Christian Persecution: China Detains Canadian Coffee Shop Owning Missionaries For ‘Spying’

In the Christian community, if there is one country whose followers of Jesus Christ are truly “on fire” for Him, it is easily China. The country is also known for persecuting Christians too. Here on The Inquisitr, we reported numerous times of Christians in the Land of the Rising Sun, home of the descendants of Han. This includes Chinese Christians openly admitting they are ready for either imprisonment or death for their faith.

This is surely an extreme considered to the Christian persecution here in the United States, which may result in the loss of a business, something a Christian baker is fighting due to his decision to not make wedding cakes for gay marriages.

Now, new reports are coming out of China about a Canadian couple — who are Christian missionaries owning a coffee shop — being detained by the country. Their charge: spying.

According to an article by Charisma News, a Canadian couple has been detained in China on suspicion they stole state secrets. Kevin and Julia Garratt are at this moment safe, but are under guard, according to written messages they passed along to the Canadian embassy. Peter Garratt, son of the detained couple, confirmed this through a statement, in which he said:

“A Canadian representative has met with both my mother and father for 3o minutes each and they passed on messages saying they are safe and eating well and have a nice play to stay, although they are under constant guard.”

The Vancouver couple opened Peter’s Coffee House back in 2008. It is located at Dandong, an important gateway to reclusive North Korea.

In another article by Voice of America, it reports an official statement from China’s Foreign Ministry officially saying the couple were also suspected of engaging in activities that endanger China’s national security, along with stealing state secrets.

However, the couple are simply reported as Christian activists who are trying to get the message of their faith out to North Korea. Dandong just so happens to be a waypoint for other Christian missionaries secretly crossing the border to assist sneak North Koreans out of the country. Also, this situation comes on the heels of Canada accusing China of hacking their website of the National Research Council, the country’s top research and development organization.

From what you read, what is your view about the situation with the Canadian couple being detained for “spying”? Do you think it possible the Garratt couple is spying and sending secrets back to Canada or is China overreacting? Better yet, could this be a cover to China’s attempt to remove Christianity from their country? Let us know in the comments below.

[Image via Bing]