India has seen a troubling rise in violence against its Christian minority, with 2024 recording 834 incidents over 366 days, up from 734 the previous year. A report by the United Christian Forum in New Delhi revealed 525 violent incidents against Christians in the first eight months of 2023, surpassing the total of 505 for all of 2022.
This alarming trend means that more than two Christians are targeted daily in India for practicing their faith. Despite the severity of these hostilities, international awareness remains limited. This may be due to the perception of Hinduism as a peaceful way of life, a notion challenged by the recent violence. This disconnect highlights the urgent need for all believers to fervently pray for those advancing the great commission in the country with the most unreached people groups.
This pattern of violence has been escalating since 2014. According to the United Christian Forum (UCF), 127 incidents in 2014 have increased to 834 violent incidents in 2024. These numbers underscore the urgent need to pray for those committing the violent actions and also pray that the Lord uses this to foster love, not hate, toward believers.
In addition to the violence, a significant number of unreached individuals remain in India. Approximately 1,368,197,000 people from 2,041 distinct unreached groups have not engaged with the Christian faith, highlighting a profound spiritual gap needing urgent attention. BTJ has partners in India; please pray that they are kept safe and that their efforts to reach those on the edge of hell lead to a unified effort among believers to tell, go, or send people to share the message of salvation with these groups.
