Three separate incidents against church leaders during the Easter season demonstrate the continuing difficulties in sharing the Gospel in India.
According to an April 11 report from Compass Direct, police in Uttar Pradesh arrested a pastor of the GEMS ministry in the Chandauli district on Maundy Thursday, April 5. Pastor Munsi Lal was accused by local residents of paying Hindu families 2000 rupees ($54 CAD) to convert to Christianity. He was held for one day before being fined 111 rupees ($3.00 CAD) and released.
On Easter Sunday, April 8, two pastors of the Believers' Church in Salwa, Madhya Pradesh were beaten by Hindu militants. According to Compass Direct sources, the home of Dinesh Toppo and Chandan Chhinchani was ransacked. The two were then dragged from the house and then hit and kicked. The attackers accused the two of forcible conversion and participation in the sex trade. False charges were lodged against the pastors. They have been released on bail.
Also on April 8, two church gatherings in Himachal Pradesh were attacked by approximately sixty VHP members, according to All India Christian Council. The militants first stormed a house church in Shirad Valley at approximately 11:00 a.m. while twenty-five believers were worshiping. The militants demanded that Pastor Yona Babu burn his Bible and renounce his faith in Christ. When he refused, they severely beat him, leaving him unconscious. They then told the other worshippers that they faced a similar fate unless they recant. After leaving the service, the militants disrupted a prayer meeting in the village of Krotal where they warned the Christians to stop meeting or face serious consequences.
Ask God to grant a quick recovery to those injured. Pray for steadfastness for those facing opposition from Hindu groups determined to stop the spread of Christianity. Pray that persecutors will come to repentance and respond to God's grace (Acts 9:1-19).
For more information on persecution in India, click here.
Population
