Persecution leads to the unity and growth of Church

The violence on Christians since August 2008 has been the largest ever in the history of India. This however has not balked the progress of mission and Church in India.

Christian leaders in the country testify that the unrest led to more people coming to Christ. More than all, it brought an awakening among Christians and Church bodies, to foster unity and brotherhood amidst the pain and suffering that has numbed the people, they say.

One of India's largest Christian council, the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) says, "The onslaught on Christians, burning and looting of Churches, assault on women, has not led to the diminishing of people's faith but rather to the vivifying of their Christian life and growth."

Bishop DK Sahu, its General Secretary, told Christian Today: "The Orissa violence although has been devastating, it has awakened the Church bodies and evoked the need for greater unity and fellowship."

NCCI, which represents 13 million Christian people through out the country, has been part of the National United Christian Forum (NUCF) that has mobilized the Evangelical, Protestant and Catholic groups for dialogue and co-operation.

The intensified attacks on Christians in Orissa, Karnataka and other states, deeply worried Church leaders in the country, who were baffled with allegations of "forced conversions" by Hindu hardliners.

NUCF took the initiative of bringing together the Christian bodies to combat the predicaments facing the Church and to ensure a 'safe future' for Christians in the country.

Relief & rehabilitation, legal interventions, freedom of religion, engagement with civil societies, media and networking, were the few areas NUCF identified as the need of the hour.

Says Bishop Purely Lyngdoh, the newly elected moderator of the Church of North India, "The history of Christianity has been one of suffering and challenges. The Church has grown with each suffering. What the Church is today is the result of the sufferings it faced in the past."

"What is happening in Orissa and other parts of our country are very unfortunate. But they have not surprised us. The more the challenges, the stronger the Church's faith will deepen," UCA News quoted him saying.

Churches and clergies have been victims of violence instigated by radical Hindu groups accusing them of "forced conversions".

The recent Orissa violence was triggered by the murder of a Hindu saint and four of his aides in Kandhamal. Despite Maoists claiming responsibility for the murder, Hindu mobs indulged in beating, looting and burning of Christians and their properties. At least 60 have been killed and thousands forced to abandon their homes and flee to neighboring jungles.