Amidst persecutions, believers growing in numbers, says Mission India

Rise in anti–Christian violence and anti–conversion legislations in several states of India has failed to subdue the indomitable Christian spirit of the believers, said Grand Rapids, Michigan–based Mission India's Dave Stravers.

Noting that Hindu extremists have resorted to falsely accusing Christians of converting people by "force" or "fraud," Stravers said that while the violence is disconcerting, there is a bigger picture to see. "The big strategy here of Satan and of those people who oppose Christians is intimidation. They're trying to intimidate the workers, so the big thing that we pray for is 'courage'," he said.

"If people will not be intimidated, if the work goes on in the measure in which it's been going, this persecution strategy will not work," he added.

According to Stravers, in spite of the persecution, there is evidence of a vibrant and a fast–growing church. "Our main ministry is to provide training and materials for Indian Christians. We actually train up 100–thousand people a year through our staff in India. We give people here the opportunity to provide training. We have a lot of people on the waiting list," he said.