hong kongs christians

A Statement of Solidarity to Hong Kong’s Christians

on October 3, 2019

(And to all those in Hong Kong who long for freedom — By your Christian brothers and sisters in the United States)

This is a statement meant to send love and encouragement to the protesters in Hong Kong, to let them know that we are standing with them, that they are not alone, and indeed, that we want to honor them. The statement, which is comprised as an open letter to the “Hong Kongers” is being released today, October 3, 2019 during the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Communist regime in China. The People’s Republic of China calls this the “Golden Week,” but someday, when burned in the Refiner’s Fire, it will prove to be nothing.but.dross.

Here is our statement, signed by dozens of Christian leaders and passionate advocates for religious freedom and democracy:

A Statement of Solidarity to Hong Kong’s Christians
and to all those in Hong Kong who long for freedom
By Your Christian brothers and sisters in the United States
October 3, 2019

For months now, we, your supporters from all walks of life, have watched your courageous stand for freedom and justice on the streets of Hong Kong.

You have been in our thoughts and prayers as you seek to keep the People’s Republic of China’s Communist leaders from violating Hong Kong’s fragile semi-independence with measures designed to bring the people of Hong Kong under their control. We have been particularly concerned, along with you, about the PRC’s desire to extradite Hong Kong citizens, as well as foreigners, to mainland China, knowing that this technique would certainly be used by the Communist regime against Christians and other religious believers.

When we heard you sing, “Sing Alleluia to the Lord” as Hong Kong police and Chinese agents attacked you and demonized you, our hearts were deeply touched, and we were reminded that we are one Body in Christ together. You have shown the world that the hunger for freedom springs from something in the human spirit that the Creator, God, has put there with that simple praise song, along with your love for what you believe is the best part of American culture – our democracy, our love of freedom, our National Anthem, and our American flag.

We are impressed by your continued thoughtfulness and respect for your fellow Hong Kongers and all those who travel through Hong Kong such as you have shown in your poignant signs of apology for any inconvenience caused to travelers by your own fight for freedom, and by your recent efforts to enable both autos and pedestrians to continue moving on Hong Kong’s streets in spite of the thousands and thousands of protesters lining those streets. Your dignity and nobility as you suffer for a just cause is a witness to the whole world, and is in stark contrast to those in the West who take their freedom for granted.

We were also deeply moved when, out of respect for America, you halted your protests to commemorate 9/11 with us. We thank you that, as Scripture says, you have “wept, when we are weeping, and mourn, when we are mourning.”

In turn, we pledge to you our prayers and our support, our solidarity and our advocacy. We pray and raise our voices in advocacy for Chinese Christians and for all of those in China, including pro-democracy dissidents, Falun Gong, Uyghurs, and the people of Tibet that are oppressed, persecuted, and imprisoned by the Communist regime. And we pledge to do the same for our friends and fellow freedom lovers in Hong Kong. We ask God to protect your fragile freedom and not allow this small bastion of religious liberty for Christians to be compromised and oppressed. We also urge the United States government to stand more strongly and more vocally with the people of Hong Kong until your full freedoms are safe and democracy is guaranteed.

Jesus promised that a Day is coming when “they will come from the East and the West, from the North and the South, and they will sit down in the Kingdom of God.” When that day comes, we want to be able to SIT at God’s table with our brothers and sisters from Hong Kong, knowing that we have STOOD with you in the time of oppression and persecution, and have done all that we could to support your freedom.

Yours in Him, who gives Perfect Freedom,

Faith J. H. McDonnell, Director
Intl Religious Liberty Program
Institute on Religion & Democracy
Washington, DC

Fu Xiqiu, 傅希秋 (Bob)
Founder and President
China Aid, Midland, TX

Jordan Allott
Executive Producer InAltum Productions
Filmmaker, Christians in the Mirror

Dr. Foley Beach
Archbishop and Primate
Anglican Church in North America

Ann Buwalda, Esq.
Executive Director
Jubilee Campaign USA

Patrick Carberry
Founder, Joshuacord
Ex. Producer Christians in the Mirror

Fengsuo Zhou
Tiananmen Square
Student Leader

Ellen Grigsby
Director, Institutional Partnerships
Open Doors USA

Philip B. Haney
President
Venatus Group, Inc

Kevin Jessip
President
Global Strategic Alliance

Jason Jones
President
Movie to Movement

Carmen LaBerge, author, talk show host
Executive Director
Common Ground Christian Network

Dede Laugesen
Executive Director
Save the Persecuted Christians

Eric Metaxas
Author, Speaker
Host of “The Eric Metaxas Show”

Jenny Noyes
Executive Director
New Wineskins Missionary Network

Jorge Parrott
President
Correll Missionary Ministries

Rebecca Reynolds
Chaplain
Southern Baptist Convention

Lisa Ritchie
Founding Member
Save the Persecuted Christians

William L. Saunders, JD
Director: Program in Human Rights, Institute for Human Ecology &
Center for Human Rights,
School of Arts & Sciences;
Co-Director: Center for Religious Liberty, Columbus School of Law Catholic University of America

Patricia Streeter
Community Organizer, Open Doors
Co-Leader, Anglican Persecuted Church Network

Mark Tooley, President
Institute on Religion & Democracy Washington, DC
Editor/Publisher, Providence

Thomas Waller
Vice President for Special Projects
Center for Security Policy
Washington, DC

Travis Weber
Vice President for Policy & Gov.
Director, Center for Religious Liberty
Family Research Council

Wendy Wright
President
Christian Freedom International

Elizabeth Yore, Esq.
Child Rights Advocate
Yore Children

Obed Almeyda
Pastor
Healing Word Ministries

William Brown, Organizer
Christian Activist Network
Of New England

Charles Burchett
Pastor
First Baptist Church, Kirbyville, TX

James Choate, Trustee
St. Paul Lutheran Church
Stanwood, IA

Robin Felber
Catholic Artist
The Praying Peripatetic

Reverend William H. Gurnee, III
Pastor, St. Joseph’s on Capitol Hill
Washington, DC

Bishop Willie Horn
CEO/Program Director
Radio Station KBRG – “The Bridge”

Pastor Benny Humphries
Exodo Church
Tarapoto, Peru

Salih S. Hudayar
Founder and President
East Turkistan
National Awakening Movement

Dr. William J. Hurst, President
Institute for Strategic
Christian Leadership

Dr. Fred Lian, Pastor
GracePoint Community Church
Centennial, CO

Peggy Littleton
Director, Western Region
ReadyOp

Charles Minter
Persecuted Church Advocate
Coastline Calvary Chapel, Destin, FL

Dr. Arthur Nitz, Owner
ProActive Therapy
Frankfurt, KY

Kyle Olbert, Director of Operations
East Turkistan
National Awakening Movement

James Revelle
Lead Pastor
Pathway Church, Shorewood, IL

Matthew Shea
State Representative
Washington

Mark Singer, Co-facilitator
Moral Action Ministry
North Scottsdale Christian Church

Kaaren Teuber
Coordinator
Texoma Patriots

The Rev. Michael Trombley
Pastor, Trinity Lutheran Church
Fort Wayne, IN

Marie Zere
Co-Founder
Alert Long Island

Jane Bate
Advocate
Act4ourCountry, Cheshire, CT

Theresa Bendl
Advocate
Save the Persecuted Christians

Christine Coleman
Pastor
Blazing Holy Fire Ministries

K.A. Ellis
Director of the Center for the Study of the Bible and Ethnicity
Reformed Theological Seminary, Atlanta

Tara Gaede
Advocate
Save the Persecuted Christians

Mr. and Mrs. Ken Greenberg
Advocates
Save the Persecuted Christians
Alert Long Island

Paul Hurst
Advocate
Save the Persecuted Christians

Carol Lihn, Esq.
Advocate
Save the Persecuted Christians

Joe Longoria
Advocate
Save the Persecuted Christians

The Rev. Michael McInnis
First United Methodist Church
Windom, MN

Lamar Stapleton
Advocate
Save the Persecuted Christians

James Storey
Advocate
Save the Persecuted Christians

Marianne Strenger
Advocate
Save the Persecuted Christians

Robert D. Thompson
National Conservative Leader
United States

Kenneth Timmerman
Author
Foundation for Democracy in Iran

Lynn Toner
Advocate
Save the Persecuted Christians

  1. Comment by Mike on October 4, 2019 at 10:41 am

    My prayers are also with them. My son-in-law is from mainland China; he and my daughter are in ministry in Japan and minister mainly to Chinese students who come to Japan to attend college. They have led many to Christ, seen many baptized, and also had a number of young men and women begin the path into full time Christian ministry.

    God bless Hong Kong and her people!

    (If you can, please add my name to this list, or tell me how to do so.)

    Rev. Michael McInnis
    First United Methodist Church
    Windom, MN

  2. Comment by Faith McDonnell on October 4, 2019 at 10:57 am

    Dear Rev. McInnis: I sure will add your name. I am continuing to push the letter out to as many Hong Kong protesters’ on Twitter as possible, or at least to people who have connection with them. So I will add your name now. God bless you, and your daughter and son-in-law as they work for His glory and the extension of His Kingdom of love and grace. Faith McDonnell

  3. Comment by Michael McInnis on October 5, 2019 at 3:09 pm

    Thank you, Faith!

    I truly believe God is in the middle of what is happening in Hong Kong – China is responding to the gospel, and the government will not be able to suppress the work of the Spirit in China!

  4. Comment by Jane Bonner on October 4, 2019 at 5:35 pm

    One day, all of China will be singing the praises of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! May their voices fill the airwaves across this world for which Jesus died on the cross.

  5. Comment by Faith McDonnell on October 5, 2019 at 4:43 pm

    Amen, Jane!

  6. Comment by Theresa Newell on October 7, 2019 at 3:11 pm

    Perfect letter, Faith! At a recent Lausanne international conference in Toronto I was blessed to host two of our believing Hong Kong sisters for lunch – and to hear first hand what they would face as they returned home that week which was the first week of protest. We must stand up with them. Thank you for this initiative to let them know they are not alone as they stand for freedom.

  7. Comment by Faith J. H. McDonnell on October 10, 2019 at 1:53 pm

    Thanks so much, Theresa. You are welcome to add your name to the letter, as others have done. If you want to, send me an email at IRD.

  8. Comment by charles c templeton on October 8, 2019 at 9:25 am

    I support this petition in prayer and identification

  9. Comment by Faith J. H. McDonnell on October 10, 2019 at 1:54 pm

    Thank you, Charles. If you want your name added, please be in touch with me with your details by emailing IRD. God bless.

  10. Comment by Eli on October 8, 2019 at 11:31 am

    I pray for their salvation in Christ and support their right to have self determination. But I cannot encourage the people of Hong Kong to continue a reckless and unproductive strategy of often violent protests that are not in line with God’s Word. 1 Tim 2:1-5; 1 Pet 2:9-17.

    He who Christ sets free is free indeed from the fruitless ways of this world and our hope is an everlasting and immortal one in the Kingdom of God. Christians need be busy walking with their feet shod with the Gospel of peace to all those that will listen not trying to overturn Governments by political revolutions (John 18:36) that turn violent on both sides that do not lead to forgiveness and reconciliation. The PRC and their Tyrannical form of Totalitarian Government may or may not be on this earth in another decade or another week according to the will of Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords but it is not the place of a Disciple of Christ to fight to change the Government to establish another Government that others will find tyrannical. We cannot establish Gods Justice by seeking man’s comfort and convenience. What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul (Matthew 16:24-27)? We wage war against sin and are as free in a prison cell as we are in New York City or Yosemite National Park. Because this world is passing away but we who understand and do the will of God will remain forever.

  11. Comment by Faith J. H. McDonnell on October 10, 2019 at 1:59 pm

    Thanks, Eli. Glad you support their right to self-determination, since that is actually the law that Hong Kong is under, but our letter is not so much to encourage their resistance as to encourage OUR government to do the right thing and support them against the Chinese Communist Party.

  12. Comment by Gordon Tsang on October 13, 2019 at 7:00 pm

    Hong Kong is really ruled by communist right now and should be liberated.

  13. Comment by Tawanna Sinclair on October 21, 2019 at 7:12 pm

    I thank you, LORD, for these precious brothers and sisters for standing for You, Freedom, and for their Nation, even in the face of severe persecution, not loving their lives even unto death. Strength and Courage in Jesus Name.

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