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India

• Ministry Partners Acquitted
  
  Photo: Mission Network News

  Family and friends of eight Christian workers in India were elated when the men were acquitted of all charges. Nine years ago, the men were serving in a Children's Bible Club sponsored by Mission India. The attackers disrupted the meeting, beating those attending and burning Bibles and other materials. The workers were then charged with "forceful conversion."

• Pastor Found Slain in His Home
  
  Photo: Morning Star News

  The body of a pastor in southern India was found hanging in his home on January 20th, one week after a complaint had been filed about harassment from militant Hindu groups in his area. Gideon Periyaswamy, 43, was pastor of the Maknayeem Church in Adayachery village, Kanchipuram District. He was found in the early morning by two women coming to clean the building. Reports indicate that, while posed to look like a suicide, there are strong indications of murder, including a cut on his neck under the rope.

• Elderly Man Perseveres Despite Fierce Opposition
  
  Photo: VOM Australia

  A year after facing persecution for the eighth time, 90-year-old Jatya is prepared to suffer yet again. Despite fierce opposition, the elderly Christian man remains eager to share the good news of the Gospel to all who are willing to hear. The frail yet energetic believer lives in a village of southern India that's heavily populated with paid informants for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a national volunteer organization that aims to intimidate and even force Christians into returning to their nation's "Hindu roots."

• Churches Ordered to Close in Tamil Nadu State

  

  Officials and police in Tamil Nadu state have ordered ten churches to discontinue services. Hindu militants have compelled state officials and police to issue orders mandating the churches in Coimbatore District to stop conducting worship services unless permission is obtained from a government collector's office, a process that could take several years. Twenty more churches are under threat with similar bans.

• Anti-Conversion Law Poses New Challenges

  

  On August 12th, a bill was passed by the Jharkhand Assembly which will directly affect the religious freedoms of Christians. Despite receiving significant opposition from religious groups, the Jharkhand Freedom of Religion Bill-2017 has now been sent to the governor, whose approval precedes the president's review for final assent.

• Prisoner Released after Serving 42 Days

  
  Aju Mathew
  Photo: VOM USA

  Authorities arrested Aju Mathew as he took 14 needy children, who were under the care and provision of a Christian children's home, on a field trip in southern India. Local officials then falsely charged him with human trafficking and the conversion of minors. As a result, Aju, who was innocent and eventually cleared, spent 42 days in prison -- enduring poor conditions and intense interrogations. However, the wrongly accused ministry worker utilized this time of imprisonment to build relationships with other prisoners and share his testimony.

• Villagers Denied Access to Life-Sustaining Water

  
  Photo: Flickr / B. Sutherland (cc)

  On April 25th, a mob of militants in Jalalabad village of Ghazipur District, Uttar Pradesh, beat Manoj Kumar and his wife Pushpa Kumari - along with ten other Christians - with sticks, accusing them of forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity. The same mob, supported by the village president, tried to force the believers to drink water from the Ganges River (considered holy by Hindus residing in the country). Despite the attack, the victims refused to participate or deny Christ.

• Charges for Alleged Conversion of Youth

  Indian authorities have charged ten chaperones for allegedly converting Hindu youth to Christianity. While taking the children to a Christian summer camp -- with the parents' approval -- the accused were detained. Authorities say the parents had allegedly failed to file the necessary legal paperwork with the government in order to make the conversions official, meaning the children are legally still Hindu. However, according to the accused Christian leaders, these families were already Christians and, as such, were not engaging in conversion.

• Alarming Rise in Targeted Attacks

  
  Prime Minister Narendra Modi
  Flickr / Global Panorama (cc)

  According to a newly published report, attacks against Christians in India have arisen at an alarming rate. The All India Christian Council recorded an increase of almost 20 percent in attacks against Christians within the year of 2016 alone. The report also indicates that physical violence against believers is up by 40 percent and murders have doubled.

• Call for Increased Security During Easter

  
  Photo: Flickr / Jan Smith

  On the same day that the two churches were bombed in Egypt, five churches in India -- in five different states -- were also targeted. The incidents included the disruption of worship services and prayer times; the arrest of pastors and their wives, as well as other church members; and in one of the cases, the violent beating of a pastor. As a result, church groups have called for extra security to be provided for churches during the Easter season, and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

  The Evangelical Fellowship of India released a statement on April 11th, in which it criticized the targeting of Christians on special days of worship:

  "We urge the respective state governments and the central (federal) government to not only take note of these violations, but also to take action to curtail the non-state actors who function with impunity. It is important, especially now as we are in the Passion Week; for, going by the trends so far, it seems the incidents may escalate during Good Friday and Easter.

  "It does not reflect well on the world's largest democracy if incidents like these continue to hound religious minorities. We also request that the state...be held accountable and responsible for enforcing the rule of law, so that minorities can live in peace and without fear."

  Four of the five states in which the incidents took place are ruled by the Hindu-nationalist BJP -- President Modi's party. While the so-called "anti-conversion laws" appear to protect against forced conversions, in reality, they discriminate against minority groups by forbidding them from any form of evangelism.

  The National Council of Churches in India announced that the sudden spurt in anti-Christian violence is a "signal" that Hindu nationalist groups like the BJP and RSS "are going to use the communal card in the most blatant way" -- by teaching majority-Hindus that minorities like Christians and Muslims present a threat to the Hindu nation. To learn more about the country of India, click here.

  While the spiritual forces of darkness in the heavenlies may try to hinder the Gospel from going forth, we know according to God's Word that the enemy's wicked schemes won't succeed -- for greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). May this be a living reality for the Christians in India who need the Lord's strength and empowerment to continue faithfully serving Him amid opposition. Also pray that the eyes of the spiritually blind will be opened so that they can clearly see and acknowledge Jesus as their Saviour -- the Lamb of God who valiantly conquered the power of sin and death on the cross so that they may have eternal life.