwB07vP4J8+LH7qKQnuqkuIAvNWLzeN8tE5YBujZqJLB" crossorigin="anonymous" /> 24<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/assets/css/style.css" /> 25<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/assets/css/eocjs-newsticker.css" /> 26<!-- Google tag (gtag.js) -->
27<script>window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];window.dataLayer.push({"page_type":"article","article_id":4213,"article_title":"Freed Chinese pastor joins advocates in urging Christians to speak for the imprisoned","article_keywords":"China,Ezra Jin,Zion Church,Christianity,Chinese Communist Party,persecution,religious freedom","category":"religious-freedom","byline":"cdi-staff"});
vendor: 331 bytes, lines 27-31
27(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': 28new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], 29j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 30'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); 31})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','
31GTM-TG5M4HV
vendor: 3 bytes, line 31
31');
31let cdi_locale='en-us';let client_id='www';</script>
31 32<!-- Google tag (gtag.js) --> 33 34<!-- OneTrust Cookies Consent Notice start for christiandaily.com -->
35<script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js" charset="UTF-8" data-domain-script="019f9586-9ccf-7d21-b916-8ef17e96273d"></script>
vendor: 1 bytes, line 35
35
36<script type="text/javascript">function OptanonWrapper() { }</script>
36 37<!-- OneTrust Cookies Consent Notice end for christiandaily.com -->
37<script async src="https://launcher.spot.im/spot/sp_ZlPVJuTi" type="text/javascript" data-spotim-module="spotim-launcher"></script>
37 38
38<script>const isCommentDisabled = false;let ARTICLE_UUID="95dgueawor4w"</script>
38 39</head> 40<body class=""> <div id="wrapper"> <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/#main" class="visually-hidden-focusable">Skip to main content</a><div class="topbar d-flex align-items-center justify-content-between"> 41 <time>Thursday, October 1, 2026</time> 42 <div class="user d-flex"> 43
43<script>const isCustomerSession = false;</script>
43 44 <a class="subscribe subscribe-popup" 45 id="header-newsletter-lightbox" 46 href="#" 47 data-href="https://auth.christiandaily.com/newsletter/lightbox-www.html?client_id=www&cdi_locale=en-us&redirect_url=https://www.christiandaily.com/news/freed-chinese-pastor-joins-advocates-in-urging-christians-to-speak-for-the-imprisoned">Subscribe</a> 48 <a href="https://auth.christiandaily.com/login?client_id=www&cdi_locale=en-us&redirect_url=https://www.christiandaily.com/news/freed-chinese-pastor-joins-advocates-in-urging-christians-to-speak-for-the-imprisoned" class="login">Login</a> <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/page/give" class="support">Support CDI</a> </div> 49</div> 50<header class="ph d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center"> 51 <button class="navbar-toggler d-flex" type="button" data-bs-toggle="offcanvas" data-bs-target="#offcanvasNavbarLight" aria-controls="offcanvasNavbarLight" aria-label="Toggle navigation"> 52 <span class="icon icon-menu"></span> 53 <span class="icon icon-search"></span> 54 </button> 55 <div class="logo"> 56 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/"><img src="https://www.christiandaily.com/assets/images/logo.svg" alt="Christian Daily International" /></a> </div> 57 <div class="language"> 58 <button>English</button> 59 <ul class="submenu"> 60 <li class="active"><a href="https://christiandaily.com">English</a></li> 61 <li><a href="https://es.christiandaily.com">Español</a></li> 62 <li><a href="https://fr.christiandaily.com">Français</a></li> 63 </ul> 64 </div> 65</header> 66<nav class="pn"> 67 <ul class="menu d-flex justify-content-center"> 68 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/">Home</a></li> 69 <li class="has-submenu"> 70 <a href="/">World</a> 71 <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 72 <ul class="submenu"> 73 <li class=""> 74 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/africa">Africa</a> 75 </li> 76 <li class=""> 77 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/asia">Asia</a> 78 </li> 79 <li class=""> 80 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/caribbean">Caribbean</a> 81 </li> 82 <li class=""> 83 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/europe">Europe</a> 84 </li> 85 <li class=""> 86 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/middle-east">Middle East</a> 87 </li> 88 <li class=""> 89 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/latin-america">Latin America</a> 90 </li> 91 <li class=""> 92 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/oceania">Oceania</a> 93 </li> 94 <li class=""> 95 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/us-canada">US & Canada</a> 96 </li> 97 </ul> 98 </li> 99 <li class="has-submenu"> 100 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/church-missions">Church & Missions</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 101 <ul class="submenu"> 102 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/evangelism-and-discipleship">Evangelism & Discipleship</a></li> 103 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/denominations">Denominations</a></li> 104
104 </ul> 105 </li> 106 <li class="has-submenu"> 107 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/religious-freedom">Religious Freedom</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 108 <ul class="submenu"> 109 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/persecution-incidents">Persecution Incidents</a></li> 110 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/research-and-analysis">Research & Analysis</a></li> 111 </ul> 112 </li> 113 <li class="has-submenu"> 114 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/society-culture">Society & Politics</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 115 <ul class="submenu"> 116 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/euthanasia-and-assisted-dying">Euthanasia & Assisted Dying</a></li> 117 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/politics">Politics</a></li> 118 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/migration">Migration</a></li> 119 </ul> 120 </li> 121 <li class="has-submenu"> 122 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/family-children">Family & Children</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 123 <ul class="submenu"> 124 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/parenting">Parenting</a></li> 125 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/abortion-and-unborn-life">Abortion & Unborn Life</a></li> 126 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/child-education">Child Education</a></li> 127 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/identity-and-sexuality">Identity & Sexuality</a></li> 128 </ul> 129 </li> 130 <li class="has-submenu"> 131 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/bible-and-theology">Theology</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 132 <ul class="submenu"> 133 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/education">Theological Education</a></li> 134 </ul> 135 </li> 136
136 <li class="has-submenu"> 137 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/arts-and-entertainment">Culture</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 138 <ul class="submenu"> 139 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/arts">Arts</a></li> 140 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/movies">Movies</a></li> 141 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/music">Music</a></li> 142 </ul> 143 </li> 144 <li class="has-submenu"> 145 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/science-and-tech">Science & Technology</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 146 <ul class="submenu"> 147 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/archaeology">Archaeology</a></li> 148 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/artificial-intelligence">Artificial Intelligence</a></li> 149 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/social-media">Social Media</a></li> 150 </ul> 151 </li> 152 <li class="has-submenu"> 153 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/data">Data</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 154 <ul class="submenu"> 155 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/religious-freedom-1">Religious Freedom</a></li> 156 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/church-trends">Church Trends</a></li> 157 </ul> 158 </li> 159 <li class=""> 160 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/health">Health</a> </li> 161 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/opinion">Opinion</a></li> </ul> 162</nav> 163<nav class="navbar bg-body-tertiary" aria-label="Light offcanvas navbar"> 164 <div class="offcanvas offcanvas-start" tabindex="-1" id="offcanvasNavbarLight" aria-labelledby="offcanvasNavbarLightLabel"> 165 <div class="offcanvas-body"> 166 <form class="d-flex" role="search" action="/search"> 167 <input class="form-control" type="search" name="q" placeholder="Search" aria-label="Search"> 168 <button class="btn" type="submit">Search</button> 169 </form> 170 <ul class="menu"> 171 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/">Home</a></li> 172 <li class="has-submenu"> 173 <a href="/">World</a> 174 <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 175 <ul class="submenu"> 176 <li class=""> 177 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/africa">Africa</a> 178 </li> 179 <li class=""> 180 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/asia">Asia</a> 181 </li> 182
182 <li class=""> 183 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/caribbean">Caribbean</a> 184 </li> 185 <li class=""> 186 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/europe">Europe</a> 187 </li> 188 <li class=""> 189 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/middle-east">Middle East</a> 190 </li> 191 <li class=""> 192 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/latin-america">Latin America</a> 193 </li> 194 <li class=""> 195 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/oceania">Oceania</a> 196 </li> 197 <li class=""> 198 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/us-canada">US & Canada</a> 199 </li> 200 </ul> 201 </li> 202 <li class="has-submenu"> 203 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/church-missions">Church & Missions</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 204 <ul class="submenu"> 205 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/evangelism-and-discipleship">Evangelism & Discipleship</a></li> 206 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/denominations">Denominations</a></li> 207 </ul> 208 </li> 209 <li class="has-submenu"> 210 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/religious-freedom">Religious Freedom</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 211 <ul class="submenu"> 212 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/persecution-incidents">Persecution Incidents</a></li> 213 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/research-and-analysis">Research & Analysis</a></li> 214 </ul> 215 </li> 216
216 <li class="has-submenu"> 217 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/society-culture">Society & Politics</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 218 <ul class="submenu"> 219 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/euthanasia-and-assisted-dying">Euthanasia & Assisted Dying</a></li> 220 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/politics">Politics</a></li> 221 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/migration">Migration</a></li> 222 </ul> 223 </li> 224 <li class="has-submenu"> 225 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/family-children">Family & Children</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 226 <ul class="submenu"> 227 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/parenting">Parenting</a></li> 228 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/abortion-and-unborn-life">Abortion & Unborn Life</a></li> 229 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/child-education">Child Education</a></li> 230 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/identity-and-sexuality">Identity & Sexuality</a></li> 231 </ul> 232 </li> 233 <li class="has-submenu"> 234 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/bible-and-theology">Theology</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 235 <ul class="submenu"> 236 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/education">Theological Education</a></li> 237 </ul> 238 </li> 239 <li class="has-submenu"> 240 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/arts-and-entertainment">Culture</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 241 <ul class="submenu"> 242 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/arts">Arts</a></li> 243 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/movies">Movies</a></li> 244 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/music">Music</a></li> 245 </ul> 246 </li> 247 <li class="has-submenu"> 248 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/science-and-tech">Science & Technology</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 249
249 <ul class="submenu"> 250 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/archaeology">Archaeology</a></li> 251 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/artificial-intelligence">Artificial Intelligence</a></li> 252 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/social-media">Social Media</a></li> 253 </ul> 254 </li> 255 <li class="has-submenu"> 256 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/data">Data</a> <button class="icon icon-caret"></button> 257 <ul class="submenu"> 258 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/religious-freedom-1">Religious Freedom</a></li> 259 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/church-trends">Church Trends</a></li> 260 </ul> 261 </li> 262 <li class=""> 263 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/health">Health</a> </li> 264 <li class=""><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/opinion">Opinion</a></li> </ul> 265 <div class="language"> 266 <button>English</button> 267 <ul class="submenu"> 268 <li class="active"><a href="https://christiandaily.com">English</a></li> 269 <li><a href="https://es.christiandaily.com">Español</a></li> 270 <li><a href="https://fr.christiandaily.com">Français</a></li> 271 </ul> 272 </div> 273 </div> 274 <div class="user d-flex align-items-center"> 275 <a class="subscribe subscribe-popup" 276 href="#" 277 data-href="https://auth.christiandaily.com/newsletter/lightbox-www.html?client_id=www&cdi_locale=en-us&redirect_url=https://www.christiandaily.com/news/freed-chinese-pastor-joins-advocates-in-urging-christians-to-speak-for-the-imprisoned">Subscribe</a> 278 <a href="https://auth.christiandaily.com/login?client_id=www&cdi_locale=en-us&redirect_url=https://www.christiandaily.com/news/freed-chinese-pastor-joins-advocates-in-urging-christians-to-speak-for-the-imprisoned" class="login">Login</a> <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/page/give" class="support">Support CDI</a> </div> 279 </div> 280</nav> 281 <main id="main" role="main" tabindex="-1"> 282 <div class="container-fluid"> 283 <header class="article-header pt-3"> 284 <h1>Freed Chinese pastor joins advocates in urging Christians to speak for the imprisoned</h1> 285 <div class="byline">
286 <span>By <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/by/cdi-staff"><strong>CDI Staff</strong></a></span> 287 <span><time datetime="2026-09-29T13:04">Sep 29, 2026 13:04 EDT</time></span> 288 <span>7 mins read</span> 289 </div> 290 </header> 291 <div class="row"> 292 <article class="column"> 293 <div class="article-content" id="article_content"> 294 <figure class="img-box align-center center"><picture><source srcset="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/cache/img/0/53/5361sw_852w_409h_1x_1y.webp" type="image/webp"><source srcset="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/cache/img/0/53/5361sw_852w_409h_1x_1y.jpg" type="image/jpg"><img src="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/cache/img/0/53/5361sw_852w_409h_1x_1y.jpg" alt="Pastor Ezra Jin of Zion Church with daughter Grace at Global Religious Freedom Gathering at Dallas Baptist University on Sept. 28, 2026." ></picture><figcaption class="caption"><span>Pastor Ezra Jin of Zion Church with daughter Grace at Global Religious Freedom Gathering at Dallas Baptist University on Sept. 28, 2026.</span><span class="credit"> Christian Daily International</span></figcaption></figure> 295<p>A Chinese pastor freed from prison three months ago joined advocates at a religious freedom conference in Dallas, Texas, on Monday (Sept. 28) in urging Christians to pray and speak out for those jailed for their faith. Speakers credited such pressure with helping win the pastorâs release.</p> 296<p>Ezra Jin, founder of Zion Church, told the audience that more than 150 pastors and church leaders remain behind bars in China. He said he intends to speak for them daily so they are not forgotten.</p> 297<p>Pastor Jin gave the keynote interview at the third annual Global Religious Freedom Gathering, hosted by the K. Randel Everett Center for Global Religious Freedom at Dallas Baptist University on Sept. 28-29. He answered questions from the centerâs founder, Randel Everett, while his daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, director of advocacy at Luke Alliance, interpreted.</p> 298<p>Pastor Jin, also known as Jin Mingri, was arrested in October 2025 at his home in Beihai, in the southern Guangxi region, during a crackdown on independent Christian worship that also targeted dozens of pastors and church members. He was released in July after direct intervention by the White House.</p> 299<p>âFour months ago, and even shorter than that, I was still inside the Chinese prison,â Pastor Jin said, crediting his release to the prayers and advocacy of those in the room.</p> 300<p><strong>Years of pressure on a growing church</strong></p> 301<p>Pastor Jin said he started Zion Church in Beijing in 2007 with about 20 people. One visitor at the time predicted it would not survive because it defied the Chinese Communist Partyâs limits, he recalled. By 2018, the congregation had grown to 1,500.</p> 302<p>Throughout that period, he said, authorities used a range of tactics against the church. Officials most often pressured landlords to break leases. At other times, electricity and water were cut off, or police interrupted services and ordered worshippers to register.</p> 303<p>The breaking point came in 2018, he said, when the government demanded that the church install 24 facial recognition cameras inside its sanctuary. After the church refused, Jin said, authorities sent about 1,000 people to close the site, and members could not remove even a single chair.</p> 304<figure class="img-box align-left left"><picture><source srcset="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/cache/img/0/53/5362sw_728w_1h_1x_1y.webp" type="image/webp"><source srcset="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/cache/img/0/53/5362sw_728w_1h_1x_1y.jpg" type="image/jpg"><img src="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/cache/img/0/53/5362sw_728w_1h_1x_1y.jpg" alt="Knox Thames, executive director of K. Randel Everett Center for Global Religious Freedom, speaks at gathering at Dallas Baptist University on Sept. 28, 2026." ></picture><figcaption class="caption"><span>Knox Thames, executive director of K. Randel Everett Center for Global Religious Freedom, speaks at gathering at Dallas Baptist University on Sept. 28, 2026.</span><span class="credit"> Christian Daily International</span></figcaption></figure> 305<p><strong>Charges tied to online worship and tithes</strong></p> 306<p>Pastor Jin said he was first charged with illegal use of information networks. During the pandemic years, the church held Sunday services on Zoom with thousands of accounts connected, and its daily morning devotionals drew 13,000 to 15,000 people, he said.</p> 307<p>He said he studied the law while in custody and found the offense covered attacks on network infrastru
307cture, such as hacking, or using the internet to teach people to commit crimes.</p> 308<p>âBut Iâm using the internet to tell people to confess their sins and sin no more,â he said he told prosecutors.</p> 309<p>Prosecutors shifted to fraud and illegal business operations charges based on the churchâs tithes, which supported its leadership, Pastor Jin said. Under Chinese law, he said, offerings of 500,000 yuan to the church can result in a 10-year prison sentence. With donations the church received annually over seven years, he said he expected he might never leave prison.</p> 310<p>Asked whether he feared speaking publicly at the event, the pastor replied, âI wasnât afraid even when I was inside the prison. Iâm in America now, what am I afraid of?â</p> 311<p><strong>âA battle between soulsâ</strong></p> 312<p>Everett asked why the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) appears to fear people of faith, noting the treatment of Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists and others. Pastor Jin said the root cause is that China is governed by a totalitarian system that persecutes whatever lies outside its control.</p> 313<p>He distinguished this from Chinaâs long history of autocratic rule. Emperors held great power, he said, but they did not control what people thought, whom they married or how many children they had. Citing political philosopher Hannah Arendt, he described totalitarianism as a 20th-century creation and said the CCP persecutes Christians in particular because the partyâs ideology developed in opposition to Christianity.</p> 314<p>Many people have underestimated the party for too long, Pastor Jin said. He argued that the conflict is ânot just a battle between two nationsâ but âa battle between souls,â and ultimately about the gospel.</p> 315<p>Pastor Jin also traced Western engagement with China from the end of the Cold War, when he said many believed the contest of ideologies was over and the priority became economic growth. He said Washington separated human rights from trade policy toward China in the 1990s, and that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has framed current tensions with the United States as a rivalry between great powers, including during President Donald Trumpâs visit to Beijing in May.</p> 316<p>Pastor Jin, however, rejects that framing.</p> 317<p>âChinaâs rise without human rights is a disaster for China,â he said, adding that it is also âa disaster for the world.â He said this has been his central message in the three months since his release.</p> 318<p>His generation of urban church leaders had hoped the imprisonment of pastors belonged to Chinaâs past, but it has returned, he said.</p> 319<p>âIf you are a Christian leader, unless you are ready to be put into prison, you cannot start a church,â he said.</p> 320<p><strong>Challenge to churches abroad</strong></p> 321<p>Asked what he would say to churches in the West, Pastor Jin said Christians in the United States should speak out for persecuted believers because the church is one body.</p> 322<p>God will care for the families of prisoners even if no one acts, he said.</p> 323<p>âBut if we do not do anything when we could have done something, then one day we must also realize we will also face God face to face,â Pastor Jin said.</p> 324<p>Everett told the audience that Trump had raised Pastor Jinâs case with Xi when the two leaders met in China, and that many people in the room had signed petitions calling for his release. Everett said eight of Pastor Jinâs staff members remain in prison. He then led attendees in prayer at their tables for the pastor, his family and those still detained, reading from Hebrews 13:3, which calls Christians to remember prisoners as if imprisoned with them.</p> 325<p><strong>Persecution shared across faiths</strong></p> 326<p>Knox Thames, the centerâs executive director and a former U.S. State Department special adviser on religious minorities, followed the interview with an overview of global restrictions on belief. Citing an annual survey of limits on religious freedom, he said three out of every four people worldwide live in countries that restrict the free practice of faith.</p> 327<p>Drawing on 25 years in the field, 20 of them in U.S. diplomatic roles, Thames said Christians who face persecution are almost always suffering alongside people of other beliefs. He pointed to Chinaâs Uyghur Muslims, a group of about 10 million to 11 million people. Both the Biden and Trump administrations determined that the Chinese government was committing genocide against them, he said.</p> 328<p>He also cited arrests, home demolitions and executions of members of the Bahaâi faith in Iran. In Pakistan, where Thames described the blasphemy laws as the harshest in the world, the center launched a prayer and advocacy campaign for two men, a Christian and a Muslim, who were both falsely accused of blasphemy.</p> 329<p>Thames said the center organized a letter this summer, signed by 300 people from 13 states within a week, urging Trump to raise the cases of Pastor Jin and Ilham Tohti, a Uyghur professor serving a life sentence in China.</p> 330<p>Pastor Jinâs case was raised, and he is now free, Thames said. Tohti remains in prison, now in his 12th year, and Thames told attendees the work is not finished.
330</p> 331<p>Closing the evening, Thames rejected the idea that the spread of restrictions on faith is irreversible, calling that belief âa lie.â He said Christians working alongside people of other beliefs could see prisoners freed and oppressive laws changed.</p> 332<p>He urged attendees to stay informed, pray and take action. Drawing on the words of 18th-century Baptist missionary William Carey, whose memorial Thames said he recently saw at Westminster Abbey, he told them to âattempt great things for God.â</p> </div> 333 <div class="after-content"> 334 <div id="cdi-talk" 335 data-spotim-module="conversation" 336 data-post-id="95dgueawor4w"> 337 </div> 338 </div> 339 </article> 340 <div class="sidebar justify-content-around"> 341 <div class="block"> 342 <h2 class="block-title">Most Read</h2><ul class="block-list"> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/news/franklin-graham-to-preach-gods-love-in-manchester-england">Franklin Graham to preach Godâs love in Manchester, England</a></h2> <div class="text-muted"> <time>2 mins read</time> <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/church-missions">Church & Missions</a> </div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/news/at-least-one-christian-slain-every-86-minutes-in-nigeria-study-says">At least one Christian slain every 86 minutes in Nigeria, study says</a></h2> <div class="text-muted"> <time>8 mins read</time> <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/religious-freedom">Religious Freedom</a> </div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/news/freed-chinese-pastor-joins-advocates-in-urging-christians-to-speak-for-the-imprisoned">Freed Chinese pastor joins advocates in urging Christians to speak for the imprisoned</a></h2> <div class="text-muted"> <time>7 mins read</time> <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/religious-freedom">Religious Freedom</a> </div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/news/more-christians-killed-in-previously-attacked-area-in-nigeria">More Christians killed in previously attacked area in Nigeria</a></h2> <div class="text-muted"> <time>3 mins read</time> <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/religious-freedom">Religious Freedom</a> </div> </article> </li> <li> <article> <h2><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/news/archaeologists-uncover-second-temple-era-jewish-settlement-from-time-of-jesus">Archaeologists uncover Second Temple-era Jewish settlement from time of Jesus</a></h2> <div class="text-muted"> <time>1 mins read</time> <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/science-and-tech">Science & Technology</a> </div> </article> </li> </ul> </div> 343 <aside class="article-related-col block"> 344 <h2 class="block-title">Related Articles</h2> 345 <ul class="block-list"> 346 <li><article><h3><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/news/china-detains-beijing-house-church-leaders-in-latest-crackdown-on-unregistered-churches">China Detains Beijing house church leaders in latest crackdown on unregistered churches</a></h3></article></li> 347 <li><article><h3><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/news/help-sought-for-chinese-attorney-imprisoned-pastors-ahead-of-trump-xi-summit">Help sought for Chinese attorney, imprisoned pastors ahead of Trump-Xi summit</a></h3></article></li> 348 <li><article><h3><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/news/chinese-underground-church-pastor-ezra-jin-freed-arrives-in-us-weeks-after-trump-raised-case-with-xi">Chinese underground church pastor Ezra Jin freed, arrives in US weeks after Trump raised case with Xi</a></h3></article></li> 349 </ul> 350 </aside> 351 </div> 352 </div> 353 </div> 354 355 </main> 356<hr> 357<div class="brands-belt"> 358 <label>Group of Brands</label> 359 <div class="d-flex flex-wrap justify-content-center"> 360 <a href="https://www.christianpost.com" target="_blank"><img src="/assets/images/brands/christian-post.svg" width="230" height="12" alt="The Christian Post"></a> 361 <a href="https://www.christiantoday.com" target="_blank"><img src="/assets/images/brands/christian-today.svg" width="200" height="14" alt="Christian Today"></a> 362 <a style="margin-top:5px" href="/" target="_blank"><img src="/assets/images/brands/christian-daily.svg" width="200" height="29" alt="Christian Daily International"></a> 363 <a href="https://www.gnli.com" target="_blank"><img src="/assets/images/brands/gnl.svg" width="170" height="32" alt="GoodNe
363wsLine"></a> 364 <a href="https://www.crossmap.com" target="_blank"><img src="/assets/images/brands/crossmap.svg" width="114" height="14" alt="Crossmap"></a> 365 <a href="https://www.bibleportal.com" target="_blank"><img src="/assets/images/brands/bible-portal.svg" width="126" height="26" alt="Bible Portal"></a> 366 <a href="https://www.breathecast.com" target="_blank"><img src="/assets/images/brands/breathe-cast.jpg" width="129" height="24" alt="BreatheCast"></a> 367 <a href="https://edifi.app" target="_blank"><img src="/assets/images/brands/edifi.svg" width="45" height="26" alt="Edifi"></a> 368 <a href="https://www.videpress.com" target="_blank"><img src="/assets/images/brands/vide-press.svg" width="103" height="14" alt="Vide Press"></a> 369 </div> 370</div> <footer class="pf"> 371 <div class="container-fluid"> 372 <div class="logo"> 373 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/"><img src="https://www.christiandaily.com/assets/images/logo.svg" alt="Christian Daily International" /></a> </div> 374 <ul class="pf-menu"> 375 <li> 376 <a href="/">World</a> 377 <ul> 378 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/africa">Africa</a></li> 379 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/asia">Asia</a></li> 380 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/caribbean">Caribbean</a></li> 381 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/europe">Europe</a></li> 382 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/middle-east">Middle East</a></li> 383 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/latin-america">Latin America</a></li> 384 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/oceania">Oceania</a></li> 385 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/us-canada">US & Canada</a></li> 386 </ul> 387 </li> 388 <li> 389 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/church-missions">Church & Missions</a> <ul> 390 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/evangelism-and-discipleship">Evangelism & Discipleship</a></li> 391 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/denominations">Denominations</a></li> 392 </ul> 393 </li> 394 <li> 395 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/religious-freedom">Religious Freedom</a> <ul> 396 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/persecution-incidents">Persecution Incidents</a></li> 397 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/research-and-analysis">Research & Analysis</a></li> 398 </ul> 399 </li> 400 <li> 401 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/society-culture">Society & Politics</a> <ul> 402 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/euthanasia-and-assisted-dying">Euthanasia & Assisted Dying</a></li> 403 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/politics">Politics</a></li> 404 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/migration">Migration</a></li> 405 </ul> 406 </li> 407 <li> 408 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/family-children">Family & Children</a> <ul> 409 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/parenting">Parenting</a></li> 410 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/abortion-and-unborn-life">Abortion & Unborn Life</a></li> 411 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/child-education">Child Education</a></li> 412 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/identity-and-sexuality">Identity & Sexuality</a></li> 413 </ul> 414 </li> 415 <li> 416 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/bible-and-theology">Theology</a> <ul> 417 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/education">Theological Education</a></li> 418
418 </ul> 419 </li> 420 <li> 421 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/arts-and-entertainment">Culture</a> <ul> 422 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/arts">Arts</a></li> 423 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/movies">Movies</a></li> 424 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/music">Music</a></li> 425 </ul> 426 </li> 427 <li> 428 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/science-and-tech">Science & Technology</a> <ul> 429 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/archaeology">Archaeology</a></li> 430 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/artificial-intelligence">Artificial Intelligence</a></li> 431 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/social-media">Social Media</a></li> 432 </ul> 433 </li> 434 <li> 435 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/data">Data</a> <ul> 436 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/religious-freedom-1">Religious Freedom</a></li> 437 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/church-trends">Church Trends</a></li> 438 </ul> 439 </li> 440 <li> 441 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/health">Health</a> <ul> 442 </ul> 443 </li> 444 </ul> 445 <div class="copyright">
445Copyright ©2026 Christian Daily International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.</div> 446 <ul class="about-menu d-flex flex-wrap justify-content-center"> 447 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/about-us">About Us</a></li> 448 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/statement-of-faith">Statement of Faith</a></li> 449 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/leadership">Leadership</a></li> 450 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/partnerships">Partnerships</a></li> 451 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/code-of-ethics">Code of Ethics</a></li> 452 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/cdis-policy-on-use-of-ai-tools">Policy on Use of AI Tools</a></li> 453 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a></li> 454 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/general-disclaimer">General Disclaimer</a></li> 455 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/permissions-policy">Permissions Policy</a></li> 456 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/editorial-policy">Editorial Policy</a></li> 457 <li><a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/terms-of-service">Terms of Service</a></li> 458 </ul> 459 <ul class="about-menu d-flex flex-wrap justify-content-center"> 460 <li> 461 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/page/submit-article">Submit an Op-Ed</a> </li> 462 <li> 463 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/page/give">Give to CDI</a> </li> 464 <li> 465 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/page/jobs">Job Opportunities</a> </li> 466 <li> 467 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/page/email-whitelisting">Email Whitelisting</a> </li> 468 <li> 469 <a href="https://www.christiandaily.com/page/contact">Contact Us</a> </li> 470 </ul> 471 <div class="social d-flex justify-content-center"> 472 <strong>Follow CDI on:</strong> 473 <ul class="socials d-flex flex-wrap"> 474 <li class="facebook"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ChristianDailyInternational" target="_blank" title="Facebook"></a></li> 475 <li class="twitter"><a href="https://x.com/ChDaily_News" target="_blank" title="TwitterX"></a></li> 476 <li class="linkedin"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/christian-daily-international" target="_blank" title="Linkedin"></a></li> 477 <li class="youtube"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ChristianDailyInternational" target="_blank" title="Youtube"></a></li> 478 <li class="instagram"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/chdaily_news" target="_blank" title="Instagram"></a></li> 479 <li class="whatsapp"><a href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaKGiMkHAdNeHQQDqp0K" target="_blank" title="WhatsApp"></a></li> 480 <li class="telegram"><a href="https://t.me/ChristianDailyInternational" target="_blank" title="Telegram"></a></li> 481 <li class="bluesky"><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/christiandailyintl.bsky.social" target="_blank" title="BlueSky"></a></li> 482 <li class="msn">
482<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/channel/source/Christian%20Daily%20International/sr-vid-j357vq0u3i6vbj9xib678krt3x03wq6p0aa4jvhqe46e6fj5jbps?disableErrorRedirect=true&infiniteContentCount=0&cvid=b3e7255362514f669a192316fb448e15&ei=7" target="_blank" title="MSNNews"></a></li> 483 </ul> 484 </div> 485 </div> 486</footer> 487<div id="subscription-banner" class="subscriber-banner"> 488 <div class="banner-content d-lg-flex align-items-center justify-content-center"> 489 <span>Get our top headlines delivered free to your inbox every day.</span> 490 <form method="post" class="newsletter-campaign-form newsletter-form" action="https://auth.christiandaily.com/newsletter/subscribe"> 491 <div class="d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center"> 492 <input class="form-control" type="email" name="email" placeholder="Email address" aria-label="Email address"> 493 <button class="btn submit-newsletter-form" type="submit">Subscribe</button> 494 </div> 495 <div class="newsletter-message-body"></div> 496 </form> 497 <div class="icon icon-close close-newsletter-form"></div> 498 </div> 499</div>
500<script> 501(function () { 502 var STORAGE_KEY = 'cdi_newsletter_banner_hide_until'; 503 var banner = document.getElementById('subscription-banner'); 504 if (!banner) { 505 return; 506 } 507 var hideUntil = 0; 508 try { 509 hideUntil = parseInt(localStorage.getItem(STORAGE_KEY), 10) || 0; 510 } catch (e) {} 511 if (Date.now() < hideUntil) { 512 banner.style.display = 'none'; 513 return; 514 } 515 var closeBtn = banner.querySelector('.close-newsletter-form'); 516 if (closeBtn) { 517 closeBtn.addEventListener('click', function () { 518 banner.style.display = 'none'; 519 try { 520 localStorage.setItem(STORAGE_KEY, Date.now() + 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000); 521 } catch (e) {} 522 }); 523 } 524})(); 525</script>
vendor: 2 bytes, line 525
525
526<script src="https://www.christiandaily.com/vendor/jquery-3.6.0/jquery.min.js"></script>
vendor: 1 bytes, line 526
526
527<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/js.cookie.min.js"></script>
vendor: 1 bytes, line 527
527
528<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/js/bootstrap.bundle.min.js"></script>
vendor: 1 bytes, line 528
528
529<script src="https://www.christiandaily.com/assets/js/eocjs-newsticker.js"></script>
vendor: 1 bytes, line 529
529
530<script src="https://www.christiandaily.com/assets/js/scripts.js"></script>
530 531 </div>
532<script type="application/javascript">let tracking_pix="/article/pixel/index/eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzUxMiJ9.eyJleHAiOjE3OTA5MTE4MDQsImlhdCI6MTc5MDkxMTY4NCwibmJmIjoxNzkwOTExNjgzLCJ1aWQiOiJmZmoyWnZVTVZvZklmTktoc2MyaVUrWkYyQmk3c0dBOG00K2k1UT09Iiwia2V5IjoiSXlDM2Q3R1ZKUmRFUzdpV2V0REQvSGVZKzBZPSJ9.5-hVukKQNdnbe4b1E4dDzEbmSK7JC8Hm7dCOX1Y3B6ua8w2JC2vte80DqKmtiNKTj3MzRRQ5sXUtfDHIKjb5Ew"</script>
532 533
533<script type="application/javascript" src="https://www.christiandaily.com/assets/js.js"></script>
533 534</body> 535</html>
Line numbers count LF bytes from the start of the resource, as the search results do. Vendor segments are library code the classifier recognised; they are stored but not indexed. Bytes are shown as Latin1 characters, one per byte.