返回《网上灵粮》主页Prison Sentence for Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church
A。新闻：（加拿大 51新闻网，2020年1月2日）
中国牧师王怡被重判九年，持续引发国际关注
中国司法当局去年（2019）12月30日以“煽动颠覆国家政权罪”及“非法经营罪”判处中国敢言的牧师王怡9年有期徒刑。他所主持的成都秋雨圣约教会第二天31日凌晨透过脸书发表声明强调，王怡没有违法犯罪，官方的判决是对中国家庭教会的不公义逼迫。王怡自担任牧师以来便持守圣经上的“政教分立”立场，一向教导基督徒要按照圣经“顺服掌权者”，甚至在教会受逼迫时，也愿意顺服政府对基督徒身体上的限制和财产剥夺，从未有过“煽动颠覆国家政权”的言论和行为。
声明还强调，教会印制的书籍从未有任何牟利行为，而是要给信徒阅读和传福音之用，从未有过所谓的“非法经营”行为。
美国国务卿蓬佩奥也于王怡被重判的次日，推特发文表示：王怡是被以莫须有的罪名和秘密审判的方式被判刑，他呼吁北京务必释放王怡，停止对基督徒和其他宗教信仰者的压迫。
香港基督徒学会等多个团体和个人也在同一天发表声明， 内容强调王怡没有获得公平审讯和辩护权利，判决合法性受质疑，并指出中国的宗教自由严重倒退。声明指出，当局在审理此案过程中多处违反刑事诉讼法。王怡家属委托的律师张培鸿一直无法与王怡接触，继之又被当局拒绝担任辩护人，此举违反法律中关于委托辩护律师的安排。另外，对王怡的判决也未按法律要求公开进行。
声明说，王怡完全没有颠覆国家政权及推翻社会主义制度的动机及行为，他的教导与写作是实践其信仰使命，属于宪法赋予公民的言论自由权利。而秋雨圣约教会印刷书籍，旨在牧养信徒，广传福音，也不构成牟利行为。
除了呼吁关注王怡个人的命运以外，这份声明也针对中国整体的宗教信仰环境恶化表达忧虑。声明指出：自2014年以来，中国的宗教自由出现严重倒退。成都秋雨圣约教会、北京守望教会及锡安教会近年先后被当局取缔，现在更以“煽动颠覆国家政权罪”来向王怡进行起诉及判决，此举进一步说明中国政府严厉打压不属官方认证的家庭教会的政策。显示中国信教公民的合法权益，不仅未有获得保障，反倒处于前所未有严峻处境。
被重判9年的王怡牧师1973年生于四川，今年46岁，毕业于四川大学法学院。在任教成都大学期间，王怡曾创立主持宪政网络论坛，研究中国宪政转型，以犀利文笔发表针砭时弊政论文章，2004年曾被中国《南方人物周刊》评为“最有影响力的公共知识分子”之一。
2005年，王怡皈依基督教后，与太太蒋蓉开办基督徒家庭聚会。2008年正式成立的“秋雨之福”教会到2017年时已经有信徒500人。
王怡在海外出名，还因为其在2006年5月访问美国时，曾在美国基督教会的安排下，与中国作家余杰和人权律师李柏光一起前往白宫，会见了时任美国总统小乔治布什。
2006年，王怡在接受香港《开放》杂志采访时，透露他成为基督徒与两个地下教会受到当局迫害的案件有很大关系：一个是华南教会案，另一个是北京家庭教会牧师蔡卓华印圣经的案子。
王怡当时还说：“我相信民主自由是普世价值，值得一生去追求的，是善和公义，但这个公义和善不是从我内心流露出来的，我不可能是个源头，我只能去接受他，用一种卑谦的心去领受他。这样我就慢慢接受基督教的信仰，接受在基督里面的爱和公义。”
不幸的是，2018年12月10日“国际人权日”的前一天，成都秋雨圣约教会遭到取缔，多人被抓。而几乎同一天爆出的华为高管孟晚舟被加拿大拘捕的消息吸引了绝大多数中国和国际媒体中国报道的目光。
在中美贸易战背景下被关押一年后，王怡案于2019年 12月26日在成都市中级人民法院被秘密开庭审理。12月30日，王怡被重判9年，剥夺政治权利3年。
B。秋雨圣约教会关于王怡牧师被判重刑的声明
A Statement from Early Rain Covenant Church Regarding the Severe
Sentencing of Pastor Wang Yi
自2018年12月9日以来，本教会主任牧师王怡被当局以“煽动颠覆国家政权罪”和“非法经营罪”之名羁押，2019年12月26日在成都市中级人民法院被秘密开庭审理。12月30日，王怡牧师被宣布判刑9年，并处罚金5万元。本教会特作如下五点声明，表明教会的立场：
1，作为本教会的主任牧师，王怡牧师是上帝和主基督所拣选的忠心的仆人，他在福音真理的教导上符合整本圣经的启示，符合大公教会所传承的信经、信条及相关要理问答，符合改革宗长老会华西区会的宪章规定；上帝使王怡牧师在普世教会尤其是在全世界华人教会中拥有的影响力，是因为他蒙主呼召，按主所赐，大有勇气地在中国特有的文化与政治处境中宣讲福音；
2，王怡牧师的证道、讲座、书籍和文章，是他牧养信徒、传布福音的信息。从教会范围来看，这既是他对所蒙圣职呼召的践行，也是他对所领受恩赐、恩典的回应，是他履行牧师和宣教士职分的本分；从社会层面来看，这是他对中国宪法和法律所赋予中国公民的信仰自由和言论自由权利的践行。教会印制的书籍，从未有任何牟利行为，其目的都在牧养信徒和传福音，从未有过所谓的“非法经营”之行为；
3，王怡牧师自蒙呼召以来，在教会与政府关系上持守基于圣经的“政教分立”立场，在这方面有多年的研究、讲道和写作，在中国教会中广为人知，他在教会中从来都是教导基督徒要按照圣经顺服在上掌权者，即使在教会受逼迫的时候也愿意顺服政府对基督徒身体的限制、财产的剥夺，从未有过“煽动颠覆国家政权”的言论和行为；
4，王怡牧师被拘捕、被囚禁、被审判，是为基督信仰遭受逼迫，为上帝的荣耀作基督受苦的见证（彼前5:1），他是上帝赐给我们这间教会的礼物和喜乐（弗4.11；腓4:1）；
5，王怡牧师并没有违法犯罪，当局对他“涉嫌煽动颠覆国家政权罪”和“非法经营罪”的指控，是中国家庭教会遭受不公义逼迫的一部分。无论当局如何判决，王怡牧师都是本教会的主任牧师，是我们所认同和跟随的主耶稣基督所拣选和设立的忠心牧者。
我们对王怡牧师被判重刑发出在基督里的劝告和抗议。岂不知政府人员这样做是得罪上帝的吗？岂不知这是对上帝授予政府权柄的滥用吗（罗13:3）？ 即便如此，我们对你们没有仇恨，怜悯与公义的上帝反而要我们爱你们、为你们祷告，深愿参与这场教案的公务人员，秉公执法，能早日悔改归信主基督，认识主耶稣在十字架上受难对世人一切罪的代赎和赦免，并得到永远生命与盼望。
我们邀请寄居全地的普世教会，为因基督和福音缘故被囚禁的王怡牧师、覃德富长老和他们的家人继续切切代祷。为我们众人祷告，我们也会为你们祷告，愿我们在这末世 — 耶稣基督以他降世为人、完美一生、被卖受审、代罪受死、复活升天和赐下圣灵带来的末世中 — 以我们的受苦见证基督是道路、真理、生命（约14.6），是这黑暗世界的光。我们也邀请正在遭受逼迫的教会，一起定睛死而复活的耶稣基督，依靠圣灵与已经升到高天之大者右边的王万之王、永远的大祭司和末后的先知紧密联合，在祂的恩典上刚强起来，屡败屡战，屡战屡败，为的是践行大使命，让福音广传，使三一上帝荣耀的名得着称赞。求上帝帮助我们，让我们在逼迫中，同享上帝长阔高深的慈爱，直到与祂面对面的时刻。愿颂赞、尊贵、智慧、丰富、荣耀、能力和权柄，都归给我们在天上的圣父，为我们赢得拯救的主耶稣基督，不断向我们施恩帮助的圣灵保惠师。阿们！
秋雨圣约归正长老教会
2019年12月30日
English:
A Statement from Early Rain Covenant Church Regarding the Severe Sentencing of Pastor Wang Yi
Since December 9th, 2018, our church’s senior pastor Wang Yi has been imprisoned on charges of “inciting to subvert state power” and “illegal business operations.” On December 26th, 2019, he was secretly tried at the Chengdu Intermediate People’s Court. On December 30th, the court announced that Pastor Wang Yi was sentenced to 9 years in prison and fined 50,000 RMB. Our church issues the following statement to clarify our position:
1. As the senior pastor of this church, Pastor Wang Yi is a faithful servant who has been chosen by God and by the Lord Jesus Christ. His teachings on the truth of the gospel are consistent with the entirety of biblical revelation; they are consistent with the creeds, confessions, and relevant catechisms inherited by the universal church; and they are consistent with the constitution of Western China Reformed Presbytery. The influence that God has given Pastor Wang Yi within the universal church and especially within Chinese churches throughout the world is a result of his being called by God and courageously preaching the gospel amidst the unique cultural and political circumstances in China.
2. Pastor Wang Yi’s sermons, lectures, books, and articles are produced for the pastoring of believers and for the spreading of the gospel. From the perspective of the church, he produces these things as a way of fulfilling his call to the ministry and responding to the gifts and grace he has received. By producing these things, he is fulfilling his duties as a pastor and a missionary. From the perspective of society, he is exercising his freedoms of religion and of speech, rights granted to Chinese citizens by the Constitution and laws of China. The books printed by the church have never been printed for profit but only for the pastoring of believers and for the spreading of the gospel. He has never conducted so-called “illegal business operations.”
3. Ever since Pastor Wang Yi received his calling from God, he has always held to the biblical principle of “separation of church and state” regarding the relationship between church and state. He has spent much time researching, preaching, and writing about this. It is widely known in the Chinese church that he has always taught that Christians should submit to authorities in power in accordance with Scripture. He has taught that even when the church is being persecuted, Christians should be willing to submit to the government’s physical restrictions of them as well as to the depravation of their property. He has never said or done anything that amounts to “inciting to subvert state power.”
4. Pastor Wang Yi’s arrest, imprisonment, and trial are persecutions he has suffered for the sake of the Christian faith, and they testify to the sufferings of Christ for the glory of God (1 Pet. 5:1). He is a gift and joy whom God has given to this church (Eph. 4:11, Phil. 4:1).
5. Pastor Wang Yi did not commit any crime. The authorities’ charges of “inciting to subvert state power” and “illegal business operations” are part of the unjust persecutions against the Chinese house church. Regardless of the sentence the authorities pronounce against him, Pastor Wang Yi is the senior pastor of this church and a faithful messenger of the kingdom of heaven whom we stand with and follow and whom the Lord Jesus Christ has chosen and approved.
In Christ, we issue the following exhortation and protest against Pastor Wang Yi’s severe sentence. Do you government officials not know that this is a sin against God? Do you not know that this is an abuse of your authority (Rom. 13:3)? Even so, we do not hate you. On the contrary, our merciful and righteous God wants us to love you and to pray for you. We desire that those public officials and law enforcement officers who are involved in this case would quickly repent and believe in the Lord, that you would know the atonement and forgiveness of sins which the Lord Jesus extends to all through his suffering on the cross, and that you would obtain eternal life and hope.
We invite all sojourners throughout the world who belong to the universal church to pray fervently for Pastor Wang Yi and Elder Qin Defu, who are being imprisoned for the sake of Christ and of the gospel, as well as for their families. Pray for all of us. We will also pray for you. In this eschaton, which Jesus Christ brought about through his incarnation, through his perfect life, through his betrayal and trial, through his substitutionary death, through his resurrection and ascension, through his gift of the Holy Spirit—in this eschaton, may we testify, through our suffering, that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn. 14:6) and that he is the light of the world. We also invite churches who are currently being persecuted to fix their eyes together with us upon the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, may we be united to the King of Kings who ascended to the right hand of the Majesty on high, who is our eternal high priest and prophet of the last days. May we be strong in his grace as we keep on fighting despite repeated setbacks. We do this to fulfill the Great Commission and to spread the gospel, that the glorious name of the triune God might be praised. May God help us and allow us to experience together the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of God until the day we see him face-to-face. May blessing and honor and wisdom and wealth and glory and power and authority be to our holy Father who is in heaven, to the Lord Jesus Christ who obtained our salvation, and to the Holy Spirit our Helper who continually helps us. Amen!
Early Rain Covenant Church
December 30, 2019
