China’s “Gospel Warrior”, Evangelist Chen Wensheng, is no stranger to police stations and prison. Arrested more than 100 times for his work as a street evangelist in Hengyang City, Hunan Province, the evangelist has spent more than 130 days in prison on what authorities classify as administrative detention. But now, according to Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representaitve Dr Hyun Sook Foley, China’s “Gospel Warrior” is facing a new challenge.

“Evangelist Chen Wensheng was arrested again September 1 for his evangelism activities,” says Representative Foley. “Normally that means they would hold him for two weeks and then release him, as they had done every time in the past. But when he was due to have been released on September 18, they instead increased the charge to a criminal one: ‘organizing and financing illegal gatherings’ and kept him in prison.”

Representative Foley says that even a court trial last month did not result in his release.

“He was tried on April 18th in Hunan in a courtroom with only about a dozen seats for the public,” says Representative Foley. “Most of his family and friends, including his 86-year old mother and his second brother, were blocked from entering the court.” She says eyewitnesses counted more than 40 police officers and 30 other communist party security officials surrounding the building.

“The entire street where the court is located was blocked off under the pretext of a security drill,” says Representative Foley.

She says the trial lasted only an hour, with the prosecutor recommending a maximum 3-year sentence.

“As is often the situation with these kinds of trials, the verdict was not announced in the court, nor has it been made public,” says Representative Foley. She says Chen Wensheng is appealing the verdict.

“The government appointed a public defender to serve as his lawyer, but he basically defended himself in court,” says Representative Foley. “He told the court that as a person of faith, he was willing to suffer for his faith and be sentenced severely, but as a citizen, he asked the court to conduct a fair trial.”

Representative Foley says that Evangelist Chen Wensheng denied the criminal charges, explaining to the court that he does not organize gatherings or finance them but rather simply evangelizes on the street.

“He carries a wooden cross displaying the words ‘Glory to our Savior’ and ‘Repent and be saved by faith’, and he hands out gospel tracts, even to the police who arrest him,” says Representative Foley.

Representative Foley says eyewitnesses report that the evangelist was very cheerful and peaceful during the trial and was friendly to the court officials.

“Years ago he was a drug addict,” says Representative Foley. “When he heard the gospel, he was delivered from his addiction and immediately began preaching on the streets. He’s been a street preacher for more than 15 years. He is a member of a small church, and yet these criminal charges and this recent trial where the building and streets were blocked off testify to the breadth of his impact.”

Individuals interested in learning about Voice of the Martyrs Korea’s work in partnership with the house church Christians of China can visit https://vomkorea.com/en/china/.