Storming the stronghold of India
The calling to uphold the sanctity of human life and to intervene in the global crisis of abortion is an encompassing mission, recognizing that we are all unified in this endeavor. As followers and supporters of this critical work, it is incumbent upon us to report on the vital advances and strategic challenges encountered across the world. Following my eleventh trip to India over the last five or six years, returning home after merely 12 to 15 hours of rest, the urgency and promise of the work there remain paramount.
We acknowledge that the United States accounts for only 3% of the abortions occurring globally each year, leaving the overwhelming majority—97% of this crisis—before us as a massive world missions challenge. If we are to be consistently drawn by the question, “Where is the need the greatest?” then India must now be established as our highest priority. The dynamics of global suffering have shifted, and India has unfortunately been recategorized in international demographics, having been “dethroned” from the number one spot by the inspiring efforts of the church in Cuba. Cuba’s movement, where the church rallied, discipled one another, and spread the gospel of life, is a beautiful example of what is possible. However, the fact remains that India is now the new number one in the world for abortion, demanding immediate and strategic attention.
A Land of Complexity and Crossroad Strategy
India is a land of tremendous beauty, complexity, and great mystery, characterized by profound cultural and religious diversity. Within India, one encounters millions of people adhering to Sikhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Islam, and perhaps Zoroastrianism. This immense spiritual landscape presents unique challenges, as exemplified by the cultural reverence for cows in Hinduism; they are sacred and roam freely through the streets, even in crowded cities, where hitting one with a vehicle can lead to imprisonment. The culture is also marked by a vibrant currency and value placed on colorful attire, often shocking to Western sensibilities, such as the elaborate clothing worn by women or the traditional Indian kurtah (night shirt/gown) worn by pastors and visitors.
Our initial efforts and subsequent eleven trips have primarily focused across the north of India, bordering Southern Nepal, and particularly within the strategic northeastern state of West Bengal. This location is vital because it represents a strategic crossroads in Southeast Asia, with China, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Bhutan all situated within a few hundred miles of this one spot. This geography confirms the necessity of establishing a localized presence capable of spreading the movement regionally.
Investing in Leadership: The All India Summit
To engage this spiritual and demographic stronghold effectively, we must prioritize strategic investment of time and resources. While traveling to India for one week to attend a three- or four-day conference might seem burdensome or expensive, there is genuinely no greater “bang for the buck” for meeting leaders, people with strategic thinking, and individuals of influence within the pro-life movement than attending the annual All India Summit.
For 10 years, India has hosted this national conference of pro-life leaders, moving the venue annually to accommodate wider participation. We have witnessed its growth firsthand, expanding from attendance of 40 or 45 people to more recently approaching 80, 85, or 90 attendees. My recent trip was dedicated solely to this summit, where I was afforded three opportunities to address the conference as a keynote speaker. Crucially, the time spent sitting around, eating meals, and talking with these leaders proved to be an even more strategic investment of time, offering us a global perspective on the movement, covering developments in places like Cuba, Argentina, and Romania.
Maturing Movement: From Silos to Strategy
The work we observe in India today is showing encouraging signs of growth and development, moving toward greater maturity. For many years, pro-life people stumbled into the work simply wanting to help rescue babies, leading to many really good, faithful Christians doing helpful works but primarily working in isolated areas or “silos,” disconnected from one another.
The All India Summit itself, being held for a decade, is the single greatest effort made to connect these separate works and translate them into a nationwide movement. This unified effort forces the understanding that India is vast, and effective change requires doubling down and working together.
Two major indicators of maturing strategy emerged vividly during the last conference:
First, a dominant theme that arose and recurred was the urgent need for India to execute a more intentional and strategic job of drawing the church into the center of pro-life ministry. While the attendees are all passionate Christians involved in churches, their pro-life work often functions as an isolated ministry. They are awakening to the tremendous need to connect the church at large to the movement, realizing that this is essential for spreading the DNA of biblical pro-life value from one Christian community to the next, strengthening existing work and sparking new initiatives. It is a realization that to rescue the innocent and achieve a movement of God’s people, one needs the church. We are in total lockstep agreement that whatever God intends to do in this world—in terms of movement, repentance, and obedience—He will execute through the church, His chosen instrument. Therefore, working upstream, starting with the Bible, pastors, and church leaders, is the most effective way to be effective downstream in the rescue movement.
Second, there is an increasing awareness that true effectiveness requires dealing with the spiritual warfare and addressing post-abortion sin and guilt within the church. We cannot create a movement in a culture where half the people have blood guilt on their hands and expect it to succeed. There are countless Christians in India who have aborted their babies but have not had focused priority placed on helping them understand the freedom available through the grace and glory of the Gospel applied to this sin. This growing need for post-abortion care, Bible studies, healing, and recovery is a massive step forward, ensuring that those ministering are refreshed, washed, have their consciences cleansed, and are set free so they can effectively bring a message of hope as well as rescue. When men, who also hold a role of responsibility, begin to acknowledge their part, the resulting weeping and repentance will unleash the movement across India.
The Turning Point: Repentance and the Four Questions
The strategic core of our training is the use of the 4 Question Training, which answers the moral crisis of abortion with the gospel of life. This training is designed to unfold the scriptures and lead people to understand exactly the darkness they are dealing with, realizing that even if they felt uninvolved, their silence often made them complicit.
The result of this teaching is consistently profound. We have seen senior pastors and men—who in Indian churches sit separately from the women—clearly moved by what they have heard from the scriptures. They are led to moments of deep brokenness, where hearts are crushed, and they are crying out to God, repenting, and committing themselves to pro-life work. This is the “turning point” in our work. It is the moment people have seen what the Bible says about human life and the shedding of innocent blood, and even actually viewed what an abortion is. This is not coerced; you cannot make this stuff up. This on-your-knees repentance is the Word of God doing its vital work.
A critical component that facilitates this realization is the use of the fetal model. These PassionLife Tiny Babies, which show what a baby looks like at nine weeks of age, are more than just educational tools; they warm the heart and create a “wow factor”. We observed one little boy, whose parents were at a training, so excited to receive his own model that he cared for it, held it, and kept it warm against his breast.
Expanding the Footprint to Tackle the Stronghold
The foundation for this expansion is being strategically laid by key personnel. We met Amit, a pastor and solid teacher, right before my first trip, and he has become a dear brother and powerful strategic ally. He is laying the groundwork upon which we will expand our team and footprint. Amit and his beautiful family, including his children, are deeply involved in the pro-life ministry. He travels extensively throughout India, into Bangladesh, and Nepal, teaching and training. Additionally, our local representative, Reverend Attit Kumar Paul, has also been teaching and training groups when I am not present. The strategy of teaching others who can then teach others is vital, ensuring the work does not depend solely on foreign presence.
To meet the challenge of being the new number one, we have decided through prayer, conviction, and study to really double down as an organization on India. We are going to put more time, resources, effort, and people into this mission. Our plan includes taking more trips, finding key leaders and networks, and hiring people in India, including a new director. Over the next two or three years, we intend to double and triple the amount of funds dedicated to India. To topple India out of the number one spot requires a long-term, enduring, “crossbearing attitude” toward the whole endeavor.
We invite people to tackle the stronghold of India with us. Partnership primarily comes down to prayer and financial support. We need committed partners to help pay for the logistical expenses, such as roundtrip tickets to India. We also need supporters to give $30 or $50 a month so that we can hand out boxes of fetal models to every pastor we train. As we continue to storm the strongholds, we look forward to seeing what God will do together.
This article is adapted from the episode transcript.