Interviews with Xiqiu "Bob" Fu

I think, before the 1989 student movement, the revival among the house churches pretty much occurred in the rural countryside areas. But after that there is a massive revival among the Chinese intellectuals. Those Christians like myself have been never really seen any such a big revival because the student movement – actually, the massacre happened.

And there are millions and millions of Chinese intellectuals came to Christian faith. And many of them were public intellectuals, as we call it, university professors, student leaders. Especially in the lawyers field. And many human rights campaigners became Christians. So in that sense, within the Christian community, I would say, there already a group of the Chinese intellectuals who are both concerned about the faith and the freedom.

And after all, the religious freedom is the first freedom above every other freedoms, as President Bush repeatedly said. And I think right now in the Chinese Christian community there is a portion of the intellectuals who are like the best-selling author, the most well known human rights lawyers. And even there are private entrepreneurs. And there are movie directors, singers, and there are university educators. In every sector of Chinese society now there are house church Christians. So that’s very phenomenal compared to what had happened in the past.

I would say although the goal for religious freedom is the same for all these different groups, like those Catholics who are loyal to the Holy See, and those Tibetans who are fighting for their freedom, the Uyghur also for their freedom. Yet because of the government, the severe crackdown, and restrictions on the communication and movement, and also the different tactics against the different groups, there’s not much communication among these groups inside China.

Of course in overseas we are in different groups. We have more collaboration among different faith groups than inside China. Because, obviously, we have more freedom here to communicate, to gather together, and to talk about common strategies. But inside China it’s almost impossible because each group even have a hard time to survive themselves.

For instance, if a house church pastor is fighting for their own freedom of gathering in their own area, had any indication of a collaboration with their underground, like Vatican-appointed bishop, and his or her crime would be ten times more severe, you know, than if he’s fighting for that one issue.

And if you join the cause for the Tibetan, Uyghur – my goodness – I mean the sentence if he’s caught would be 100 times more severe and more serious. And the Chinese government would label you as, you know, traitors or damaging the public security or the national security.

But we have been working with the Chinese human rights lawyers who are Christians. They, in their professional level, they have been representing not only the Protestant house church prisoners for their freedom, but also representing the Tibetans, the Uyghur, and Falun Gong spiritual movement victims. So from the conscious side, they choose to advance freedom for all. And so that’s the purpose of our organization China Aid.

Bob Fu was a leader in the student democracy movement at Tiananmen Square in 1989. He later converted to Christianity and became a house church pastor and a founder, along with his wife Heidi, of a Bible school. In 1996, he was arrested and jailed for running a secret bible school. After his release, he and his wife escaped to Hong Kong. They were admitted to the United States as refugees a few days before the handover of Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China in 1997.

Fu founded the China Aid Association (CAA) in 2002. CAA monitors and reports on religious freedom in China, particularly focusing on the fate of believers who belong to banned or unofficial house churches, which encompass 60 to 80 million followers. CAA issues frequent news releases on cases of religious persecution involving Protestant house church congregations and assists victims to assert their right to freedom of conscience and freedom of religious practice in China.

CAA also provides a forum for discussion and information exchange among experts on religion, law, and human rights in China through its bilingual journal, the China Law & Religion Monitor, and a bilingual website. Its headquarters are in Midland, Texas, where Fu now lives and works.