Opposition to Christianity Escalates

Opposition to Christianity continues to escalate in India, especially in the northern region, as several recent reports from that country indicate. Gospel for Asia leaders are asking the entire Body of Christ to pray for the situation.



For the past few months, Hindu extremists have been harassing one Gospel for Asia missionary who ministers in Uttar Pradesh state. Last Sunday a group of men sat in the service, observing the worship and preaching, then disrupted the meeting. They roughed up the pastor and warned him and his congregation to stop gathering for worship “or they would bring a heavy attack next Sunday,” reported a field correspondent.



In Madhya Pradesh, a Gospel for Asia missionary was attacked last week by a gang of anti-Christian extremists. The missionary, who has established a church with more than 100 members, was beaten up. One of the Christians was also attacked and slashed with an axe.

In another part of the state, 13 pastors and 5 Christian women were taken into police custody for questioning.



A similar incident took place in the neighboring state of Chhattisgarh, where a group of women was arrested and held overnight at the local police station. According to a member of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), this action “was totally against the Supreme Court ruling on female detainees.”

Also from Chhattisgarh came the report that a Gospel for Asia missionary and his wife were arrested during their church service last Sunday and are being held without bail.

All of these arrests came in response to complaints from Hindu fundamentalists that Christian missionary work is a means to convert unsuspecting villagers away from their traditional religion using money, deceit or force. Baptism is viewed as a forcible conversion tactic.



Both Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh states have “anti-conversion” laws that restrict individuals’ rights to choose a religion other than the one into which they were born. Both states’ governments are run by the BJP, a Hindu nationalist-backed political party.

In a recently published investigation into allegations of harassment of Christians, the NCM stated that these two states have failed to protect the “human and religious rights of Christian minorities.” Gospel for Asia president K.P. Yohannan says he is seeing the same thing.

“Both Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh states have come into the forefront of taking a militant, aggressive stance against Christianity,” he commented. “We are receiving reports that extremist groups are going house to house, looking for Christians and arresting them.”

He and other Gospel for Asia leaders ask for prayer during this time of stepped-up anti-Christian sentiment.

“Please pray for God’s grace and protection for the believers,” requests M.A. Lalachen, a GFA senior regional director.

“And pray that the state governments will do justice and protect the rights of their citizens.”