Chinese police have detained a prominent pastor and more than 100 worshippers in a crackdown on “illegal” religious assemblies. Coordinated raids were carried out in Chengdu the evening of December 9 as the Early Rain Covenant Church gathered for service. Among those held was prominent church leader Wang Yi, who had met US president George W. Bush at the White House in 2006. Tens of millions of Chinese Christians worship at independent, unregistered churches like Early Rain.
