The Price of a Pew

A Call to Awaken from the Comfort of the West

While we in the West debate the temperature of our sanctuaries or whether the worship set list was to our liking, a sobering reality is unfolding across the globe. In the early weeks of 2026, the silence of the winter morning in China was shattered not by bells, but by the heavy boots of riot police and the low growl of bulldozers.

The crackdown on "house churches"—those congregations that refuse to let the state dictate their theology—has reached a fever pitch. But this isn't just a news story for our "prayer requests" list. It is a mirror held up to the face of the American Church, asking us: What is your faith actually worth?

In Wenzhou, often called "China's Jerusalem," the Yayang Church didn't just lose its building; its people lost their freedom. In a massive operation involving over 1,000 personnel—including SWAT and riot units—authorities surrounded the church. They didn't just lock the doors; they brought in cranes to tear down religious symbols and arrest hundreds.

Two brothers, Lin Enzhao and Lin Enci, now sit in the Wenzhou Detention Center. Their crime? "Picking quarrels and provoking trouble"—a catch-all charge the government uses to criminalize the simple act of leading a prayer meeting. They have been denied access to lawyers and labeled as "heads of a criminal organization." Their elderly father, unable to care for himself, is now bedridden as his sons face years behind bars.

Meanwhile, in Chengdu, the Early Rain Covenant Church was raided yet again on January 6, 2026. Pastor Li Yingqiang was taken from his home in front of his family. He and a member known as Brother Lin have been formally charged with "inciting subversion of state power." This is the same charge used to bury their founding pastor, Wang Yi, in a prison cell for the last seven years.

The Great American Paradox:

Now, let’s look at our own lives. In the United States, we are comfortable. We have the luxury of choice.

We choose whether to wake up for service. We choose whether to open the Bible apps on our phones. Often, we choose "no." We stay in because it’s a few degrees below freezing, or because we’re tired from a week of chasing things that won't matter in eternity. We treat the Gospel like a Sunday-morning hobby rather than a life-sustaining truth.

In Yayang, believers are being put in black hoods and hauled away in the middle of the night for the "crime" of owning a Bible. In America, we have three or four copies gathering dust on our nightstands while we scroll through social media.

There is a staggering gap between a faith that costs everything and a faith that costs nothing.

The point of comparing these two worlds isn't to heap on guilt, but to ignite a holy fire. The courage of the Chinese underground church should be our inspiration. If Pastor Li Yingqiang can face a prison sentence with a smile because he knows his King is greater than the state, then surely we can find the strength to prioritize God over our pillows.

We have taken our Christianity as a suggestion, while they have taken it as a mandate. We treat it like a joke when we allow minor inconveniences to keep us from the presence of God.

It is time to wake up. It is time to realize that the freedom we enjoy is not just a right—it is a responsibility. If we don’t value the Word of God when it is free, will we value it when it is forbidden?

Let the bulldozers of Wenzhou remind us that the Church is not a building; it is a people of conviction. Let the arrests in Chengdu remind us that the Gospel is worth more than our comfort. Let us stop saying "nah, I’m good" to God and start living with the urgency of someone who knows that every breath, every prayer, and every page of Scripture is a gift.

Sources & Fact-Checking

Human Rights Watch (Jan 6, 2026): China: New Arrests at Underground Protestant Churches - Detailing the raids on Early Rain and Yayang.

ChinaAid (Jan 22, 2026): Elder Li Yingqiang and Brother Lin Charged with “Subversion” - Confirming formal charges and detentions.

The Guardian (Jan 11, 2026): Underground church says leaders detained as China steps up crackdown - Reporting by Amy Hawkins on the Southwest China sweep.

Church In Chains (Jan 30, 2026): Huge crackdown on Zhejiang’s Yayang church network - Detailing the demolition and the Lin brothers' situation.