Authorities in Vietnam Raid, Threaten House Churches
August 12, 2009
Compass Direct News
August 10, 2009HANOI (Compass Direct News) – Local authorities in Vietnam have balked at registering house churches, contributing to a recent uptick in sometimes violent harassment of congregations.
Four police officers and two government officials broke up the Sunday morning worship service of a house church in Tran Phu Commune in Hanoi on July 26, announcing that it was illegal to worship and teach religion. The police chief of Tran Phu Commune in greater Hanoi, Dang Dinh Toi, had ordered the raid.
When Christians under the leadership of Pastor Dang Thi Dinh refused to sign a document admitting they were meeting illegally, an angry police officer shouted, “If I find you meeting here next Sunday, I will kill you all like I’d kill a dog!”
We must pray with spiritual solidarity for fellow believers being persecuted around the world.
Truly, as Christians, we cannot condone religious persecution of any kind, whether it is directed at Christians or at people of other faiths.
As these incidents come to our attention, let us broadcast them. Christians are being actively persecuted around the world by governments who claim to protect their rights. The number of occurrences is shocking and the suffering is intense.