Increasingly, Protestant house churches in China are arbitrarily labeled “xie jiao” and shut down by the authorities.
by Zou Luli
In a deeply unsettling development for China’s underground Christian community, five core members of the Shenyang Youth Fellowship (sometimes referred to in English as Shenyang Celtic Christian Fellowship) in Shenyang, Liaoning province, have been criminally detained by local authorities on charges of “using a xie jiao.” The arrests, which began on June 28 and continued into July, have sparked outrage among religious freedom advocates and cast a harsh spotlight on the treatment of house churches in China.
“Xie jiao” means “organizations spreading heterodox teachings,” and the label is used against groups stigmatized as “cults.” However, the Fellowship preaches a mainline Protestant theology.
Among those detained are Pastor Mingdao, Brother Wang Xiangchao, Brother Shao, Sister Liu, and Sister Gu. According to a public statement by Enmei, a fellow church worker and Wang’s wife, the group was apprehended by officers from the Shengli Police Station in Kangping County, Shenyang. Enmei’s account, shared via WeChat, paints a harrowing picture of physical abuse and psychological torment during interrogation.
Pastor Mingdao was reportedly seized from his home by four plainclothes officers on the night of June 28. What followed was a brutal ordeal: he was forced to squat on his toes for hours, beaten whenever he moved, and repeatedly assaulted by a group of seven to eight officers while blindfolded. His injuries were severe—his lips turned outward, his mouth filled with blood, and he was denied food and water for over ten hours. Authorities allegedly coerced him to sign false confessions and “repentance letters.”
Two female church members, Sister Liu and Sister Gu, were subjected to similarly violent treatment. They were slapped, had their arms twisted, hair pulled, and legs kicked. One officer reportedly struck a sister’s ribs with his elbow. The women were also threatened with harm to their children and elderly family members, leaving them in a state of extreme fear and psychological distress. Like Pastor Mingdao, they were pressured to produce fabricated confessions.
The Fellowship is known for its evangelical outreach to university students. Despite operating peacefully for over a decade, the group has now been branded a “xie jiao” by authorities—a label increasingly used to suppress independent Christian churches that refuse to register with the state-sanctioned Three Self Church.
Legal experts and human rights advocates warn that such charges are part of a broader campaign to dismantle China’s house churches. “Once a group is labeled a xie jiao, any religious activity—prayer, preaching, even sharing meals—can be criminalized,” one church elder told “Bitter Winter.” “It’s a legal trap designed to silence dissent.”
Enmei, who was not detained, has emerged as a vocal advocate for the group. She described her husband, Wang, as a hardworking man devoted to his family and faith. His detention, she said, has left their household in disarray—his injuries untreated, his work disrupted, and their children traumatized.
As the case unfolds, the Fellowship’s fate remains uncertain. But their story is a stark reminder of the risks faced by China’s unregistered religious communities—and the resilience of those who continue to worship in the shadows.
Uses a pseudonym for security reasons.
