Chinas demolition of church leaves Christians uneasy

Inside, men sat in the pews on the right, as is customary here, while women, some toting grandsons and granddaughters, occupied the left and center.

Video projectors prompted congregants to a hymn, Tread Softly. They rose, filling the sanctuary with their voices. Be silent, be silent! A whisper is heard. Tread softly, tread softly! My Lord is here.

If quiet reserve was one message of the morning, unity was another. When it came time for the sermon, lay pastor Ye Sen did not refer directly to what had happened six days earlier just up the road in this eastern coastal city: After a tense, weekslong standoff, government wrecking crews had torn down the massive Three Rivers, or Sanjiang, Protestant church.

Yes Scripture of inspiration, though, from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians, emphasized the need for Christians to stick together amid adversity. Stand firm in one spirit, says one verse, contending as one man for the faith of the Gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.

The assembled flock, however, could not help but betray some unease. You must be careful whom you talk to, cautioned two women from a Beijing-based religious publication in town to investigate the demolition. There could be government spies among the people here.

A giant, red billboard stands at the highway turnoff for Pudong village, home to Three Rivers Church. Erected by the Yongjia County government, it declares in yellow characters: Demolition With Fairness, Demolition With Righteousness, Illegal Structures Must Be Demolished. On Monday, more than a dozen policemen in white helmets guarded the road, allowing only residents to pass.

An officer on duty tersely explained: There is something sensitive here. As for how long access would be restricted, he said, a few months.

Sensitivities are likely to last longer. Five local bureaucrats have been singled out for punishment, charged with failing to stop construction of a church they knew was to be much larger than building permits allowed.

Authorities say the church is just one of many illegal structures ensnared in their Rectify Three, Demolish One campaign intended to halt rampant violation of building regulations; signs in Wenzhou tout the campaign as a move to make space for development.

Many local Christians, though, believe the campaign aims to crack down on the churches that have proliferated in Wenzhou since the 1980s. Many members of the citys business class have flocked to the religion and funded the construction of increasingly elaborate houses of worship, in the process earning the city the moniker Chinas Jerusalem.

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Chinas demolition of church leaves Christians uneasy