WHY INDIA?- Christian groups, missionaries making the most out of pandemic

 

This is what they tell you, make you believe in, probably help you and then ask you to be the 'child of God'! And you, very innocently thinking of the support given to you at that very moment of your need, consider the advice and change the way you pray! Well, you already are a child of God, but then who are these people who decide the fabric of God for you? On the contrary, these are those same set of people who say that the Christian community is in deep danger, they are being targeted, abused and that they need help. To make my very first point here- Where does the 'God' go then? If these people are true children of God, why do they feel so unsafe? 

 

Over the years the world has been purposefully made to think of the role of an evangelist or a missionary to be that of pulling the poor out of poverty, helping the destitute. But what we effortlessly forget to note is the consideration they ask in return- conversion of religion to Christianity. And today, as if it is the 'God' who has given them the idea of using the situation of COVID-19 spread to their benefit, so much so that the renowned medical heads also have began saying that Jesus Christ is the Lord of Healthcare! How strange this all is!

 

 

 

Last week, I visited one of my friends after many long years and at the very moment I entered, I felt some switched vibes. As if I was in some different place altogether. Entering further her place, I totally knew what was that something new! The family is now a full fledged preacher of Christianity. On asking the reason, I felt no need to question further. "We are now equipped with the service 'God' has called us to do", she said.

 

Now, how is she supposed to know about the seeds of 'Mission' being laser-focused on transforming India into something else? They entered lands far and wide otherwise unknown to us to provide food, shelter and education. But now the evangelicals are between you and me. Spreading the ‘word of God’, supporting people, farmers’ protest, planting churches, floating NGOs on paper, even using official posts to preach their faith and now seeing the pandemic as a ‘golden opportunity’ to convert the gullible.

 

 

According to NGO Mission India, the escalated COVID-19 spread in India needs the attention of 'God' and that they'll be helped only with the love of Christ. Further, it openly says that it's committed to make God's name known to the 1.3 billion people in India. Their mission they say is to see India transformed by the 'Love of Christ'. Now I assume you are quite sensible to understand the statement. Anyway! Christians have always had a mission! But why India I wonder! Maybe because 'God' loves this nation and 'He' has called them to bring His light to India? Though 400 million people in India have never ever heard the name of Jesus, hearts are open to the 'Good News' like never before these people. And COVID, as earlier mentioned, is the best opportunity in line!

 

 

 

Isaac Shaw, a senior pastor of Bible Bhavan Christian Fellowship in an interview to Christianity Today had said, “When churches started streaming their services online, they were surprised at the audience they received. I know of small churches that normally had less than 100 people attend on an average Sunday now have more than 700 viewers online. Our own church, Bible Bhavan Christian Fellowship, which has been live streaming for more than four years, saw a 300 percent increase in viewership.” Taking undue advantage of people’s sufferings, “As the Indian church is expressing its love for those who are suffering the most, previously antagonistic neighbors are partnering with the church in our expressions of help. This marks a new day,” added Isaac. 

 

 

Isaac revealed that the churches with the imposition of lockdown refused to follow the protocol saying 'churches cannot close their doors, believing that the Bible mandates weekly group worship in buildings and that God grants health to the faithful'. He said the churches took three weeks to come up with an alternative that ultimately proved to be fruitful. "The world we will come back to after this pandemic will look very different. Therefore, the church’s priorities must turn from looking inward to looking outward", he added.

 

 

Mission India with its clear motive is currently working to equip its ministry partners in relief efforts to save lives and enhance their evangelism, discipleship, and church planting efforts. “Our partners see this as a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ in their communities,” they flaunt on their website. The organization is simultaneously running a Children’s Bible Club introducing them to Jesus through engaging activities, songs, and prayer during either a 10 day or a year-long experience and creating new Church planters to introduce a 'community to Jesus'.

 

 

 

 

The Indian Medical Association and its President John Rose Austin Jayalal has opened up his intentions of splitting human beings into Christians and non-Christians. As per the information, Indian Medical Association has received Rs 8.72 crores from the Health Ministry for the two financial years 2018-19 and 2019-20 successively for the purpose of handling ‘TB Project’. It has come to the notice of larger public of the nation that John Rose Austin Jayalal, the President of ‘Indian Medical Association’ Society is abusing his position and profession to convert to Christianity, young doctors and anyone who comes into contact with him in the course of his discharge of his duties as National President of Indian Medical Association.

 

 

In two separate interviews, Jayalal has expressed strong views about proselytising Hindus at each and every available opportunity which he comes across as a Doctor or as Professor of Medicine. Below are extracts from his recent interview given to ‘Haggai International’ an International Christian Body and the ideas and activities explained by John Rose Austin Jayalal are very serious in nature, seemingly intended to cause huge damage to communal harmony between different religious groups of India.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Jayalal has made it clear through his various interviews that he looks at fellow humans as Christians and non-Christians. He even had made below serious remarks against the Government of India which are completely baseless: “The Hindu Nationalist Government wants to destroy modern medicine saying it is ‘western medicine.’ Please keep this in your international prayers. If everything goes their way, we will not have pure modern medicine courses in India by 2030. India is currently one of the most dangerous countries in the world for practicing Christians, and Dr. Jayalal confirms that the government is indeed hostile to believers”

 

 

India is the most unreached nation, they say. Half a million Indian communities still lack any witnessing body of believers, meaning four out of five Indians will go their entire lives without knowing a single Christian. While this creates an iron opportunity in the fire for them, I want us all to think how will the new 'transformed India' be if they keep on getting the wood, fuel to escalate the fire?

 

 

 

And all this comes amidst 600 preachers of Churches of Christ who succumbed to the Chinese virus last year and more than 900 preachers’ families affected in AP alone. Paul Renganathan, the director of World Bible College had revealed that he knows of nearly 500 deaths among members of Churches of Christ in just the Chennai region, including several evangelists he worked with closely.

 

Taking undue advantage of the lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, missionaries in India have converted as many as 1 lakh people and adopted 50,000 villages in a span of one year. Need for medical aid and two square meals amidst the financial crisis, pushed the economically weaker section into the trap of missionaries. The missionaries also have built a record number of churches in thousands of villages where none existed before. Instead of treating the patients as a humanitarian catastrophe, isn't the fact that Dr Jayalal and people like him rubbing their hands to spread the Gospel in news ways to more and more people, worrisome? This is nothing short of a vulture-like approach to human suffering, death and devastation. Mission India NGO has already stated the purpose of its existence asking Why India. Yet, I ask seeking to switch the perspective- WHY INDIA?

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