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DESPITE FEARS, INDIAN CHRISTIANS CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THEIR COUNTRY
Open Doors local partners in India are asking the worldwide church to join them in prayer as the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) returns to power.
Local church leaders told Open Doors contacts that the BJP government has already created a lot of problems for them in their work, and Indian Christians fear that the marginalisation of the country’s minorities will intensify.
“Now that the ruling party comes in again, Christians might have very difficult times,” Sujal*, a church leader, said. “It will be difficult for the churches to function. There will be more violence against Christians.”
Since the BJP came to power in May 2014, Hindu nationalism, radical extremism and the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities have seen a dramatic rise. India’s Christians are expecting that so-called anti-conversion legislation, which prevents people from converting away from Hinduism to any other religion, will be implemented more rigorously and in more states.
While many Christians in India are disappointed to see the BJP return to power, one church leader told Open Doors partners, “Most mature Christians are talking about God’s will. During these times, we believe what Proverbs 16:33 says: ‘The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.’ And we also meditate on Proverbs 21:1, which says, ‘In the Lord's hand the king's heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.’”
In partnership with local churches in India, Open Doors provides emergency aid, training, Bibles, advocacy support, and legal seminars to Christians who have suffered persecution.
PLEASE PRAY:
- That Indian Christians would be filled with peace and courage, and that they will be inspired to continue to pray for India and their government
- That God would surround and protect our brothers and sisters in India from any backlash that this result may cause
- For God’s Spirit to soften the hearts of Prime Minister Modi and the BJP government towards religious minorities, that they would allow more freedom of religion in the country.
*Name has been changed for security reasons