Contact: Amy Jo Jones, Christian Freedom International (CFI), 906-253-2336

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich., Aug. 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- On August 8, 2008, three American Christians were arrested in China. After the group's press conference in Tiananmen Square, during which they condemned the country's widespread oppression and human rights violations, they were imprisoned and subsequently deported back to the United States.

On that same day, as the world prepared for the commencement of the Olympic Games in Beijing, several Chinese house church leaders were quietly detained in the Henan Province, in an effort by government leaders to curb protests and reports of religious persecution in the country.

On August 11, while visiting China for the Olympics, U.S. President George Bush attended a carefully staged, government-approved worship service at the Three Self Patriotic Movement Kuanjie Church. Before his visit was over, unbeknownst to the outside world, Christian social activist Hua Huiqi would be arrested and illegally detained near Beijing.

They are just a few of the thousands of people who daily risk their lives for the "crime" of Christian faith in China.

Although its constitution claims that all Chinese citizens enjoy religious freedom, China remains as one of the worst violators of human rights in the world. The only legally existing churches are those under the government's strict control; anyone who refuses to follow its policies on religious practices and beliefs are forced to meet and worship in illegal house churches. If caught, they face confiscation of property, imprisonment, torture, or even death. The government's "re-education" system also sends hundreds of thousands of people, particularly Christians, to grueling work camps each year in an effort to indoctrinate them with Communist ideologies.

Bible production and distribution is also strictly controlled in China, with just a small number of the Scriptures being printed each year. But with an estimated 60 to 100 million believers currently existing in China's "underground" church, the overwhelming demand for Bibles drastically outweighs the country's supply.

Despite harsh opposition and resistance, the underground church continues to thrive in China, growing by the millions each year.

Christian Freedom International (CFI), a Michigan-based organization that assists persecuted Christians worldwide, has provided humanitarian relief and Bibles for suffering Chinese believers since 1996.

CFI urges all Christians to pray for the safety of Christians in China and that they would be encouraged to continue sharing the Gospel with others, despite the dangers they face. CFI also calls on the international community and its governments to hold China accountable for its lack of religious freedom and severe human rights abuses.