Source: www.persecution.org
Date: April 29, 2022
China (International Christian Concern) – A Christian website in China with more than 20 years of history has ceased to exist recently amid the ongoing crackdown against Christianity in cyberspace.
On April 12, “Jona(h) Home” published a notice on its website, which reads “Due to reasons known to everyone, from now on our site can no longer serve brothers and sisters in Christ. Thanks to all for your company and support in the past 21 years!”
It continues, “The disappearance of a website is merely a disappearance of a website, it does not carry any meaning. Except that the website link can no longer be opened, there is nothing else which stopped at that moment; Need not to be concerned, and just keep walking.”
There is nothing left except the notice posted on their website. Baidu Tieba, a Chinese communication platform, has a few entries where users wonder what happened to the Jona Home website. While no one dared to mention the crackdown of the government, some responded, “[The closure] has nothing to do with your laptop. You should know the reason.”
On March 1, the Chinese government officially placed a ban on unauthorized online religious activities. Any religious group seeking to conduct religious activities online cannot do so without obtaining a license issued by the government. Even before the ban was put in place, Bible Apps and many Christian WeChat accounts have been shut down in China.
Father Francis Liu from the Chinese Christian fellowship of Righteousness told Radio Free Asia, “The closure of Jona Home reflects how the Chinese authorities clamp down on Christianity. I feel sad from the bottom of my heart about the closure of such a website. Certainly, this is the most direct result of how China is currently persecuting and oppressing religious freedom.”
HOW TO PRAY: Pray for greater freedom of speech and worship in China. Pray for provision for the operators of this platform. Pray for the gospel to continue spreading throughout China.