Unprecedented Inroads - Dalits Turn to Jesus Christ in India.

By Wendy Anderson
Photos courtesy of International Mission Board - www.imb.org

Awesome changes are taking place in the religious makeup of the world. Scenarios that could hardly have been imagined a decade ago are becoming reality…in India.

And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:35).

When King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a great statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay, Daniel gave the interpretation that this image represented the great kingdoms of man. A stone was then “cut out without hands” that struck the image so that the entire statue was crushed together and became like chaff, while the stone grew, became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

This stone represents the Lord Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. Awesome changes are taking place in the religious makeup of the world. Scenarios that could hardly have been imagined a decade ago are becoming reality. What God is doing in the earth is far beyond anything man could do, yet God is working through His people – often the lowly and unknown – who are sold out to Him. As we open the eyes of our understanding to this reality, the Holy Spirit will equip us to participate in His great Kingdom adventure.

Gaining Perspective

Since I began following the Holy Spirit’s activity in the nations many years ago, I have seen two common mistakes in how Christians view God’s Kingdom in the earth. The first is thinking too small. This is the idea of only a “chosen few” believers trying to hang on until Jesus comes to rescue them out of this cold, cruel world. It is also the view that Christianity is only the religion of the West. The second mistake is thinking too naively. The truth is, what God is doing is larger, grander and more victorious than we can imagine, yet it will not be accomplished instantly, easily or without major investment by God’s people.

Just as the stone in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream took over the whole earth, God’s Kingdom is steadily expanding. Research by missions experts shows that by the year 2000, approximately 11 percent of the world’s population was born again. (Ralph D. Winter and Bruce A. Koch, “Finishing the Task: The Unreached Peoples Challenge,” Missions Frontiers, June 2000, published by U.S. Center for World Mission). In the past 10 to 15 years, the Church in Africa, Asia and Latin America has grown so rapidly that Christianity can no longer be considered either Western or “white.” We are seeing God’s promise to Abraham that his descendants would be too numerous to count come to pass (Genesis 13:16; 15:5; 32:12).

For centuries, Christianity has made inroads into various segments of humanity; however, three large religious blocks have traditionally been very difficult to penetrate with the Gospel: Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism. Followers of these religions compose the majority of the 40 percent of the world’s population in “unreached people groups” – those who have no access to the Gospel of Christ within their own culture. In recent years the Holy Spirit has been opening the Church’s eyes to Jesus’ heart for the unreached, and unprecedented harvest has now begun within these groups.

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The Dalit Exodus

One of the most amazing changes in religious history began taking place a few years ago in India, where Hinduism has been entrenched for 3,000 years. Hinduism is a very demonic religion with 330 million “gods” and a caste system – a social structure that ranks people into classes based on their perceived origins. The lowest caste is known as the “untouchables” because they are considered so unclean that others are not to have any physical contact with them. They are more properly called Dalits, meaning “the oppressed.” These 300 million people have endured centuries of virtual slavery, illiteracy and horrible victimization. Those who are employed tend to work the lowest jobs, such as cleaning latrines, sweeping dung off streets and handling dead bodies.

Despite Indian laws guaranteeing human rights, abuse of Dalits is still commonplace – especially since Hinduism regards Dalits as subhuman. In simple terms, Hindu teachings about reincarnation and karma say that one’s position in life is determined by one’s deeds in a former life. It is considered wrong to subvert the natural order and help anyone out of a situation that they worked their way into.

After three millennia of bondage, Dalit leaders have been aggressively pursuing change, including encouraging all Dalits to renounce Hinduism. In 2001 the leaders invited representatives of the world’s major religions to meet with them to present the claims of their religions. K.P. Yohannan, founder of Gospel for Asia, was one of those invited to present Christianity. He could not reveal details because the meetings were confidential, but said they went very well. In November 2001 a public rally took place in which several religious leaders, including Yohannan, were allowed to briefly address the tens of thousands of Dalits present. At that time one Dalit leader embraced Buddhism – a native Indian religion with roots in Hinduism, though it does not practice the caste system – and up to 50 million Dalits supposedly also converted to Buddhism around that time. The Indian government estimates that another 22 million Dalits have converted to Christianity (Gospel for Asia believes the number is probably higher).

This shift toward Christianity is unprecedented because in the past Christianity was viewed as the religion of the Western colonizers and not as a desirable option for most Indians. The message of the Kingdom is now crossing class barriers and drawing millions to Christ. The majority of the rest of the Dalits are essentially “up for grabs” to whichever religion can aid them in their desperate physical needs enough to win their hearts. Imagine, a population as large as the entire U.S. open to changing religions! One Dalit leader told Yohannan, “If you educate our people, you can teach them any religion you like.” Truly, the fields are white unto harvest, the only shortage is laborers, and funds to send those who are culturally ready and able to go.

More to Come

Yohannan told a gathering where I was present in 2006 that the Dalit leaders have begun talking to the leaders of the second-lowest large caste group in India. These people, sometimes known as OBC’s for “other backward castes,” are also dissatisfied with Hinduism. There are approximately 400 million in this group. Together these lower caste groups involve more than 10 percent of the entire world’s population! If the exodus of people in these groups continues, well over half of all Hindus could renounce their religion! Yohannan believes that already millions of Dalits are just waiting to see if legislation that discriminates against Dalit Christians will be reversed, in which case they will publicly embrace Christianity.

Hindu political leaders and radicals are livid at the Gospel’s success. They call these conversions political stunts, accusing Westerners of trying to undermine their nation. As a result, violent persecution of Christians has dramatically escalated, with serious beatings occurring almost daily. However, the story from inside this move resembles the book of Acts much more than political maneuvering. In towns and villages across Asia, modern-day apostles, evangelists and brand-new believers are spreading the message of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is backing up their message with signs, wonders and miracles. Just as it did in New Testament times, God’s Kingdom is growing rapidly where people come in contact with the supernatural power of Jesus Christ. The prophetic can divide between soul and spirit, penetrating mindsets, spiritual blindness and cultural baggage to reach a person’s heart. Miracles and power encounters with demonic powers (so-called “gods”) still reveal who is the true God, just as they did in Elijah’s day (1 Kings 18:20-40)..

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The Kingdom Will Cost Everything.

Many of the miracles and supernatural visitations taking place are occurring in desperate situations – in locations where believers are persecuted, tortured and even martyred for their faith, or in situations where people are seeking Jesus as a “last resort.” For example, one illiterate, tribal woman went to bring the Gospel to a village and was met by an angry mob who intended to kill her. A local religious leader told the crowd to wait, reasoning that first they would give her a chance to heal his handicapped relative, and if she could not, then they would kill her. She knew very little Scripture, but she knew Jesus heals, so she prayed, Jesus honored His Word, and more lives came into the Kingdom.

In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the stone of God’s Kingdom crushed all of the kingdoms of man until they became like chaff. Make no mistake, God’s Kingdom is taking over. But seeing the kingdoms of this world fully become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ cost Jesus everything, and it will cost His Church as well. Matthew 13:45-46 says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Ironically, Western Christians may have prevented a greater number of conversions to Christ at the November 2001 Dalit rally. When plans for the meeting were announced, email prayer requests circulated in the West. But details became exaggerated until one million were said to be definitely converting to Christianity that day with all 300 million Dalits on the verge. As a result, the radical Hindu groups, who have strong political clout, tried to stop the event – greatly limiting the number of Dalits allowed to travel, canceling one of the Christian speakers and preventing any Christian literature distribution.

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Partnering With God

To partner fully with what God is doing today, we must realize that the Kingdom does not advance through quick, easy “microwave” means. The Dalit people cannot be reached by one rally or broadcast on TV. Most of them are far too poor to own a television. They are spread among 500,000 different villages and speak hundreds of different languages. Many of those who live in large cities are slum dwellers or squatters. Powerful anti-Christian groups seek to persecute those who attempt to bring them the Gospel. These people are unreached not because no Christian has yet cared about them, but because it is not an easy task.

I believe that prophetic proclamations, apostolic decrees and intense prayer and spiritual warfare influenced Dalit leaders to renounce Hinduism. However, the air war alone is not enough. Jesus commanded us to make disciples, which requires all five-fold functions. Romans 10:14-15 says, “...How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how will they preach unless they are sent?…” Paul said, “So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.” (1 Thessalonians 2:8) Hundreds of thousands of believers are needed to risk their lives to go to the hundreds of thousands of Dalit villages and live with these people, meeting their needs with the compassion of Christ, lovingly presenting the truth of the Gospel, and training them as disciples of Christ.

In many unreached areas, Americans are not the best choice to do full-time on-site ministry. We are not that good at sacrificing personal comfort and have cultural baggage associated with the political strength of our nation. But we can impact the expansion of the Kingdom through many avenues, including awareness, intercession, research, language work, development of print and electronic media, financial provision, mobilization, and much, much more. There is no geographical or cultural limitation on being sold-out to the gospel of Christ.

Open your eyes to God’s Kingdom move. Let God’s heart for the nations overwhelm your natural inclinations, fears and comfort zone. Ask the Lord to use you to help bring in the harvest. Jesus told us to seek His Kingdom, while He promised that He will build His Church (Matthew 6:33, 16:18). As we allow Him to work through us, we will participate with Him in the greatest adventure!


Wendy Anderson has a passion to see all nations and people groups reached with the gospel. She and her husband Gary teach the Kingdom of God and the supremacy of Jesus Christ. She also serves as media manager at Christian International in northwest Florida.

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