Pastor sentenced to two years in prison for distributing Christian materials

Preacher Deng Yanxiang, leader of the Shengjia House Church in Foshan, Guandong, received a two year prison sentence for Christian activities.
Printing and selling Christian literature is a reason for accusing house churches of fraudulent activities, based on recent events.
Chinese government departments – including Public Security, Ethnic and Religious Affairs, Education, and Industry and Commerce- raided the Shengjia Church on the 23rd May 2023. They confiscated books, furniture and other items and pressed charges against church leaders.
Following the arrest of the five Shengjia Christians in August 2023, the Chinese People’s Court sentenced preacher Deng Yanxiang to two years in prison on the 17th of January 2025. This will expire on the 23rd May 2025, considering the time spent in pre-trial detention. The other four Christian defendants, Wang Weicai, Zhu Longjiang, Zhu Qiaoling, and Zhu Longfei, received sentences between one year and two months and one year and five months.
Following the arrest of the whole Zhu family, Elder Zhu Longfei’s wife, Liang Dandan, who struggles with heart disease, was forced to become the primary carer of her elderly and seriously ill parents-in-law. The mother of the three Zhu siblings was hospitalized in critical condition in October 2023. Their lawyers submitted multiple applications for bail for the three Zhu siblings, but they were all denied.
The court deemed the activities of the house church illegal, including publication of Christian materials, daily Bible readings and interpretations, and spreading the word of Christ among locals. Protestant house churches that refuse to join the government-controlled Three Self Church, are increasingly persecuted under the new Regulation of Religious Affairs. Vague accusations of “illegal business operations” are the most common form of government attack on Christian organisations.
Source: https://www.persecution.org