Christians in India are facing unprecedented levels of religious persecution. In Manipur, a state in northeastern India, Christians are being accosted by violent mobs of Hindu radicals. In only a three-day period, mob violence claimed 75 lives and displaced 35,000 people, according to Manipur’s government. Unfortunately, the true scope of these attacks is yet to be determined; and despite pleas from the people, government officials have yet to make meaningful headway in stopping these attacks.
Utilizing radio broadcasts to share the Gospel of Christ in India since 1978, we have grown from a single Hindi language program to now having twelve regional languages. In addition, currently we are blessed to be in more than 20 countries on three different continents. However, with more than 7,000 languages spoken worldwide and more than 2,000 people groups that are still unreached by the Good News of Jesus, the opportunities are tremendous, and the need is great.
While there are millions of Christians in India, they make up just 2.4% of the country’s massive population. Unfortunately, the religious persecution is only intensifying for Christians in the region and attacks against tribal Christians have increased since radical Hindu groups launched a campaign in 2020 to stop the country’s indigenous people from converting to Christianity. These groups have been demanding that the government ban those who convert from receiving education and employment opportunities.
This direct attack on Christians in India is extremely troubling, but not surprising. Christ Himself warned His followers that they would be persecuted on His behalf. We are lifting our brothers and sisters in Christ up in prayer — prayer that their faith remains unshaken, that their bold testimony makes an impact on those who don’t know the Gospel, and that their example will be an inspiration to other believers around the world — and ask you to join us in doing so.
As it becomes increasingly more difficult for Christians in India to share their faith, we pray for their perseverance in these trying times. In the face of such persecution, we are even more determined than ever before to share the Good News and be a light in the darkness of today’s world.
To join us in our efforts, we invite you to pray alongside us and consider giving to help us share the Good News of Jesus in areas of the world where there is less or limited access the Gospel.