India
(MNN) — The rise of Hindu militancy is restricting traditional Christmas
celebrations in Bangalore, India, said Tom Dudenhofer,
executive director of Audio Scripture Ministries.
Normally, "Christians in Bangalore would go around in ox carts singing
Christmas carols," he said. "And the
businesses love them to come around and sing.
This year, they're not allowing that."
Bangalore is the capital of India's
Karnataka state, and some of the persecution in Orissa has been spreading to
Karnataka. Discontentment has been
rising among the Hindu militants, and police officers have visited many
churches in the city.
"All of the watch-night services of the Bible-believing
churches in Bangalore
have been canceled this year for fear of a reaction from the Hindu militants,"
Dudenhofer said.
Dudenhofer encouraged Christians around the world to pray
for Christians in India.
"People need to pray that the Christians will be wise, that
they will hold true to their faith in Jesus Christ; actually many of them
have considered giving up," said Dudenhofer. He
also asks the church to pray that God will protect Christians in India.
"Ask God to give them protection, and if He chooses to
remove that protection, let's ask God to use the difficult situations that they
go through to attract others' attention to a Savior who would create such a
level of dedication in people that they would be willing to give up what we
would call the comforts of home in order to follow Jesus."
