(Photo courtesy India Partners via Facebook)

India (MNN) — August 31, 2008 triggered extreme Christian persecution in Orissa, India. Seven years later, there’s still fear and persecution, but there’s also grounded faith in Christ.

For a recap of the assaults in 2008, Hindu extremists–who pressured Christians to convert or reconvert to Hinduism–slaughtered 100 Christians when they refused to do so. 300 churches and 6,000 homes were raided and ransacked, many Christian women were raped, and around 56,000 Christians were left homeless, according to the Christian Post.

“For most of us, we were prayerful and interacted with the Christian community there in India at that time,” John Sparks of India Partners says.

Now, “For most of us, the fear and the experience of persecution has passed away and we haven’t tracked with that much. But for the people that live there, it’s still something they have to deal with.”

Orissa has remained an unsafe place for Christians, even with the passage of time. Sparks shares that he was simply going into the area, a policeman told him he had to leave because it was unsafe for white people.

Sparks now shares sad news India Partners recently received. “Two weeks ago…one of the pastors that works with our ministry there was assassinated–killed by people that were against the Gospel and…shot down in cold blood. So persecution keeps on going and [is] a desperate thing that they have to deal with.”

The indigenous pastor had been working with a church connected to India Partners for a number of years. He leaves behind his wife, 12-year-old daughter, and 5-year-old son.

The family has relocated to a safer area, but in India, widows are looked down upon and seen as as bad luck. Rejected, they rarely are able to make a living, and there’s no support network. They’re on their own.

However, the community of the church is helping to surround the family with prayer and encouragement.

“In many ways, the church has to rally around her and support her, and so that’s our goal: to stand up and stand with her, as Christians, to be able to help her in the years to come.”

Join India Partners in praying for the family to find help a way to survive.

Also pray for the church. “The situation there is difficult because of the stress that they live in. A pastor is killed in one area, the rest of the pastors tend to pull back and operate out of fear rather than being able to really share the Gospel,” Sparks says.

“By tormenting one, by persecuting one person, people are able to squelch the Gospel in many areas because of these actions. The prayer is that they will have boldness and be able to rise up and be strong in this difficult situation.”

Last week, protest rallies took place, marking the 7nth anniversary of the tragic day.

The Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar told Fides News, “The faith of Christians in Orissa has become stronger in the face of persecution.”

Continue praying for the boldness and safety of Christians in India, and for the spread of the Gospel.

Global War on Terrorism Memorial at the Colorado State Welcome Center/Rest Area in Trinidad, Colorado. CC BY-SA 2.0
(Photo, caption courtesy Matt Lemmon via Flickr)

India (MNN) — Remember that Global Terrorism Index (GTI) we told you about yesterday? The Global Terrorism Index Top 5 countries land on MNN headlines a lot, since terrorism is often linked to religion.

“Religion as a driving ideology for terrorism has drastically increased since 2000. Prior to 2000, nationalist separatist agendas were the biggest drivers of terrorist organizations,” the GTI notes in its summary. Groups aligning with radical Islam–Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, and the Taliban–were responsible for two-thirds of last year’s terror-related deaths.

But in country #6, most fatalities caused by terrorist attacks occur at the hands of Communist extremists.

JP Sundararajan with Audio Scripture Ministries (ASM) says their partners are very familiar with India’s top terror group. “They’re called ‘the Naxalites,'” he explains.

“I have been in areas which are controlled by the Naxalites, and there is a lot of fear because you just don’t know…. A run-in with the Naxalites could turn out to be deadly.”

There are Communists in India?

The Communist Party of India – Maoist (CPI-M), also known as “the Naxalites,” was formed a decade ago following the merger of two Communist groups. These groups had been active in India since 1967. The armed wing of this group is called the Peoples Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA).

(Photo credit GFA via Facebook)

In August 2008, PLGA assassinated the well-known Hindu Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, reportedly for the swami’s involvement in 2007 riots. Orissa state’s ruling political party at the time, the BJP, quickly blamed Christians for the crime. Accusations and widespread persecution followed, even though PLGA openly took credit a few days after killing Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.

Now known by many as the “Orissa massacre,” the anti-Christian spree displaced some 50,000 believers and took the lives of hundreds.

Terrorism vs. ministry

One of ASM’s partners, Indian Evangelical Mission, has been working among the Bison Horn Madiya for years.

“The Indian Evangelical Mission has been working hard in translating Scriptures for them into their own language,” Sundararajan explains.

In the south-central states of Chattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, Naxalites have stopped the little-known people group Bison Horn Madiya from going to church and meeting with missionaries.

(Photo courtesy Audio Scripture Ministries)

But, these terrorists overlooked one thing, missionaries told ASM.

“They said, ‘People may stop us from attending worship, but they’re unable to stop us from listening to God’s voice through this audio Bible.'”

Before they were cut-off from the Bison Horn Madiya, missionaries gave believers 100 audio Bibles recorded in their heart language, Koya Mata. God’s timing is part of what makes this story even more powerful, says Sundararajan. ASM sent the 100 players only a few months prior.

Terrorists, Communists, and you

Sundararajan says the best ways to help the Bison Horn Madiya and India’s other little-known people groups are three-fold. The first and most important way to get involved is to pray.

(Photo credit WCOI)

“Pray for those front-liners, the translators, and people on our staff in India, who are carrying these Bibles into very troubled areas at great risk,” says Sundararajan.

Pray also for the Bison Horn Madiya to accept Christ as Savior and Lord as they listen to His Word.

“If you are praying, and you want to do more, help us by buying more Bibles. For $35, you are able to help us provide an audio Bible to a [group] like this.”

Connect with ASM here.

The Hindu Heartland is a loosely-defined region in North and Central India where varieties of Hindi are widely spoken, either as primary or secondary languages.
(Map, caption courtesy Wikipedia)

India (MNN) — Fears are coming true in the Hindu Heartland of India. Local authorities now have the power to make the rules and say “No” to Christians. Recent Chhattisgarh persecution is making Christians in Odisha nervous, according to contacts with India Partners.

“The State Government of Chhattisgarh must act to protect constitutional rights,” stated the Evangelical Fellowship of India in a press release shared with India Partners. “The decisions of a number of village Panchayats in the Bastar region banning the entry of Christian workers could lead to the large scale persecution of the minority community by aggressive groups.

“The government must reverse the decisions of these Panchayats immediately to restore the confidence of the Christian community in Chhattisgarh, which is under considerable stress in recent days. There seems to be well thought-out pattern and sinister design behind these actions.”

A “panchayat” is a local governing body, explains India Partners’ CEO and President, John Sparks. “The state is trying to give some of the local administrative bodies more [authority],” he states.

“Whoever has the power makes the rules, and that is the fear [of Christian workers].”

According to the Evangelical Fellowship of India, more than 50 panchayats have passed laws forbidding “all non-Hindu religious propaganda, prayers, and speeches in the villages.”

“In addition to this, there seems to be a social boycott of Christian villagers, some of whom have also been denied basic amenities including rations,” the group adds in its press release.

“If someone comes and tries to share the Gospel, they’ll get beat up and thrown in prison,” says Sparks.

“If they [local leaders] can do this in a few villages, and no one in the state government or central government takes any action, then it empowers the local people [in other states] to say ‘No Christians’ and throw the Christians out of the village.”

Why Hindu nationalist and current Prime Minister Nahendra Modi might not step in.

Odisha state shares a border with Chhattisgarh.

Christian workers in Odisha (formerly Orissa) state have a multitude of ministries that would be directly impacted if this “legal persecution” spread outside Chhattisgarh’s borders. Reaching Hand Society, a ministry helped by India Partners, shares Christ through medical missions in hundreds of tribal villages.

Learn more about their work here.

Please keep this situation in your prayers.

“Pray for peace,” Sparks requests. “Pray for the leaders, that they would allow the Gospel to go forward.”

More stories from India’s Hindu Heartland here.

(Photo courtesy Voice of the Martyrs USA)

International (MNN) — Of all the Christian persecution stories covered in the 21st century, the one singled out for focus in Washington, D.C. was the 2008 pogrom in India’s Orissa State.

At a hearing before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations, John L. Allen, Jr., author of “The Global War on Christians,” pointed out these events occur in countries where Christianity is expanding but religious freedom is lacking. Allen also used his time to challenge U.S. President Barack Obama to quickly fill the post of  ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

One question that came up was why the Orissa pogrom was chosen as the incident to focus on at the hearing, especially when compared to the attacks of the Joseph Colony in Pakistan, the Egypt Muslim Brotherhood attacks, and the Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria. Todd Nettleton, spokesman for the Voice of the Martyrs USA, answered, “I think the focus went in that direction because of the nature of the attacks, because of the violence of the attacks, and the number of people who were affected. Not only killed, more than 100 people lost their lives; but literally thousands of people were displaced by these attacks. Some of them are still displaced and it’s six years later.”

When the other countries in question were pointed out as comparable, Nettleton added, “The other thing that I think brings a focus to it is the lack of action by the  Indian government to hold the perpetrators accountable.”

Though the Orissa government claims it took strict action against the accused, their reports show that of the hundreds of charges brought, just 75 cases ended in convictions. There were an additional 477 people convicted for lesser offenses connected to property damage, but little else has been done to recompense the 50,000 left homeless after the 2008 attacks.

That brings us to the remarks made by Elliott Abrams, a commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), who told the subcommittee that the lack of an ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom sends the wrong message about the U.S. stance on religious freedom. Nettleton explains, “I think the message sent by this administration has been that this is not a high priority: ‘There are other things that we are more interested in,’ and that tone has really carried through.”

Following the abrupt departure by Susanne Johnson-Cook in October, the Obama administration did not set a timeline to replace her. The post has only been filled for 30 months of the Obama Administration, which seems to reinforce the true priorities of the Administration. Nettleton says, “The fact that this International Religious Freedom post has been vacant so much of the Obama administration says those words are nice, but the actions really haven’t matched up to that. We haven’t seen that commitment in terms of the day-to-day hard work that it takes to influence other countries, to provide more freedom for our Christian brothers and sisters.”

Obama defended his record at the National Prayer Breakfast on 06 February, to which Nettleton responded,  “It’s very nice to go to the National Prayer Breakfast and talk about international religious freedom, mention specific Christians who are imprisoned for their faith, and talk about how terrible that is, and how much we’d like to change that. But the thing is: we’ve got to put feet to our words.”

(Photo courtesy Voice of the Martyrs USA)

Ironically, in spite of the increasing intolerance of Christians and Gospel work around the world, instead of being stamped out, the Church is growing. “There are those of our brothers and sisters who literally have laid down their lives for spreading the Gospel and for sharing the hope of Christ. And yet, the Church continues to grow, and the testimony of those that are willing to suffer is something that helps the Church grow.”

For the average person, though, making a difference seems like an impossible task. Nettleton suggest a couple of things. First, “Voice of the Martyrs makes it easy for people to pray. We’ve set up a Web site where we post prayer request each week.” Prayer is often the first-line defense requested by the church under fire.    But raising awareness about the plight of the persecuted church and telling their stories has impact, too. “The second thing is: for Americans, call your congressmen, call your senators, and call the State Department. Let them know that religious freedom is important to you.”

VOM often handles petitions and provides connection points to be more effective in this venue. Click here for a few extra details.

Orissa is one out of five states in India that has an active anti-conversion law. The violence that exploded between Hindus and Christians in August of 2008 has left bleeding wounds, and hostility remains. As more Indians convert to Christianity, attacks increase.

“Who you worship in India is a big deal,” says Dave Stravers, president of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Mission India. “The testimony of believers to Jesus is the key factor here.”

Recently, a man was violently assaulted for distributing tracts. He was dragged to the police and told to stop.

In another village, a young man witnessed to four of his friends who then came to Christ. The five young men, mostly teenagers, met for regular prayer meetings. One day, a large group of Hindu activists interrupted their prayer by breaking down the door and beating them.

“Often the persecutors result to violence,” Stravers says. “Almost every worker at some point gets physically attacked, beaten up. So we pray for the miracle of great courage.”

These stories echo the acts of genocide in 2008. “That was the typical reaction years ago, but now the new stories we are hearing are actually more encouraging,” says Stravers.

He shares a story of a Mission India church planter in a small village. Four families out of 72 came to Christ as the church planter ministered to them, and the rest of the villagers became terrified. They believed that Shiva, their village god, would punish the whole village because of these four families. Fear for their crops and their health caused great hostility.

The village leaders ordered the families to stop following Christ, but they refused. For the time being, the Christian families are meeting outside of the village to worship.

Members of Mission India are confident that as the fear of Shiva abates, more families will come to Christ in that village. The steadfastness of those four families is very encouraging, and they continue to witness to their neighbors.

Often pride of heritage and culture can be a barrier for the Gospel. Indians are extremely proud of their background, and their resistance to the Gospel can increase when it is presented by a foreigner.

“The fact that there are very few foreign workers in India for the past 30 years is actually positive,” says Stravers. “We try to help the workers in India in a way that does not give a foreign face to the Gospel.”

Poverty is also a barrier for new Christians. Most Christians in India are first generation and do not have great understanding of skills in ministry. They need access to Bibles and other materials that could aid in witnessing. They also would benefit from training. To see how you can help, click here.

Pray that new believers and the workers placed in India will be encouraged. They know that they will face persecution and resistance. Pray for courage and strength, and that they would look to the eternal significance of their work. Pray that the Gospel will continue to spread in India despite the restrictions and hostility toward it.

Thanks to government-ordered evacuations in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, along with the increased popularity of radio and mobile devices, crisis was averted. But another one's on its heels.

"Most of these reports are off the mainstream media, they've kind of gone by the wayside because the death rate was not so big," notes Danny Punnose with Gospel for Asia.

As international attention turns to other headlines and India's government concludes its work in disaster-affected regions, Phailin survivors are left to fend for themselves.

Approximately 900,000 people were evacuated from Odisha ahead of Phailin and its 140-mph winds. State officials say over 500,000 people have lost their homes. Across both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, more than 100 million acres of damaged crops translate into lost livelihoods for impoverished farmers.

"You're talking 12 million people affected and 300,000 homes gone," he states. "This is where we step in because our people are there; our churches are there…they're already reaching out ground-zero where people are most-affected."

See an initial damage assessment from GFA's Compassion teams.

In the northern state of Bihar, along Nepal's border, believers felt Phailin's wrath as the storm moved inland. More than 15 people lost their lives, and the homes of another 95 Christ-followers were destroyed.

Dakshina Nadig, a regional pastor in Bihar, reported the death of one believer’s 7-month-old daughter due to exposure to the severe cold, wind, and rain. Nine GFA-supported pastors’ homes collapsed from the extreme weather, and other affected believers are staying with friends in schools or in makeshift tents made from tarps.

Punnose says many of those affected in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Bihar are Dalits. This people group is the lowest on India's caste system, often regarded as "social lepers," or Untouchables.

"When you come from that kind of background, especially Dalit background…and you lost everything…you have no hope; you have no way to rebuild your life," he explains. "The greatest need right now is for giving people hope and direction, and that's what our people are doing."

As they do, the Gospel comes to life and hearts change.

"When the Gospel goes along with tangible expressions of love it really makes a huge impact on these people's lives," says Punnose.

"People are turning to the Lord, and they're responding because they see love in action."

Can you help GFA reach more people with the love and hope of Christ? Click here.

"This is not like [Hurricane] Katrina where FEMA comes in, the government comes in, and they do something, everyone gets back on their feet after a little bit," Punnose explains.

Ranked at Category 3, 2005's Hurricane Katrina made landfall in the United States at the end of August. According to 2010 data from the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, over 1 million people in the Gulf region were displaced by the storm.

For the 12 million people affected by Cyclone Phailin in India's eastern states, especially the Dalits, there is no "safety net" of governmental help.

"No one's going to be there to rebuild their homes; they're done," says Punnose. "Unless the Body of Christ makes this an opportunity to reach out to those people and help them, nothing will be done."

Help us keep this story in the headlines through social media. There's a button at the top of this article where you can "Share" this article on various outlets. Or, you can click here to write a prayer for Phailin survivors on our Facebook page.

"Use Facebook, use Twitter; 'Share' it," encourages Punnose. "Let people know that they can pray and they can give, and that they can actually make a difference in these people's lives."

Pray for protection for those who survived Phailin's wrath. Pray that someone will share the hope and love of Christ with them.

"They don't have food, they don't have shelter, they don't have clean water; they've lost everything, and they've lost all hope," summarizes Punnose.

Ask the Lord to fill your heart with compassion.

"Put yourself in their place and pray for them. Until our hearts are filled with compassion…we are going to see this simply as news information, not real life," Punnose says.

"The Bible tells us that when Jesus saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion. [It] wasn't that He felt sorry for them, He really, really understood their condition, and it broke His heart; and then He would act based on that."

In 2008, anti-Christian violence filled Orissa with the blood of martyrs. (Image courtesy GCIC)

Earlier this month, seven Christians were sentenced to life in prison for the 2008 murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. The court’s decision came despite a complete absence of evidence connecting the believers to the crime. In addition, Maoists claimed responsibility for Saraswati’s murder five years ago.

Following the believers’ sentencing, the same court found five non-Christians innocent of setting a home aflame in the 2008 violence — due to a lack of evidence.

“Local police are silent spectators and the authorities are completely useless,” Global Council of Indian Christians’ (GCIC) President Sajan George recently told Asia News. He also calls the nation’s justice system “criminal.”

It’s been a half-decade since Hindu extremists went on an anti-Christian killing spree in Orissa following Saraswati’s assassination. Approximately 54,000 people lost their homes, thousands of homes were pillaged, around 100 people lost their lives, and hundreds of churches were destroyed.

“Out of 3,232 complaints, only 828 cases have been converted into First Information Reports (FIR), which starts the actual investigation that leads to a court case,” says George.

According to the World Watch Monitor, churches in India are urging the accused believers to appeal. Pray for justice.

“There was no evidence against my clients and I would advise them to move [to the] Orissa high court,” defense attorney Bijay Mishra told the Times of India.

Pray for the end of legal persecution in India. Ask the Lord to comfort those who lost loved ones in the 2008 violence.

Earlier this month, seven Christians were sentenced to life in prison for the 2008 murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. The court's decision came despite a complete absence of evidence connecting the believers to the crime. In addition, Maoists claimed responsibility for Saraswati's murder five years ago.

Following the believers' sentencing, the same court found five non-Christians innocent of setting a home aflame in the 2008 violence–due to a lack of evidence.

"Local police are silent spectators, and the authorities are completely useless," Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) President Sajan George recently told Asia News. He also calls the nation's justice system "criminal."

It's been a half-decade since Hindu extremists went on an anti-Christian killing spree in Orissa following Saraswati's assassination. Approximately 54,000 people lost their homes, thousands of homes were pillaged, around 100 people lost their lives, and hundreds of churches were destroyed.

"Out of 3,232 complaints, only 828 cases have been converted into First Information Reports (FIR), which starts the actual investigation that leads to a court case," says George.

According to the World Watch Monitor, churches in India are urging the accused believers to appeal. Pray for justice.

"There was no evidence against my clients, and I would advise them to move [to the] Orissa high court," defense attorney Bijay Mishra told the Times of India.

Pray for the end of legal persecution in India. Ask the Lord to comfort those who lost loved ones in the 2008 violence.

Hindu radicals burned hundreds of vehicles used by Christian individuals and ministries. (Image courtesy Global Council of Indian Christians, caption courtesy GFA)

Gospel for Asia founder KP Yohannan visited the region shortly after violence began in August 2008.

“I witnessed the beatings and abuse and suffering of so many people,” he says.

Radical Hindu swami Lakshamananda Saraswati led an assortment of militant Hindu groups in Orissa. One of them was the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), or World Hindu Council.

“This is the Taliban in Hinduism,” Yohannan explained in 2008. “These people believe India must be a Hindu nation. All else must go.”

When Saraswati was assassinated by Communists on August 23, 2008, his death was quickly blamed on Christ-followers. Hundreds of Christians were killed, over 1,000 homes and nearly 30 large churches were destroyed when radical Hindus went on a rampage.

Fast-forward five years.

“The government promised they would find the culprits and punish them, and do whatever it takes to help,” recalls Yohannan. “Still, it’s a long, long wait.

Anti-Christian sentiment is still thriving. Believers who survived the 2008 violence continue to face harassment and assault. In 2012 alone, Yohannanan says, between 30 and 40 young girls were raped.

“There is really no closure to this thing,” he says. “Thousands of people are living in the slums in the capital city Bhubaneswar.”

GFA teams are showing them Christ’s love in practical ways.

“Some of our missionaries go there and work with them and care for them, and do what we can,” says Yohannan. “I think that is the part, the job, of the Body of Christ no matter where we are.”

Why isn’t more being done to help them?

“The answer is very simple,” says Yohanna. “Jesus said, ‘I am sending you as sheep among wolves.’

“In any of these communities where Christian faith is seen as the enemy…there’s lots of persecution, suffering, and there’s no justice.”

According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the conviction rate in Odisha is around 30-percent, much higher than the national average. However, most of those convicted for 2008 violence are now on bail.

“We cry out to the government and officials, and the courthouses, but justice is never given to the followers of Christ,” says Yohannan.

In the face of such persecution, Yohannan says GFA’s direction is clear.

“Our job is to keep on talking to the government and file reports to the government and the police stations,” he says. “The judicial system is the only thing there is if there’s going to be any kind of protection.”

Yohannan has spoken with some of the new government leaders in Odisha, and says their intent to help is sincere.

“In some places, yes, they are helping us,” he says. “But the anti-Christian communities and the fundamentalists still continue to create problems.”

Ongoing anti-Christian sentiment, anti-conversion laws and the continuation of radical Hinduism point to a bleak future for Christ-followers in Odisha.

“We do not think persecution is going to be going down,” says Yohannan. “No, I think it will be more in the days to come.”

He’s calling on believers in free nations to act.

“We need to understand this and be praying, and to sympathize, and do everything we can to relieve the suffering [in] whatever way we can,” says Yohannan.

There are many ways you can come alongside GFA to help survivors in Odisha.

“Learn what is going on and be engaged in prayer,” Yohannan encourages. “We are always looking for brothers and sisters [to] not only pray, but share their resources so that we can continue [to] help bring hope and relief for the suffering.

“Information should never satisfy us, but it must drive us to do something about it.”