By Florian Barnett-Trier (Y12)
If you visited China today, you could be forgiven for thinking that any and all religions are practiced freely and without limitations. Across the country, churches, mosques, and temples, seemingly operating as normal, can all be found, presenting an image of tolerance and unity. But as we soon came to learn, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
We had the privilege of sitting down with the brilliant Grace Jin Drexel, activist, speaker, and daughter of detained pastor Ezra Jin. She told us that pastors are approved and cleared by the government; thus, there is no freedom of religion. Salaries, church funding, and even sermon activities are under the thumb of the authorities. “I think that a lot of people go to China, and they see churches, they see mosques, they see temples, and they’re like, what religious persecution? There are people still having masses, still having service?” she said. “But what you don’t understand is behind the first veil what those churches are, is that they are under the governments, or in this case, the Chinese Communist Party’s control”
This control extends into what can be preached during sermons. Certain religious topics must be avoided altogether, and pastors quickly learn where the boundaries lie. Crossing those lines can lead to serious consequences and censorship. “You know where the line is,” she said. For many, though, that line is becoming increasingly difficult to balance upon.
Grace’s father founded an independent church in Beijing in 2007, with a tight-knit congregation. The church grew in size, rapidly becoming one of the largest independent churches in the city.
However, in 2018, the CCP shut them down and confiscated their assets. The congregation continued meeting through a hybrid model of online sermons and smaller in-person gatherings. But last year, authorities arrested Grace’s father, along with 27 other church leaders. Tragically, 18 of them remain in detention. Speaking at conferences like these is just one of the ways Grace is advocating for her father’s freedom. It’s true that his case has received unusually widespread media coverage, with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, condemning his arrest within days of its happening. Unfortunately, that has not changed the fact that, as of today, he is still incarcerated without a clear end in sight.
Grace continues to spread her story of resilience around the world, and we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to interview her. If you would like to watch a video version of the rousing talk she delivered, you can find it linked here.