The 3 - August 29, 2021

This week's edition of The 3 reminds of persecution - and prosecution - of pro-life individuals in the United States and religious persecution in China.  In between, there's an update on how Christians and Christian groups are involved in helping people escape from Afghanistan.

Court victory for pro-life protestors outside Brooklyn abortion clinic

One could call activity in front of an abortion clinic a "protest" because of what goes on inside, but you could also use the term, "sidewalk counseling," because you will find people who stand in front of clinics have also been known to compassionately share information with women who are there in order to get an abortion.

At a facility in Brooklyn in New York City, people have been doing just that, according to CBNNews.com, which stated:

Reuters reports members of Brooklyn's Church@TheRock, were accused by the state of violating laws meant to ensure patients' access to abortion clinics without interference or harassment.

The Thomas More Society, representing the ten church members and their pastor, Rev. Kenneth Griepp, said their clients only offered information on life-affirming alternatives to abortion-bound women which is their right under the First Amendment.

And, just last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the pro-lifers right to stand in front of the clinic and to, as the article says, "peacefully protest." 

Thomas More Senior Counsel Stephen Crampton characterized the prosecution as "about politics," stating, "The New York Attorney General has wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money pursuing bogus claims and persecuting law-abiding Christians. The real crime here is not the actions of the defendants, but the actions of the Attorney General in ever filing this case."

Christian groups involved in evacuating people from Afghanistan

While it seems like a significant number of Americans and sympathetic Afghan partners apparently remain trapped in Afghanistan ahead of the Tuesday deadline for withdrawal set by the Taliban, Christian groups and groups with Christian participation are going in to extract those in need.

FoxNews.com reported on the activities of recent Meeting House guest Victor Marx and his ministry,  All Things Possible, which was successful in getting a family of eight converts from Islam to Christianity out of the country. He said, "I'm thankful for everyone involved," adding, "We may be running point on some operations, but it's a huge network and it's a lot of people that care to get these people out." He also stated, "We were able to be part of a mission that got the children safe, got the moms freed, put them together, and then they came to our safe house in Iraq..." Fox adds:

In Afghanistan, All Things Possible is still working to evacuate more people – including a group of 300 orphans that made it all the way into the Hamid Karzai International Airport earlier this week but remains trapped in Kabul after the plane scheduled to carry them out wasn’t able to land.

Another group of refugees attempted to reach the airport and ATP warmed them about the high-risk situation outside one of the airport’s gates. They stopped about 300 meters away before the bombs went off.

In total, Marx and a partner group, Save Our Allies, have helped some 5,000 people escape.

One of the partners in Save our Allies is the Mighty Oaks Foundation, headed by another former Meeting House guest, Chad Robichaux. Including refugees, the group has extracted more than 12,000 people.

Samaritan's Purse reports on its website:

These Islamic extremists are poised to force Afghanistan back into a dark and brutal state where Christians, anyone who associated with Americans, women, and others face severe persecution and death. Some of our brothers and sisters in Christ are running from place to place, trying to stay safe.

Samaritan’s Purse has been partnering with organizations on the ground to get men, women, and children out of this horrific situation. We have been able to sponsor flights that have brought hundreds to safety—one of our partners made three trips that brought out 700 people in one day! We have also supported the evacuation of 80 missionary families via land routes.

And, Free Burma Rangers reports on its Facebook page: 

Right now we are praying for the Afghans and we are coordinating with like-minded friends to get people out and assistance in. Thank you for all your prayers and your help in this as well as our ongoing missions to the people of Burma, Iraq and Syria. I am including some pictures of our family in Afghanistan a few years ago when we were visiting friends there. We love the Afghan people and are helping and will stand with them as God leads us.

The movie spotlighting the work of that organization in Burma, or Myanmar, and beyond, will be in theaters on September 13, including the AMC Festival Plaza in Montgomery.

More trouble for Chinese church

While we remember the Christians who are in danger in Afghanistan, we also continue to focus on the persecution of the Church in China.  The government there has targeted a congregation called Early Rain in Chengdu; International Christian Concern reports on its website that it "has learned that on August 22, the heavily persecuted house church, Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC), was once again violently raided by the local authorities in Chengdu, China. Twenty-eight members from a small group were taken away during a worship service." The article goes on to say: "An ERCC member told ICC that many people were beaten by the police in detention. When the children were rowdy, the police officers threatened to hit them on their heads."  The pastor who brought the message that day and his brother were placed in "administrative detention" for 14 days.

The Evangelical Focus website shared that 10 children were among those detained. It also shared this information:

Children ages 6 - 14 years of age are requires by the Chinese government to join a group called Young Pioneers of China, which is sponsored by the Communist Youth League.

China Aid President Bob Fu explains that "no one under the age of 18 is allowed in a church building, or they will face serious consequences. In every school, children are not allowed to get any religious education or participate in religious activities".

This is not the first skirmish with Early Rain, according to Evangelical Focus; it states:

Chinese authorities had already shuttered the 5,000-member church ERCC over two years ago. They broke down the doors of church members’ and leaders’ homes, and arrested more than 100 people, including main pastor Wang Yi and other leaders.

Wang was later sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of subversion of power and illegal business operations.

The ICC website reports:

Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager for Southeast Asia, said, “The latest raid against ERCC, though nothing novel, shows a worrying trend that house churches are frequently subjected to harassment like this in the name of ‘law enforcement,’ where legally flawed Revised Regulations on Religious Affairs have been employed by Beijing to crack down on house churches around the country. The Chinese Communist Party’s constant fear of unregistered churches is both pathetic and preposterous, as it underscores President Xi’s insecurity toward any critical mass. There is absolutely no regard for religious freedom.”