India (MNN) – Maharashtra state just became the 13th domino in India to fall to religious restriction. The state’s new anti-conversion law went into effect August 28.

John Pudaite with Bibles For The World says they’re seeing a pattern with each iteration of anti-conversion laws adopted across India. “Each time a state passes it, the restrictions get tighter and tighter, the penalties get more stringent.”

Mumbai, the capital of India’s Maharashtra state. (Photo courtesy of Drone Master/Unsplash)

The Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act prohibits conversions through force, fraud, coercion or broadly defined “allurement.” That can include gifts or material benefits, employment, and even free education.

Pudaite explains, “Christian churches and ministries in India have needed to be more and more careful with education and charity work. Because if they offer free education, they (the courts) say that’s an inducement. If they offer food or roofing sheets or blankets or something like that, that also now could be considered an inducement, an allurement for somebody to convert from another religion to Christianity. So this has been constructed to possibly criminalize charitable activities as a whole and Christian education.”

The law also carries steep penalties. Unlawful mass conversions can result in seven years in prison and a fine of 500,000 rupees, “which is almost $5,000, and…a huge amount you can imagine for a Christian, for a pastor over in India to pay,” says Pudaite. “That’s far more than a year’s salary for most people.”

But what counts as a “mass conversion” may be surprising.

According to the new law, Pudaite says, “Mass conversion has now been defined as more than one person. So, if a husband and wife become Christians at a gathering or through a home visit of a pastor…that becomes a mass conversion.”

(Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World)

Those provisions could make Gospel outreach more legally risky for pastors and evangelists. Yet, despite the challenges, Pudaite says God is moving, and Christians are remaining bold in their faith.

“Every time a law like this comes out, we think it’s going to shut down [ministry] from there,” says Pudaite. “Then often it’s from the same very state that just passed the law, we’ll get a request: ‘We need 20,000 Gospels of John here for our outreach activities!’ I’m like, wow! I thought you guys would be backing off a little bit, but you’re not at all.”

Rather than stopping the spread of the Gospel, Pudaite says Bible For The World continues to see people coming to Christ.

Pudaite encourages, “We want listeners out there to continue praying for the country of India, praying for those pastors and missionaries [and] evangelists that are on the front lines that are continuing to share their faith. As I said, we’re just seeing more and more people being brought to the Body of Christ than ever before, and it’s very exciting.”

Pray for courage and wisdom for believers sharing their faith under growing pressure.

Header photo: Three women in colorful sarees walk along Harihareshwar Beach in Maharashtra, India. (Photo courtesy of shravan khare/Pexels)