India (MNN) — Persecution is a growing reality for Christians in India. Here’s what you need to know.
Lauren Libby with Trans World Radio says, “You can view persecution as being a negative or you can view it as an opportunity. When persecution is applied, that’s when the church grows the fastest.”
In 2023, 720 incidents against Christians in India were reported, says International Christian Concern. Compare that with 505 incidents reported in 2022.
Twelve of India’s 28 states currently have anti-conversion laws in place, which are routinely used to stir up community wrath against Christians. (Read about just one recent case here.)
(Logo courtesy of Trans World Radio)
“How in the world do you support people in a situation that’s becoming more and more persecuted?” Libby asked a church leader in northeast India on a recent visit.
He responded immediately with one simple word: “Prayer.”
Wherever you are today, would you pray for India’s Christians?
“It seems like it’s a nebulous thing, but it’s the most concrete thing that we can do,” says Libby, “because as we pray, we energize God’s Spirit in [peoples’] lives. We can do that long-distance, halfway around the world.”
Pray for God’s mercy on persecutors and for government justice toward Christians and other minority religions.
To learn more about how TWR works to brings the gospel into the ears and hands of people in India and around the world, click here.
Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Tom Chen via Unsplash.
