měi guó美国pī píng批评zhōng guó中国dǎ yā打压qiū yǔ shèng yuē jiào huì秋雨圣约教会
Recently, several members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Sichuan, China were taken away by the police.
This has drawn the attention of the US government and some human rights organizations.
The US government stated that they are very concerned about China's suppression of house churches and hope China will allow people to freely practice their religion without fear of punishment.
Some members of the US Congress also criticized the Chinese government, believing that the Chinese Communist Party forces religion to follow the party's ideas.
The Early Rain Covenant Church is one of the influential house churches in China.
In recent months, many house churches in China have been inspected and suppressed, with many believers and church leaders taken away for investigation.
Human rights organizations say these actions have made many Christians feel afraid.
Chinese law requires all religious groups to register, but many Christians choose to meet in unregistered house churches.
The Early Rain Covenant Church often faces government attention and suppression because of its firm faith.
The US and human rights organizations call on the Chinese government to release those taken away and allow everyone to freely practice their faith.