July 20, 2026
India’s new ‘sacrilege’ law puts Punjab’s Christians at risk — The Tide® remains steadfast in sharing the Gospel
As Punjab’s sweeping 2026 amendment threatens believers with life imprisonment, The Tide continues broadcasting the hope of Christ in heart languages across India
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Amid escalating hostility toward Christians in India, The Tide® (www.thetide.org) global media ministry remains committed to reaching India’s millions with the unchanging hope of the Gospel.
A detained Christian pastor in Punjab, India, is unable to return to his own home. The church he led sits locked and empty. To survive, he takes whatever physical labor he can find — and in lean months, it isn’t enough to keep food on the table or his children in school. A second pastor, detained in the same case, faces an equally unstable life, constantly relocating to avoid further trouble. Both men face charges under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code — a provision that criminalizes acts deemed to insult religious sentiment — despite having done nothing to warrant prosecution. Their ordeal offers a troubling glimpse of what believers across Punjab could soon face under a far more aggressive law now on the books.
Since 2008, there has been a state sacrilege law on the books in Punjab, but its criminal provisions were limited, and police routinely turned to the broader Indian Penal Code instead. A 2026 amendment changes that entirely. The new law introduces life imprisonment, mandatory minimum sentences, non-bailable offenses and complete immunity for enforcement officers — transforming a once-narrow statute into one of the most sweeping anti-religious-freedom instruments in the country. Long before the 2026 act was passed, the atmosphere in Punjab’s villages had already turned hostile toward Christians.
Punjab’s new law fits into a troubling regional pattern. Nepal has passed a series of laws prohibiting the spread of the Gospel, and a number of states across India have followed suit. Chhattisgarh enacted a Freedom of Religion bill imposing harsh penalties for alleged forced or fraudulent conversion to Christianity. Taken together, these laws represent a coordinated effort to restrict the rights of religious minorities — and The Tide is calling believers to counter that wave with one of their own: a wave of prayer and support.
“What is happening in Punjab is not an isolated incident — it is part of a broader campaign to silence the Gospel across South Asia,” said Don Shenk, executive director of The Tide. “But history shows that persecution never extinguishes the church — it refines it. The Tide will keep broadcasting the truth of Jesus Christ into India for as long as God gives us the opportunity.”
In India, The Tide is spreading the message of the Gospel through radio broadcasts in multiple languages, reaching millions in a country with vast cultural and religious diversity. Since 1978, the ministry has been present in India, growing from a single Hindi-language program to broadcasts in eight Indian languages produced by indigenous ministers in local studios — ensuring the message resonates in the heart language of each listener. The Tide’s ministry in India is further strengthened by a full ecosystem of discipleship activities: literature distribution, Bible correspondence courses, seekers conferences and the “Radios for India” distribution project. This combination of outreach and follow-up has proven highly effective in planting churches and nurturing new believers, even in communities where hostility toward the Gospel is growing.
“Our heart-language programs and on-the-ground partnerships continue to bring hope and truth to those who are hungering for spiritual freedom amid increasing restrictions,” Shenk stated. “In a nation with over a billion people who have yet to hear the hope found in Jesus, giving up is not an option. The Tide is steadfast in its calling to make Christ known among the people of India — and we invite our supporters to stand with us through prayer and action.”
To learn more about The Tide’s ministry in India and how believers are making an impact despite growing resistance, click here.
From its humble origins in 1946 as a local Gospel radio broadcast in Chambersburg, PA, The Tide® ministry has grown into a global network of Christian media broadcasting partnerships committed to worldwide evangelism and discipleship. In 2008, The Tide® ministry ended all English-language programming in order to focus on developing and distributing indigenous heart-language content in areas around the world that are less touched by the Gospel. Today, The Tide® ministry works with partners in multiple countries across three continents to broadcast Gospel-centered messages via radio, satellite TV and other media. In order to make disciples and plant churches, The Tide® ministry also provides resources for literature distribution, correspondence courses, discipleship and leadership training activities, and the distribution of radios and media players.
For more information about The Tide® ministry broadcast projects, history, radio programs around the world, special year-long campaigns, the weekly Global Update radio features or other news, visit its website at www.thetide.org or its Facebook page.
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To schedule interviews with Don Shenk, director of The Tide® global radio ministry, contact Hamilton Strategies, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Daniel Moyer, ext. 104.
To inquire about airing any of The Tide® ministry radio broadcasts, contact Michael Hamilton, 610.584.1096, ext. 101.
