The Supreme Court has issued several petitions for Rajasthan to justify the anti-conversion law’s constitutionality, which allows state officials to seize property and demolish homes based on allegations of forced conversion.

(Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World via Facebook)

John Pudaite, President and CEO of Bibles For The World (BFTW), says it’s part of a broader legal battle as India’s Supreme Court takes a magnifying glass to anti-conversion laws across multiple states.

“They are questioning how this current government — the BJP government — can continue to steamroll across the country and pass these anti-conversion laws, which are nothing but an attack primarily on Christianity,” he says.

This new scrutiny may also cause those who target Indian Christians using anti-conversion laws to think twice.

“As they felt impunity, they would attack the churches and attack the Christians,” says Pudaite. “People are realizing that the laws they thought covered them may not have as much strength…as they had hoped.”

(Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World via Facebook)

Looking ahead, Pudaite urges the global Church to take this critical case, and others like it, before the Lord.

“We need to continue to pray for the Supreme Court and those justices, that they can be impartial in their evaluation of the evidence and of those laws. We can pray that they will not be politically influenced or otherwise influenced.”

Pudaite also encourages believers to keep the Gospel in sight — with hearts to reach their persecutors with the Gospel.

“Especially as we go into this Christmas season, pray that this may be a special time for the Body of Christ to be able to share the Good News of the birth of Jesus Christ…. Pray that the true spirit of Christ in Christmas may be able to shine.”

Header photo: Architecture in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. (Photo courtesy of Dexter Fernandes/Unsplash)

Diwali is a Hindu festival primarily associated with the goddess of prosperity and marks the beginning of India’s fiscal calendar.

“We want to ask the body of Christ to join with us in prayer for the Hindu world during these Hindu holidays,” John Pudaite of Bibles For The World says.

To support this effort, request a free prayer guide from Bibles For The World here. “It’s a beautifully printed guide, and the theme this year is God sees, God heals, and God saves,” Pudaite adds.

“God sees the persecution, God heals – no matter how deep the wounds may be – and then God saves. Ultimately, we want all Hindu people to know of salvation through Jesus Christ.”

“God sees the persecution”

Christians face ever-increasing pressure from India’s Hindu nationalists. Learn more here.

“At the state level, the BJP is trying to put into action its plan for making India a Hindu nation, and in the process, denying the freedom of religion that is guaranteed by the Indian constitution,” Pudaite says.

“Things that are done in the name of, especially Christianity, can be considered or positioned as anti-national. This is a major concern.”

Emboldened by state-level anti-conversion laws, “we are seeing the Hindu activist forces attacking churches [and] home fellowships; [there are] one or two attacks a day,” Pudaite adds.

Furthermore, “new laws are extending to the internet, and any attempts to convert on social media are brought under their purview.”

(Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World)

Hope amid oppression

Pray for wisdom and strength for Christian leaders in India as they navigate the increasing persecution and restrictions. Ask the Lord to protect His people in India.

Pray that as Hindus celebrate the festival of lights, they meet a Christian who will introduce them to the Light of the World.

“We do see the body of Christ growing,” Pudaite says. “We see amazing reports of outreach [activities] happening in different parts of India. The Holy Spirit is still working across that country.”

Header image depicts Diwali lights in Delhi. (Photo courtesy Pratham Gupta/Unsplash)

Though India’s constitution guarantees an individual’s right to choose their own religion, “We do see states where the BJP is the strongest starting to enact stronger, more stringent anti-conversion laws: Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan,” John Pudaite with Bibles For The World says.

“These are states that have a BJP party in power or a coalition in power.”

Anti-conversion laws make it illegal to change your faith, and they penalize the people who introduce you to a different religion.

“They position these laws often under the title of Freedom of Religion Act, and it’s actually the exact opposite,” Pudaite says.

“It’s meant to restrict people from exercising their ability to practice the religion of their choice.”

These new laws broaden the scope of activities considered “conversion,” putting more believers at risk.

“Anything they do, whether they post something on social media or they meet together in a home and have a time of prayer and worship, these things now can be considered as offenses,” Pudaite says.

Keep India’s Christians in your prayers. Ask the Lord to strengthen and encourage them. Request a free prayer guide from Bibles For The World to further inform your intercession.

“The immediate threat is how it emboldens the pro-Hindu, anti-Christian activists. With the government behind them, they can do things against Christians and know that there’ll be no prosecution,” Pudaite says.

“Pray for the leadership, for wisdom and strength in their faith, as well as the congregations, and that they may continue to share the good news of Jesus Christ.”

Header image courtesy of Bibles For The World. 

John Pudaite of Bibles For The World (BFTW) says the trend is troubling. “Quite a number of people are being arrested under these laws. Churches are being attacked in the middle of worship, with police in tow. They’ll file false charges or charges of conversion against pastors and some of the worshipers there.”

A Catholic Church in Calangute, Goa. (Photo, caption courtesy of Adriana Rodricks/Unsplash)

The thing is, those charges rarely hold up in court. “They can never prove that the people were gathered…with an intent to convert,” Pudaite explains.

So why push for a tougher law? Pudaite says Maharashtra is looking to change the framing. “They are now trying to position Christian activities not so much in anti-conversion terms but as anti-national. That will be easier, they feel, to prove in court — that this is upsetting the fragile balance…of the Hindu majority in the country.”

Meanwhile, violence against Christians continues to rise. In just the first seven months of 2025, the Religious Liberty Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India documented 334 incidents — almost two per day.

“They know they can go in and attack churches,” Pudaite says. “Even recently, they arrested two Catholic nuns from a public train station and charged them with trafficking and anti-conversion laws.

“We are seeing the government of India just using the letter of the law down to the ‘nth’ degree against Christian organizations, just trying to find any little slip up and turning it into a major issue. In the process, the work of some wonderful organizations is being terribly restricted or completely eliminated from India.”

If Maharashtra’s law passes, India’s already tight space for religious minorities could shrink even further. For churches on the ground, the fear is that Sunday mornings will bring not just worship, but a knock on the door.

Pray for believers in India to stand firm under pressure. Ask God to protect church leaders from false accusations and give them wisdom.

You can also support BFTW here as they serve the Church in India and strengthen believers in the face of persecution.

Header photo courtesy of BFTW.

At least 26 people were killed when gunmen opened fire in the Baisaran Valley, a popular tourist destination. The attack is considered India’s deadliest since 2008.

“Most of them were Indian tourists, as well as a couple of foreign tourists from the UAE and Nepal,” John Pudiate with Bibles For The World says.

Kashmir, a territory claimed by both India and Pakistan, has been a flashpoint for decades, but attacks on tourists have been rare.

“This beautiful region, right on the edge of the Himalayas, has been an area of contention between Pakistan and India, Muslim and Hindu, for the last 75-plus years,” Pudaite says.

“There had been, just prior to this, reports of Indian military attacks or crackdowns on the Muslim militant activities in the region. Immediately, when I heard the news, I thought, ‘Oh boy, this is probably in reaction to those arrests,’” he continues.

“This attack was probably one of the most devastating in recent years; the entire country is grieving over this.”

Christians are in the crosshairs whenever conflict arises between India’s Hindu and Muslim populations. “They’re very wary of the ‘kick the dog’ reaction,” Pudaite says.

“Christians are the ‘dog’ on the sidelines that had nothing to do with it, but there may be attacks on churches, pastors, or missionaries.”

This hostility doesn’t stop believers from sharing the hope of Christ. Pudaite asks Christians in the region to be salt and light and reach out during this national grief.

“I have heard reports of Christians in the region trying to help out in whatever way they can,” he says. “Across the country, Christians have been called upon by some national bodies to pray into the situation.”

Pray for wisdom and restraint in the Indian government’s response so the situation does not escalate further.

Header image depicts India’s Baisaran Valley, often called a mini-Switzerland for its mountainous view and lush landscape. (Wikimedia Commons)

President of BFTW John Pudaite says 7,000 New Testaments and 50,000 Gospels of John were printed in Thailand six months ahead of the proposed rally. Meanwhile, permission to hold it had yet to be granted by the Laotian government. 

“Just 24 hours before the proposed event was supposed to start, the Laotian government gave permission for the event to carry on,” he says. 

All 57,000 copies of Scripture were distributed at the rally: to leaders of the Laotian church and to those who came forward to follow Christ. 

“So this was very exciting to have an opportunity to provide God’s word in a restricted access country like Laos – a country where there are over 126 unreached people groups as well,” Pudaite says. 

During their recent visit to Laos, Pudaite and his colleagues were excited to meet with a group of Laotian Christians who had begun translating Scripture into some of these people groups. 

“They had actually started the work on seven languages – seven people groups – and were lining up another seven. They had completed the translation of the Gospel of Luke in those seven languages.”

The Laotian church had been able to fund the printing of 100 copies in each language, but Pudaite saw an opportunity to partner with the nationals and distribute Luke’s Gospel to every household in these seven language groups. 

“So we’re looking at maybe four or five thousand copies to ten thousand copies in each language that we hope to print here in the coming year,” he says. 

Pudaite expects the partnership to be ongoing, and he is encouraged by the Laocian church’s fire for evangelism.

Laotian flag. Courtesy of Pixabay.

“One of the main reasons we like to go into these larger evangelistic events is that it gives us the opportunity to come in under that umbrella, provide God’s word in large quantities, but also gives us these opportunities to make connections,” he says. 

Pudaite points out that working legally is a chief aim of Bibles for the World.

“My father always said, ‘This is the book of the King of Kings. We’re going to take it in through the front door, not through the back door.’”

The Laotian government is more permissive in the capital city because that is their international showcase, Pudaite says. Persecution of Christians in Laos usually happens more in remote areas. 

“We want to reach those unreached people groups, most of which are not in the city but are in those remote villages. That’s where this new project is going to take us.”

Please pray for both Bible translation and distribution in Laos. 

Pray for wisdom and protection of those completing these efforts, and pray that the seed of God’s Word would take root in the hearts and minds of those receiving Scripture. 

Even as doors open, political, linguistic, and social barriers abound. Pudaite says this is the reason so many people remain unreached. 

“That’s the role that we need to play: finding ways to overcome those barriers or plow through those barriers and get God’s word and the message of salvation through Jesus Christ into the hands of these people.”  

Featured image courtesy of Pixabay

John Pudaite, President of Bibles For The World (BFTW) says, “It really depends on how they interpret that and what they say has to be illegal religious conversion activities. That’s kind of a judgment call: What is legal religious conversion and what is illegal religious conversion?”

(Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World via Facebook)

Eighteen of India’s 28 states have anti-conversion laws on the books – often used to target Christian ministries and converts from Hinduism.

Since the announcement of new FCRA regulations, AC Michael, head of the Federation of Catholic Associations of the Archdiocese of Delhi stated that telling Indian Christians to “stop propagating their faith is a direct infringement” on India’s constitutional religious freedom.

For BFTW’s part, Pudaite says, “Fortunately, our primary partners in India have not had any difficulty or charges filed against them that they’re involved in illegal religious conversion activities.”

Despite the challenges, India’s need for the Gospel is urgent, with 1.3 billion people who still don’t know Christ. Pray for wisdom for faithful Christian ministries representing Jesus.

On a practical note, Pudaite also asks, “Pray that the organizations here may find ways to be self-sustaining!”

Learn more about BFTW’s critical Bible ministry in India.

Header photo of a church in Hyderabad, India. (Photo courtesy of Paul Silvan via Unsplash)

John Pudaite, President of Bibles For The World (BFTW), says, “The [Indian] government came out for the first time with a blanket statement saying that any organization that has been involved in illegal activities will not be renewed, and this includes illegal religious conversion activities.”

In 2021, organizations were required to submit FCRA renewal applications by the end of December. Nearly three years later, thousands of renewal cases are still open and awaiting a decision. The tightening FCRA restrictions could harm these cases.

“Out of the 3,000 or so cases that are still pending, I would estimate that 80-90% of those are Christian churches and ministries,” Pudaite says.

(Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World)

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has outlined 17 reasons for denying or canceling FCRA registrations. These include accusations of forceful religious conversions, diverting funds for anti-development activities, links with radical organizations, and failure to file annual reports. NGOs whose operations are deemed to affect “social or religious harmony” are also at risk of cancellation.

For BFTW and others, the uncertainty makes it hard to coordinate long-term ministry.

“It’s very difficult to work with partners and try to do any kind of planning for any types of projects or extended outreaches or whatever it may be…when you’re never sure if you’re going to be granted the FCRA registration. You’re just kind of living every three months at a time,” Pudaite explains.

Respond This Giving Tuesday

Children in India read the Bible in their heart language. (Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World)

Today marks Giving Tuesday in the United States, and Christians worldwide are encouraged to act. Generous giving today to ministries like BFTW can help sustain their vital work amidst growing restrictions.

BFTW continues to distribute Bibles, support education, sponsor children, and provide healthcare for the people of India in Jesus’s name.

Click here to support BFTW’s critical ministry!

Additionally, Pudaite asks, “Pray that the Christians here, especially those involved in running organizations that have been receiving foreign contribution, may be strong through this time….  Pray that the government may look at these applications as objectively as possible and see the good work that is being done by so many organizations here that are benefiting the poor [and] disadvantaged people here.”

Header photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:State_Bank_of_India,_Chandni_Chowk.JPG

John Pudaite of Bibles For The World says believers had a small respite following election results in June. “Things were quiet for a month or two, and now we’re starting to see it ramp up again,” he states.

Election results forced the Hindu nationalist BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reset some short-term plans. But their overarching desire to turn India into a Hindu-only nation is still on track.

BJP Flag
(Image courtesy WikimediaCommons)

“BJP did come back to power. They’re not quite as strong as everyone expected, and they could only form a government through the support of two regional parties,” Pudaite says.

“This, in some way, probably has softened them a little bit. But at the same time, we’re hearing of violence against pastors [and] Christians being dragged out and beaten.”

Persecution was already high leading into election season. In “the first six months of this year, there were over 350 cases of violence against churches, attacks on pastors, mobs coming into churches while they were in worship, and just disrupting the sermon,” Pudaite says.

“We need to pray for our brothers and sisters in India so they can be strong through this time.”

Modi and the BJP have ruled India for the past decade, giving free rein to Hindu nationalist subgroups and mobs. Yet, Gospel work continues. Learn how to support believers and their projects through Bibles For The World.

“From 2014 onwards, we’ve seen a steadily increasing amount of persecution and violence against Christians, against the Church,” Pudaite says.

“Not only the physical violence but also the churches and the Christians being attacked through legal means, through the passing of the anti-conversion laws.”

Header image courtesy of The Voice of the Martyrs USA.

John Pudaite of Bibles For The World reminds us, “The FCRA is the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, and this is the law under which all donations from outside of India are allowed to come into India in support of charitable activities.”

India’s Hindu nationalist government frequently uses the FCRA to stifle growth in the charity sector, where groups like Bibles For The World work with society’s most vulnerable communities. Since 2022, more than 100 non-government organizations or NGOs have lost their FCRA licenses.

(Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs Canada)

Most NGOs rely on foreign funding to operate in India. When the government removes a group’s FCRA license, it puts a chokehold on NGO activity. Vulnerable communities suffer because they have nowhere else to turn for help.

Or, like one Bibles For The World partner, groups are stuck in never-ending registration limbo.

“They submitted renewal applications back in 2021, so this is three and a half years that they have been pending; nearly four years,” Pudaite says.

Recently, the government began issuing temporary three-month extensions for groups in the limbo camp. “The current extension is only until September 30,” Pudaite says.

“We’re trying to get as many funds as we can to our partners [to] sustain their activities through the end of the year at least.”

Pray the nationalist government will soften its attitude toward Christian organizations. Pray that the Indian government will finish reviewing and renewing the FCRA applications that are pending, especially for Christian organizations.

“Currently, there are over 3,000 (FCRA) applications pending for renewal. Most of these pending applications are [from] Christian organizations and churches,” Pudaite says.

The header image depicts the State Bank in New Delhi. Previously, nonprofits receiving foreign funding under FCRA needed to create a bank account at any government-approved bank. Under the amended FCRA, all nonprofits must create and solely use a new account with the State Bank of India at New Delhi. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons; caption: Council on Foundations)