India: Pentecostals on the Rise in the Punjab
Source: God Reports, January 15, 2025
“A wave of Charismatic Christianity—drawing from the worldwide Pentecostal movement—is sweeping through Punjab in tidal volumes and generating all sorts of conflicting emotions, (giving) a deep sense of belonging and ecstatic hope for those on the inside, disquiet for those watching from the ringside,” according to a (2022) report by India Today.
Part of the success has been the “Punjabization” of Christianity. Converts are allowed to keep their name and traditional dress, against the older missionary custom of requiring them to change both, The Tribune News reported [in December 2024].
Churches are stylized to look similar to Sikh places of worship. Worship services approximate Sikh ceremonies, in which congregants may sit on the floor and they sing like they do in Sikh services.
“They’ve made it so localized, so familiar that they have made the transition of the community so smooth that a lot of people are attracted to them,” according to The Tribune.
Read the rest of the article for stories of three megachurch pastors leading churches in the region or click on The Tribute News link above for a video interview (just under 13 minutes long).
See also Beyond the Headlines: “Ever-Present” Persecution in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (International Christian Concern).