In all the worst ways, Rome has risen again for Christianity. Christian persecution is becoming commonplace across the world. In areas like the Middle East, it is a long-standing problem that has gotten worse. In other places, violent persecution has suddenly become a major issue. India falls in the latter category.

In recent years, India has seen the rise of Hindu extremism, and Christians are paying the price for it. Christians are threatened, raped, beaten and murdered simply for practicing their faith. Families have been chased out of churches, homes and villages, but many Indian Christians refuse to give in entirely. Threats of physical violence and death might keep them out of the churches, but many Christians have vowed to continue worshipping Christ in secret.

Pastor Singh leads a church in the state of Madhya Pradesh, but Hindu radicals have begun threatening his congregation and people are afraid to return to the church.

“The reason for this drop in the attendance is the threats from Hindu radicals,” Pastor Singh told the nonprofit persecution watchdog, International Christian Concern. “The radicals say they will beat and kill my church members if they continue to attend the services … Prior to May this year, around 200 people used to worship regularly in my church, but now only 50 to 60 people attend my church on Sunday. They are under tremendous pressure from Hindu radicals.”

Pastor Singh is not the only pastor whose congregation is being threatened. Shankar Damor, a 37 year old man from Kardubadi village near Jhabua, said his family stopped openly attending church after serious threats of physical violence were issued.

“In a meeting last May in the village of Kardubadi, the Christians were told that we should not attend any church and should not even pray in our homes,” Shankar explained. “When we complained to the village diktat, the entire village stopped associating with us. No one attended our weddings and we were totally cut off from the people of the village… We are on shaky ground as a family, however,” he insisted, “we might stop attending the church, but we will not leave Jesus.”

Babu Singh Damor, another Christian from the same village, had a similar story. “We Christians are closely monitored as to where we are going and whom are we meeting,” Babu explained. “It’s quite a pathetic life we are living. However, we are not going to leave Jesus, no one is going snatch Jesus from our hearts.”

India currently ranks as the 11^th worst nation in the world when it comes to Christian persecution despite religious freedom being a constitutional right. Hindu extremists, however, have taken ruthless advantage of several states’ anti-conversion laws which make it illegal for anyone to use “force or allurement” to convert others to another religion. False accusations are a weapon commonly used against Christian families, and many local and state governments turn a blind eye when the laws are used as an excuse for vigilantism.

Todd Nettleton from Voice of the Martyrs called on Indian Christians to keep their faith and their hopes up. “Doors are often closed to the Gospel,” he said, “But God has a way of working through, and around, and over closed doors, and so, we pray that that’s what will happen in India.”

That day cannot come too soon.