Something dangerous is happening in India.
And as Christians, we must pay attention.
In the name of stopping “forced conversion,” some Indian states are passing laws so severe that preaching Christ, talking about your faith, holding prayer meetings or helping people can easily become grounds for accusation.
In Rajasthan, the new anti-conversion law carries punishments that can reach 20 years to life imprisonment for some offences. Certain conversion-related offences are non-bailable. People intending to change their religion are also required to go through government procedures before doing so.
Think about that.
A grown adult believes the Gospel, decides to follow Jesus, and suddenly government officials can become involved in that decision.
Why should choosing Christ require government supervision?
Yes, nobody should be forced to become a Christian. Christianity itself does not teach forced conversion.
But there is a huge difference between forcing somebody and preaching to somebody.
There is a difference between threatening someone and telling them about Jesus.
There is a difference between buying someone’s faith and helping a poor person because Christ taught us to love people.
Yet this is where the danger lies.
Words such as “allurement,” “inducement” and “influence” can become very powerful when they are loosely interpreted.
A church gives food, someone can call it inducement.
A Christian helps pay hospital bills, someone can claim it was done to convert people.
A pastor preaches that Jesus is the way, someone can say he is trying to influence another religion.
A prayer meeting happens in a home, somebody makes an allegation.
And once laws like these exist, extremists do not even need to prove the accusation before fear has already entered the church.
Pastors become afraid.
Christians become afraid to speak.
Churches become afraid to help.
Believers begin watching every word they post online.
That is the real danger.
India’s Constitution speaks about freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practise and propagate religion. So why Anti-conversion laws???
So Christians must ask a very simple question:
If I am free to practise my faith, am I also free to tell somebody else about it?
Because Christianity was never designed to remain inside church walls.
Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Our faith speaks.
Our faith evangelises.
Our faith serves people.
Our faith invites people to Christ.
When a law becomes so broad that those ordinary Christian activities can constantly be viewed through the eyes of suspicion, then Christians have every reason to be concerned.
Today it may be called an anti-conversion law.
But if preaching, prayer, evangelism and Christian charity increasingly become things believers must be afraid to do, then we must ask what these laws are slowly creating, and stand against them.
A country fighting forced conversion or an environment where Christians are being frightened out of sharing their faith?
That question cannot be ignored.
