December 13, 2018 (Morning Star News) – Authorities in China have detained the pastor and more than 100 members of a prominent, unofficial church since Sunday (Dec. 9), according to media and advocacy agencies.

Security authorities raided the 800-member Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Sichuan Province at about 6 p.m. on Sunday (Dec. 9) and also took some church leaders and members from their homes or off the streets, according to the South China Morning Post. Pastor Wang Yi was reportedly detained on Sunday night for allegedly “inciting subversion of state power,” and officials also seized his wife, Jiang Rong, from her mother-in-law’s home; her whereabouts were unknown at this writing.

Chen Yaxue, Wang’s 73-year-old mother, told the SCMP that the couple’s 11-year-old son remains with her while security personnel maintain 24-hour surveillance outside her home.

The charge against Pastor Wang calls for a sentence of up to five years, or 15 years in extreme cases. Wang has reportedly yet to be allowed to meet with lawyers or family members.

Advocacy group China Aid said in a statement that Chinese Christians are often charged with “inciting subversion of state power.”

“The Communist Party views religion as a threat to their ideological control and, as such, their rule,” the group noted. “However, China’s Christians practice their…

Joni Eareckson Tada, founder and CEO of Joni & Friends, was struck by tragedy as she received her second cancer diagnosis in November. The 69-year-old, who is known internationally for her work as an advocate for those with disabilities, has proven that she isn’t one to give up when faced with adversity; she battled stage 3 breast cancer in 2010 and emerged victorious, being declared “cancer-free” 5 years later. After learning that a small cancerous tumor had formed within a nodule that had developed over the site of her mastectomy, she responded by smiling and reaffirming her trust in God. Eareckson underwent surgery to have the cancerous nodule removed on November 26th. The very next day, she took to social media to share her appreciation for those who offered prayers, writing “Everything went so smoothly, so quickly, that I felt every path was paved on your prayers.” 

Yvonne Orji, star of the HBO show “Insecure”, is another testimony to God’s neverending love. As the actress was struggling to make it in the entertainment business, she found herself consumed by depression. After experiencing an epiphany that came from reading Psalm 31:14-15, her life changed dramatically. From that point on, Orji has found renewed motivation and was convicted by the Holy Spirit. Shortly thereafter, she got the call from HBO offering her the role of Molly in “Insecure”, giving her career the push she’d been praying for.

In 2016, Singer-songwriter Michael Bublé felt his world turn upside down after receiving the news that his three-year-old…

December 14, 2018 (Morning Star News) – Police in Laos arrested a grandmother and three other Christians while they were worshipping last month, according to an advocacy group.

Raiding a church service in Keovilai village, Vilabouly District in Savannakhet Province, local police on Nov. 18 arrested the 78-year-old woman identified as Grandma Bounlam and three men identified by the surnames Duangtha, Khampan and Ponsawan, according to advocacy group Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF).

The four Christians have since been released, an HRWLRF source told Morning Star News. The three men had been held in handcuffs and feet stocks. Bounlam was released for medical treatment for a heart condition.

Police also evicted them from their homes and property, according to an HRWLRF press statement.

Villagers said the worshippers were arrested for believing in Jesus Christ, according to the rights group, and they face the threat of unspecified criminal charges. Area Christians said police have threatened more severe punishment if the Lao Christians do not renounce Christianity, which is considered an enemy of the single-party, Marxist-Leninist country, according to the HRWLRF.

The three officers who made the arrests were identified by their surnames as Don, a police major stationed at Vilabouly District, and two police officers stationed in Vang…

Ohio’s legislature has sent a pair of pro-life bills to Republican Gov. John Kasich, who has threatened to veto one but hasn’t taken a public stand on the other. 

The state House passed a bill by a vote of 53-32 Friday that would prohibit abortions if a heartbeat were detected. It passed the Senate, 18-13 on Wednesday. 

The Senate had changed the bill to allow an abdominal ultrasound, which is less intrusive than a transvaginal ultrasound. Abdominal ultrasounds can detect an unborn baby’s heartbeat at around 12 weeks, while transvaginal ultrasounds can do so around six weeks, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. 

“It’s my understanding a transvaginal ultrasound could possibly detect a heartbeat earlier than an external heartbeat detection method,” said state Sen. David Burke, according to the newspaper. He supported the change. “But we found that process is possibly intrusive. We wanted to protect the rights of women who didn’t wish to have that done to them because their doctor may be under the impression that that’s the only thing that bill allows.”

Kasich vetoed a similar bill in 2016, saying it would not survive a constitutional challenge. He was endorsed by Ohio Right to Life during his most recent election, which said he had restored a “culture of life” and had worked to defund Planned Parenthood. Ohio Right to Life also hailed his support for a…

A new petition is calling for the pulling of a Deadpool movie poster that depicts the antihero as Jesus Christ.

The poster for the film Once Upon A Deadpool shows Deadpool in the clouds, surrounded by people and a dog. It seems to be an irreverant take on a famous painting of Christ’s second coming by artist Harry Anderson that shows Jesus surrounded by angels. 

Anderson was a Seventh-day Adventist, although the painting was made for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The painting has been embraced by people from multiple denominations. 

Once Upon A Deadpool is a PG-13 version of the R-rated Deadpool 2. 

As of Dec. 14, the petition at Change.org had 42,000 signatures. 

“In the poster Deadpool replaces Jesus Christ. Deadpool is positioned exactly as Jesus Christ was and is wearing a white robe,” the petition reads. “It is unknown if the picture was used to intentionally mock the Church of Jesus Christ, but it is clear it was copied from the original picture. This is a form a religious discrimination. We ask that the picture be not used or posted in any manner. That they find another poster to represent their movie.”

One person who signed the petition said the poster was “mocking our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

“While I choose to not be offended when someone mocks my religion, I will forever stand with and defend Jesus…