The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) said its Second Conference of the Persecuted in India, was to be held in Bangalore, the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka on June 21
and June 22.
It was to "bring together a large number of Christian workers, pastors, and missionaries men and women, young and old, from all over the country for two days," GCIC President Sajan George told BosNewsLife.
In addition "to prayer and fellowship" participants were "to think together as the people of God about what persecution implies in the larger social and religious context, which is pluralist , and also how the common people and their faith are challenged by the mainstream
forces," he added.
MISSIONARIES ARRESTED
The announcement came as news emerged that local police charged two Indian missionaries with "unlawful religious conversions" after two Hindu residents of Ichalkaranji town, 225 kilometers (140 miles) south of Maharashtra state’s capital of Mumbai filed a complaint.
The residents reportedly alleged "they were deceitfully baptized" by the missionaries last week, charges the missionaries denied. Police also arrested 11 people after television footage showed a group of Hindus kicking and punching the missionaries, police said. It was not clear Wednesday, May 16, whether those arrested would face prison terms.
Indian media claimed the 11 arrested Hindus belonged to the Bajrang Dal and the Shiv Sena,
two right-wing Hindu groups leading a campaign against Christian missionaries. They have
accused the missionaries of trying to lure poor people away from Hinduism — India’s largest
religion — through monetary offers or coercion.
"NO COERCION"
Churches and especially evangelical Christians have denied that anyone can be coerced or bribed into accepting "Christ as personal Savior and Lord" as this can only be done voluntarily. Christians comprise less than three percent of India’s predominantly Hindu population, and GCIC and other groups have urged authorities to improve protection of this minority.
GCIC’s George suggested to BosNewsLife that he hopes the upcoming persecution meeting would bring again hundreds of delegates together. "The First Conference [in Bangalore] was held in August 2006, as a Day of prayer for the Persecuted Christians" with "over three hundred participants." The widows of seven of the pastors who he said "were martyred for their faith" were "honored on the occasion."
His group has expressed concerns about what it believes are a growing number of violent attacks against pastors and other church leaders, missionaries and other Christians. (With reporting from India).
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