(ChurchLeaders) On Aug. 11, a Chinese preacher in Yunnan province received a notice from the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau (ERAB) that he would be fined nearly $3,000 for holding an online Bible study. Regarding the penalty imposed on Zhang Wenli, International Christian Concern said,
This shows that it will be increasingly risky for any Christian in China to hold Bible study or conduct church activities online. From Wuhan, Sichuan, to Yunnan, the local authorities have been keeping their eyes on Christians, especially those from house churches. Many of their online activities were bugged and interrupted. The objective of their action is to coerce the house church members to join state-sanctioned churches.