In further evidence of the intensifying crackdown of Christian activity in China, four Christians have been given prison sentences of between 15 months and six years for selling audio Bibles. 

The Chinese government is targeting the distribution of Bibles and even manipulating its content

Four Christians in China have been handed prison sentences of between 15 months and six years for selling audio Bibles.

Fu Xuanjuan – who is understood to be the owner of the business named as Life Tree Communication Co. Ltd, based in China’s south east province of Guangdong – has been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment and fined 200,000 yuan (approximately £22,500). 

Meanwhile, Deng Tianyong has been given a three-year sentence and 50,000 yuan fine (£5,600), Feng Qunhao a two-and-a-half-year sentence and 30,000 yuan fine (£3,400), and Han Li a 15-month sentence and 10,000 yuan fine (£1,100). 

Audio Bibles are hugely popular in China. They also contain sermons, songs and other Christian content. According to Bitter Winter, the four men had been running the communication business for years without problems. This changed in August 2020, when the authorities arrested the men for ‘conducting illegal business operations’ and confiscated the audio Bibles as well as computers. 

Please pray for these four Christians and their families. Ask the Lord to surround them with His loving presence and fill them with His strength. Please also pray that Bibles will continue to reach all believers, despite this recent crackdown. 

Five Christians in China charged for distributing audio Bibles

19 January 2021

Four Christians in China are facing prison sentences of between 18 months and five years for involvement in the distribution of audio Bibles. A fifth Christian involved in a separate business is currently on trial and could face a similar sentence. It’s part of a wider government campaign to ‘eradicate pornography and illegal publications’.

On 9 December 2020, four men part of Life Tree Communication Co. Ltd, which mainly sells audio Bibles, appeared in court in Shenzhen, south-east China, on charges of ‘illegal business operations’. The prosecutor recommended a prison sentence of five years for the business owner, Fu Xuanjuan, and sentences of between 18 months and three years for his three colleagues.

Two days earlier, on 7 December, Lai Jinqiang appeared in the same court on charges of selling audio Bibles. Open Doors understands that his case is ongoing, with the court yet to reach a verdict.

Businesses meet high demand for audio Bibles

“Audio Bible players first appeared in China around 2006 and they became popular, especially in rural house churches,” a local source told Open Doors. The devices are easy to use and, unlike printed Bibles, are widely available on the internet. They also contain sermons, songs and other Christian content.

One of the leading distributors in this growing market is Lai Jinqiang. “He focused on making audio Bible players for the older Chinese Christians who were not familiar with finding sermons and worship songs on the internet,” the source said. “The scale of production was ramped up and it reached tens of thousands of devices and even more over the years.” 

The source believes Lai's business likely caught the attention of authorities some time before being charged. “His trial is most likely part of the bigger crackdown movement on the Christian churches, which started seven to eight years ago and has, particularly in the last two years, developed into a nationwide repression of Christian activities.” 

The targeting and manipulation of the Bible

Restricting distribution of audio Bibles is not the only way in which the Chinese authorities are seeking to stop its citizens from being impacted by God’s Word.

In church raids – which are becoming increasingly common – Bibles are often confiscated and verses on walls defaced. In 2018, printed Bibles were removed from online platforms. Now they can only be sold in state-affiliated church bookshops. Bible apps are popular and still accessible, though closure of some apps on online platforms have been reported.

• Find out more about the intensifying regulation and surveillance of Christian activities in China

Meanwhile, the Bible itself is being manipulated according to socialist values. Churches have been forced to display government-prepared posters which feature Bible verses that reflect the 12 principles of socialism, including prosperity, democracy, patriotism and dedication. Furthermore, an official ethics textbook includes a twisted take on Jesus’ encounter with the woman caught in adultery. In it, Jesus stones her and says, “I too am a sinner. But if the law could only be executed by men without blemish, the law would be dead.”

According to VOA, the Chinese government announced in 2019 that they will be producing an ‘official translation’ of the Bible as part of ‘a comprehensive evaluation of the existing religious classics aiming at contents which do not conform to the progress of the times’. Any content deemed incompatible with socialist values will be amended accordingly. 

Please continue to stand with Chinese church

These are concerning times for Christians in China as the government seeks to stifle and suppress Christian freedom – and, in doing so, stop the number of Christians exceeding that of the Chinese Communist Party.  

Believers are standing strong and adapting, just as they have done before when persecution has hit. Your prayers and support are an enormous source of encouragement to them. Please continue to stand with them.