China Frees Pastor Ezra Jin on Independence Day
Independence Day has a special meaning this year for Ezra Jin, a house church pastor who arrived safely in Los Angeles on July 4 after being released from detention in China. Chinese officials reportedly informed him that his release resulted from discussions between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and was presented as a goodwill gesture coinciding with America’s Independence Day.
Jin had spent months in detention because of his Christian faith and ministry. His unexpected freedom is an answer to countless prayers offered by Christians around the world and demonstrates once again that sustained international advocacy can save lives and restore freedom.
“We rejoice with Pastor Ezra Jin, his family and the global body of Christ on this remarkable Independence Day miracle,” said the Rev. Dr. Bob Fu, founder and president of ChinaAid. “We thank Almighty God for hearing the prayers of his people. We are deeply grateful to President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and all U.S. officials who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to secure Pastor Jin’s freedom. Their unwavering commitment demonstrates that principled leadership and persistent diplomacy can make a lifesaving difference.”
At the same time, more work remains to be done.
“While we celebrate Pastor Jin’s freedom, our hearts remain with the countless pastors including eight other jailed pastors and coworkers from Zion Church, priests, bishops, house church Christians, Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience who remain unjustly imprisoned by the Chinese Communist Party,” Fu said. “We respectfully call on President Trump and his administration to continue making religious freedom and the release of all prisoners of faith a top priority in every engagement with Beijing. True progress in U.S.-China relations must include freedom for those imprisoned simply because they choose to believe.”
As Americans celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Jin’s arrival on American soil was a powerful reminder that the universal longing for religious liberty transcends national borders. “Freedom for Pastor Jin is a tremendous victory,” Fu said. “But our work is not finished until every prisoner of faith is free.”
–Lee Hartman
