A sister who has been a secret follower of Jesus for the last five or more years is receiving water baptism tomorrow. Her husband’s opposition to the gospel meant that she could not keep a Bible in the house, and she could not attend any Christian worship or meetings. Another Christian woman used to give her one or two pages of Psalms or Gospel portions torn from a Bible. She is receiving baptism secretly while her husband is out of town for two days.

Because of opposition from immediate family (spouse or children or parents), extended family, the clan, or the whole village community, many people have difficulty in publicly confessing their faith in Christ. There has always been opposition to the gospel in this manner in India. For most people, family ties and communal feelings are very strong, and to become a Christian means that you are disowned by your family or your community. Many followers of Jesus experience this all over India.

For many people in India, Christianity is connected with the past British rule and colonialism. Some people ignorantly say that if you are an Indian, you are a Hindu. They believe that if you are Muslim (a large minority group that is 13% of the population) or a Christian (less than 5% of population), you cannot be loyal to India or Indian values. They mistakenly think that Christianity is a Westerner’s religion. Therefore the preaching of Christ is vehemently opposed in several parts of the country.

Opposition like this is gaining momentum these days. A large number of Indians worship natural powers like the sun or moon or local deities that are known only to one village or a group of villages. However, all these people are considered Hindus because they are not Muslims or Christians or Jews or they do not practice religions like Buddhism or Jainism, which are spin-off groups from Indian culture. Land and wealth in many parts of India are owned by a minority, and the farm workers are illiterate people. Christian missionaries started schools in villages and towns, and the people have become aware of their human rights. They seek better employment and move to cities, where they can no longer be held as slaves. Many Catholic priests and nuns who were running schools in several parts of the land were killed or chased away because of their social development activities and community services.

The acceptance and respect the tribal and village people receive in the church is attracting lots of poorer people to Christianity. The landlords and the minority leadership of areas cannot tolerate this. Therefore they persecute Christian workers, deny employment to Christians, burn their homes, chase them out of the villages, rape the women, and kill some of them. (Photos of fire-damaged churches accompany this article and are an illustration of the results of this persecution.)

Recently a Hindu leader, who was forcing Christians to become Hindu, was killed by Maoists in Orissa State. Maoist leaders took the responsibility for the murder, but the anti-Christian elements in Orissa found this to be a good opportunity to persecute the poor Christians there. All kinds of violence against the minority Christians are going on, and many Christians are charged with the crime of causing communal strife. State authorities, including the police, are silent witnesses. Several Christians are facing court cases, some are in prison, and many are physically tortured. Similar things are happening in Karnataka and a few other states.

Recently, a pastor who was released from the hospital after suffering severe torture by anti-Christian militants in Karnataka. A group of forty to fifty people walked into his church building as the Sunday service was going on and began to beat the people and break the windows and furniture. The pastor was beaten by an iron rod and severely injured; several bones were broken. Some of the believers were also hospitalized. Events like this occurred in several cities and most churches in the state that Sunday. Many people suspect that this was a planned attack on Christians in the land, and it is still continuing in Orissa and some other parts of the country.

About six months ago, a group of militants walked into a pastor’s house in the southern part of India one night. After breaking the doors and cutting the telephone wires, they physically tortured both the pastor and his wife severely. The only crime he did was to help about three hundred children in the community with their education and provide food with the aid of Compassion International. He was accused of luring the people into a foreign faith by giving them food and money.

In the middle of all this, we hear of Hindu families turning to the Lord and continuing as secret followers of Jesus. They listen to Christian radio and TV programs. We have not heard any stories of people giving up their faith due to persecution. During the last two months, many people lost their lives and suffered lots of losses and physical and emotional pain. We need to continue to pray for them. Please remember the churches that have lost loved ones. About 20 pastors have been murdered in Orissa in just the last year and many believers are hiding in jungles.

India is a secular country, and all Indians have freedom to practice and propagate their faith. We are very thankful for that. God bless this nation