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)

The Wisconsin judge  wrote in her decision that the National Day of
Prayer "goes beyond mere 'acknowledgment' of religion because its sole
purpose is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently
religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context." 

The National Day of Prayer was instituted by Congress in
1952 and in 1988 was set on the first Thursday of May. Essentially, Crabb argued the statute violates
the First Amendment's ban against a law respecting an establishment of
religion.

Todd Nettleton with
Voice of the Martyrs says, "It's hard
to see that having a day where people MAY join in prayer is the establishment
of a religion."  

Despite the court ruling, President Barak Obama will still
issue a National Day of Prayer proclamation for Thursday, May 6. It's a good example to follow. Nettleton clarifies, "Regardless of what
our government says, we can pray every day, and we SHOULD pray every day. Our
brothers and sister in China don't have a National Day of Prayer and yet their
church is growing faster than the church in the United States." 

In the meantime, the American Center for Law and Justice
will be appealing the ruling. "We represented…31 members of Congress [in
the case]," says Attorney Jordan Sekulow. "We'll be ready to file
our amicus brief to the appeal to the Seventh  Circuit Court of Appeals —
and I'm sure the president and the White House, the executive branch, are
getting their appeal ready as well."

There are other concerns, too. The ruling is a blow to Christians and their
freedom to practice their faith. Will this ruling eventually threaten the
ability to share Christ in the U.S.?   

Nettleton says an answer to that question would be
speculation, but it does underscore an obvious point. "I
think we, overall, need to pray for the country. We need to pray for our leaders not just on
the first Thursday in May, but that needs to be a regular part of our prayer
life–lifting up our nation and lifting up those who are in leadership
positions."