Freedom
India’s Foreign Aid Rules Raise Alarm for Religious Charities
Christian missions in India face a grave threat as the federal government moves to seize control of properties funded by overseas donations. Proposed amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act would allow the state to absorb assets from organizations whose registrations are suspended or canceled.
These assets, dedicated to healthcare and education for the marginalized, represent decades of faithful service by the body of Christ. The All India Christian Council warns this systematic alienation strikes at the heart of religious protections for the minority faithful.
Faith Facts
- [Point 1] Over twenty thousand charitable organizations in India have already seen their foreign funding registrations canceled by the government.
- [Point 2] Prominent Christian groups like World Vision and Compassion International are among those that have lost their ability to receive international support.
- [Point 3] The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended designating India as a country of particular concern due to ongoing violations.
Believers are concerned that these legislative changes serve a Hindu nationalist agenda by silencing those who provide spiritual and physical aid.
This move ignores the Great Commission and the biblical mandate to care for the poor through private charity.
AICC President Joseph D’Souza described the amendments as a ploy to bring Christian institutions under state control.
The global church must stand in prayer for our brothers and sisters in India as their liberty to serve is restricted.
Faith Facts
- A Finnish MP and a Lutheran bishop were convicted over a 2004 church pamphlet on biblical marriage.
- The case began after MP Päivi Räsänen cited Romans 1:24–27 in a tweet about a pride parade.
- The court ordered the pamphlet removed from the internet and destroyed.
The Finnish Supreme Court has issued a ruling that many Christians see as a warning sign for religious freedom in Europe. By a narrow 3–2 vote, Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola were convicted for publishing a pamphlet on biblical marriage.
The case highlights the reach of vaguely worded hate speech laws used against peaceful Christian expression. Although the court found no incitement to violence, it still ordered the destruction of the 20-year-old document.
“Be still, my soul! Your God does undertake to guide the future as He has the past.”
We must pray for our brothers and sisters in Finland as they face persecution for their commitment to Scripture. Let us stand firm against the global tide of authoritarian conformity that seeks to silence the Gospel.
Religious freedom remains a cornerstone of British values and a vital protection for the witness of the Church.
Recent debates regarding public prayer in Trafalgar Square highlight the importance of maintaining equal liberties for all communities under the law.
Protecting the right to gather peacefully ensures that Christian traditions, such as Good Friday Passion plays, can continue without restriction.
Restricting one group’s public expression often paves the way for the secular state to eventually limit Christian outreach and worship.
Faith Facts
- Trafalgar Square has hosted diverse religious traditions, including Christian worship and outreach events like Soul in the City, for many decades.
- The Christian faith teaches that every individual possesses inherent dignity and should be treated with justice and equality in the public square.
- Upholding liberty for others prevents the government from gaining the power to dictate where and how Christians may practice their own faith.
Standing for the principle of religious liberty ensures that the Gospel can be freely shared in a society shaped by freedom rather than state-enforced exclusion.
The Canadian Supreme Court is currently reviewing Quebec’s Bill 21, a controversial law that forbids public servants from displaying symbols of their faith. While proponents claim the bill ensures state neutrality, it effectively bars believers from living out their convictions in the public square.
By preventing teachers, judges, and officers from wearing religious symbols, the state is moving past neutrality into active hostility. This secularist agenda threatens the foundational right to openly identify as a person of faith while serving one’s community.
The state is to be agnostic toward the individual before it — neither promoting nor obstructing religion. At this point, Quebec is no longer neutral. It is increasingly oppressive toward people of faith.
Jean-Sébastien Morin of The Gospel Coalition of Canada warns that this legislation marks a shift toward state-mandated secularism. Christian legal advocates argue that true democracy must protect the right to public expression of religious identity.
Faith Facts
- Bill 21 utilizes a notwithstanding clause to bypass civil liberties and enforce strict secularism.
- The Christian Legal Fellowship asserts that the law violates the foundational right to public religious identity.
- Five Canadian provinces are defending the clause as a matter of federalism and local jurisdiction.
As this case unfolds, we must pray for the protection of religious liberty and for leaders who respect the essential role of faith in society.
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