India Missionaries Facing "Death Threats" In Maharashtra State

Thursday, May 8, 2008

By BosNewsLife Asia Service

NEW DELHI, INDIA (BosNewsLife) -- Native missionaries in Maharashtra, India’s third largest state, continued their activities Wednesday, May 7, amid mounting opposition against Christianity in the area, BosNewsLife learned.

In one of the latest incidents, Indian missionary Dulal Tarang was attacked while distributed Christian tracts outside a tea shop by a group of suspected Hindu militants, said Gospel For Asia (GFA), which represents missionaries in the area.

They allegedly questioned him about his ministry and threatened him. "You should never come to our village again, or we will kill you!" the mob reportedly exclaimed, before beating him. “The tea shop owner rushed out and stopped them,” saving the life of the missionary, GFA said.

Shortly after the March 15 attack, GFA Bible college students were attacked after evangelizing in a village, the group claimed. "A group of anti—Christian extremists showed up at the entrance to the Bible college, sharply questioning the security guard."

ASKING QUESTIONS

The mob allegedly asked: "Who is in charge of this Bible college?" and "Who sent the students to convert our people to Christianity?" They reportedly tried to push their way onto the campus, but the security guard apparently managed to stop them.

GFA said that missionaries will continue to preach in the villages of Maharashtra. "Despite the frequent opposition, GFA missionaries are dedicated to sharing the love of Christ. And many are choosing to follow Him."

GFA and other groups have said that opposition towards Christians have increased as Hindu groups feel threatened by the spread of Christianity in the mainly Hindu nation. (With reporting from India. BosNewsLife MISSION WATCH is a regular look at missionaries working in difficult circumstances, especially in the two-thirds world).

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