Yohannan says this is not the first time GFA missionaries have been subjected to violent attacks, but the problem seems to have escalated lately. In a recent Associated Press interview, he noted, "We have about 12 or 14 of our missionaries in the last 10 years who have been murdered by extreme fundamentalists. These kinds of things you never heard 25 years ago - such animosity and hatred towards the gospel."

Nevertheless, the GFA's leader says the seminary students in India and others like them are ready and willing to give their lives for the sake of Jesus. But while the evangelical ministry's staff and trainees are subjected to the threat of physical violence, the president of GFA says they must also contend with attacks from the Western media.

For instance, Yohannan says his agency was castigated by the press for mixing evangelism and tsunami relief. "We've been criticized and attacked for praying with people and reading Bible verses, after we have given them all the physical help in the world," he told AP. "We never tell people, 'Believe in my Jesus so I'll give you this." We never do that -- [it would be] unkind."

The president of GFA points out that the answer to the question "Why does the world hate Jesus?" can be found in scripture, as in John 15:18-19, in which Christ told His disciples: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first."

Yohannan says all Christians need to be prepared to face extreme persecution because he believes the days ahead will hold more adversity for those who follow Jesus.

Gospel for Asia (www.gfa.org)

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