Violence Forces Church and Center to Close

Gospel for Asia
12/1/08 UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (ANS) — An anti-Christian extremist group has physically forced a church building and a Bridge of Hope center to close down in Uttar Pradesh, India. The leader of the radical organization plans to replace the church building-where a Gospel for Asia missionary serves as pastor-with a Hindu temple.

With a mission to bring India back to Hinduism, the leader of the group is also plotting to force all the local Christians to convert. These “reconversion” ceremonies often include physically and mentally abusing believers until they bow to traditional idols and deny Christ. And often, those forced into Hinduism were not even followers of that religion before they became Christians.

Many teenage Dalit (“Untouchable”) boys are drawn into the radical group by offers of a better life-the very inducements that the extremists falsely accuse Christians of using! Ironically, they also promise the Dalit youth opportunities they would otherwise be denied by the very caste system their religion perpetuates. The boys are then indoctrinated with extremist beliefs and encouraged to persecute religious minorities.

GFA leaders in Uttar Pradesh request prayer that the Christians will have the Lord’s grace to remain firm in their faith despite opposition. They also ask for prayer that the radicals will abandon their plots to turn the church into a temple and try to forcibly convert the Christians into their religion.