Photo: Wikimedia / Karthikndr (CC)
A Christian evangelistic team was brutally attacked in early January near the village of Korrakudu in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Not only were several believers injured during the ambush, the minibus they had been travelling in was also destroyed.
The team, which consisted of about 15 Christians from the Gospel Hall Church in Anantapur, had travelled to Korrakudu to conduct an evangelistic event. However, when the believers arrived at the village, they were informed that a local Hindu festival was underway, and that they would not be allowed to proceed with their plans. Respecting the situation, the team decided to continue their evangelistic work elsewhere in another location.
During the evangelists' departure, as they were approaching the outskirts of Korrakudu, a group of approximately 30 young men suddenly surrounded their bus. Using a variety of weapons, the assailants smashed the windows of the vehicle, then poured fuel over the bus. Before they could set fire to it, a local Hindu leader intervened. Unfortunately, when the passengers exited the vehicle, they were physically assaulted by the attackers.
It is believed that the aggressors were youths who had been provoked by Hindu nationalist organizations. A police report was filed, but village leaders requested leniency due to the age of the perpetrators. The representing local elders assured authorities that they would work to prevent such incidents from occurring again in the future. While the church leaders retained the police report for vehicle insurance purposes, the Christians willingly agreed to forgive their attackers and not pursue any further legal action.
Militant Hindu nationalist groups remain a significant source of aggression against the country's Christians, driven by the desire to make India a Hindu-only nation. As a result, the country has experienced an alarming rise in anti-Christian persecution during recent years. In his latest video report, VOMC's podcast host, Greg Musselman, discusses this concerning trend with a Christian lawyer and human rights advocate from India. This informative interview may be viewed at this page. For other reports regarding the persecution of India's Christians, visit our country profile.
- Pray for the physical and emotional healing of all those injured in this recently occurring attack, and for the financial losses caused by the perpetrators' destructive violence to be fully recovered.
- May the Holy Spirit dramatically transform the hearts of the assailants, enabling them to understand and apply the teachings of Christ which emphasize the importance of loving Him and others (Matthew 22:37-39).
- Lift up our Christian brothers and sisters throughout India as they continue their outreach efforts which are providing greatly needed spiritual and humanitarian help to so many destitute and impoverished souls. As the message of God's love is spread across the nation, pray that multitudes more would come to faith in Christ.
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