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Confronting Religious Persecution at the IRF Summit

Feb. 10Stories That Demand Action:

Last week I spoke on a panel at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington, D.C.—a global gathering that brings together advocates, policymakers, and legal experts from around the world who are on the front lines of defending religious freedom. The Summit provides a rare forum to share firsthand experiences, expose ongoing...More

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Save Christians From Murder in Congo

Save Christians From Murder in...

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has once again become the site of unspeakable violence , with Christian communities being targeted by terrorists and militant forces. On February 15, over 70 Christians – primarily women, children, and the elderly – were added to the list of victims when they were abducted...More

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John Cao

On Monday we gave you an update on the case of Christian Pastor John Cao – a U.S. permanent resident from North Carolina – who’s been wrongfully convicted and imprisoned in China.

Today on the broadcast, we discussed Pastor Cao’s case as he has now officially passed the two-year mark, locked in a Chinese prison without much progress on his appeal. We also spoke to Pastor Cao’s son Ben for an update and to hear how the family is holding up in this trying time.

Pastor Cao served the poor in China and Burma for decades, building schools and sharing the gospel without incident, before he was arrested and convicted as part of a continued crackdown on Christians in southwest China.

Pastor Cao’s latest scheduled appeal hearing was once again arbitrarily delayed – the fourth time in a row.

Now he shares a cramped cell with a dozen other inmates and only one communal slab for a bed. He’s been allowed no contact with his family. His health is suffering – he’s lost 50 lbs. and is suffering back pain – but has not been given proper medical attention.

This is not about politics. This about a Christian pastor, father, and husband who has been unjustly sentenced to seven years in a Chinese prison. Pastor John and his family are real people enduring a heartbreaking injustice. They need our help.

We were on Capitol Hill with Pastor Cao’s family last week as they appealed to our lawmakers to intervene on his behalf. It’s imperative that the Members of Congress hear Pastor Cao’s story and meet with his family in order for them to effectively engage. We believe that mission was successful and our leaders are now engaged to help Pastor Cao.

We also shared a video of that trip on today’s show, including interviews with Pastor Cao’s kids and our legal team.

We need you to pray for Pastor John Cao. Then we need you to pray for our legal and Government Affairs teams – particularly CeCe Heil and Thann Bennett who are directly engaged. Then pray that our government gets involved and puts pressure on China to obtain Pastor Cao’s freedom.

You can listen to the entire episode here.

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Signatures

Jordan Sekulow  //

Oct 15, 2025

China has launched a sweeping and unprecedented crackdown on Christians, targeting Pastor Ezra Jin , founder of Zion Church, and dozens of church leaders and members. Zion Church is a large “underground house...

Jordan Sekulow  //

Mar 25, 2024

We are pleased to announce that Pastor John Cao has finally been released from prison in China. He has completed serving a seven-year sentence after being wrongfully convicted for simply living out his...

CeCe Heil  //

Jul 29, 2022

On July 19, 2022, President Biden issued an “ Executive Order on Bolstering Efforts to Bring Hostages and Wrongfully Detained United States Nationals Home .” The order declares that the wrongful detention of...