As the rate of Christian persecution have increased in China, more people have come to believe in Jesus Christ. Pastor Samuel Lamb had been the leader of an underground church in Damazhan, China for over fifty years. "Before he was jailed for 20 years in 1958, fewer than 400 worshipers attended his underground church." After his release, the congregation increased to 900 and later to 1,200. Pastor Lamb passed away this this month at the age of 88. More than 30,000 people attended his funeral in Guangzhou; this is not including the police on the watch. Many Christians were "warned not to come; several were detained during the service." This included being nabbed and handcuffed by the police during the service. Authorities of the church have planned to follow Pastor Lamb's footsteps and to go explore the " house churches" all over China. China officially has 23 million Christians, but it is estimated between 60m to 130m (this includes the Christians of the house churches). The government had been pressuring Mr. Lamb "to comply with official doctrine and register with the government several times before his death," yet he always refused. The government, which have been pressuring Christians to convert, will arrest many Christians in the future.
This article had a vague main point because it contained various information. The title of the article was developed through out the context. However, the article contained many unnecessary information about Pastor Lamb's experience in jail and interviews of his family members. There are two main ideas in this article: the death of Pastor Lamb and the Christian persecution in China. The author could have been more careful to choose one idea and strive to explain it rather to have two ideas and trying to fit them together. The two ideas were relevant topics but the author did a poor job combining these two things together and create a harmony in the article.
http://www.economist.com/news/china/21584057-even-death-popular-pastor-makes-authorities-nervous-lamb-god
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