Advocate for Chinese Christians receives ERLC award

WASHINGTON (BP) — Bob Fu, a leading advocate for the persecuted church in his native China, received a Southern Baptist religious freedom award during a ceremony at the Library of Congress Feb. 7.

Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), presented Fu with the 2007 John Leland Religious Liberty Award, which described Fu as:

• “a faithful servant of the Lord Jesus as pastor of a house church and leader of a Bible school in the People’s Republic of China, a nation politically hostile toward Christianity;

• “a bold witness for his faith who endured arrest and imprisonment by Chinese authorities;

• “a brave refugee to the United States who inspires the Christian community to fight for the liberation of their brothers and sisters in Christ living in the grips of persecution.”

The award, presented for the 16th consecutive year by the ERLC, is named for the Baptist preacher of the late 1700s and early 1800s, John Leland, who strongly advocated for religious freedom.

A native of China, Fu founded the China Aid Association after he and his family fled to the United States in 1996. China Aid monitors and reports on religious persecution by the Chinese government, especially of the unregistered church, which Fu said consists of from 60 to 80 million adherents. Fu’s organization also seeks to aid persecuted believers in the world’s most populous country.