by Cheryl Watson, former PWM President

  How much faith do I have? That is the question that one has to ask in light of the recent news coming out of India. Christians in the state of Orissa have been facing extreme levels of violence. The violence started after Christians were falsely accused of orchestrating the assassination of a Hindu extremist leader. Since that time Hindu mobs have been torching churches, homes, and even people on fire. Christians were forced from their homes into nearby forests where they waited for days and weeks with no food, no clean water, and only the clothes they had on their backs. These families will eventually go back to a pile of rubble and ashes that they once called home.

 India has been open to the Gospel for quite some time, but that door is closing at a rapid pace. Recently, many states have instituted anti-conversion laws. The aim of these laws is to criminalize the act of sharing the Gospel and converting people to Christianity. As the Hindu extremists rise to power in various states they push for this legislation to be passed as soon as possible. This is an effort to stop the ever widening influence of Christianity in their country.

 Fortunately, our Indian brothers and sisters in Christ are continuing to practice their faith throughout this time of persecution. The future of Christians in India looks grim. So we must continue to pray for the conversion of India. We must also pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ that risk their lives every day to share God’s Word.