Celebrating the Release of Pastor Nerren
Pastor Nerren
describes his 7-month ordeal and his personal observations of the current situation facing Christians in
India today.
American
Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ.org) represented Pastor Bryan Nerren when he
was detained in India. The above is an excerpt from ACLJ's interview of Pastor
Nerren upon his arrival back in the U.S. (Go to the full interview here.)
Wrongfully
detained in India for over 7 months, Christian Pastor Bryan Nerren – a U.S.
citizen from Tennesee who has trained Sunday school teachers in India for more
than 17 years – has finally been freed to return to America. But what was
behind the false charges leveled against him?
On his way to
attend conferences in India and Nepal, Pastor Nerren (who heads up the non-profit
ministry Asian Children’s Education Fellowship) was targeted and arrested in
Bagdogra, India. His alleged crime? Evading a customs duty on the funds he was
carrying for the conference trip. But
the amount of money he was carrying, which he openly declared to customs in New
Delhi, was less than the minimum required to constitute a crime under India law.
In fact, Pastor Nerren was never even
questioned by customs officials about the duty. Instead he was asked if he was
a Christian and if the funds he declared would be used to support Christian
causes.
Unfortunately,
India is ranked No. 10 on Open Doors 2020 World Watch List, which monitors
Christian persecution. It has moved up 11 spots since 2015, indicating a sharp
increase in extreme persecution. Open Doors states that “the primary force for persecution
in India is Hindu nationalism, which advocates for the belief that India
belongs to Hindus and people of other faiths should find somewhere else to
live, work and worship.”
Pastor Nerren
experienced first- hand the nightmare consequences of this belief when he was
targeted, detained and even spit on simply because he was a Christian visiting
Christians in India. Thankfully, he had advocates in the Unitied States
government and the prayers of believers that secured his release. But Christians living in India are less
fortunate.
While we
celebrate the miracle of Pastor Nerren’s safe return, let’s not forget
Christians in India who suffer persecution daily for their faith. Watch the
video as Pastor Nerren recounts his personal ordeal and miraculous release.
Join Our
Watch the
video as Pastor Nerren recounts his personal ordeal and miraculous release.
Then please join KGM in thanking God for answering the prayers for Pastor Nerren and in praying for persecuted Christians all over the world.
