CHRISTIAN TERRORIST TERRORISTS S OPERATING INDIA 1857 WAR OFINDIPE OFINDIPENDENCE NDENCE WAS A WAR AGAINST CHRISTIANS. CHRIS TIANS. EVERY CHRISTIAN WAS WAS KILLED IN DELHI IN 1857. HINDUS SECOND WAR WAR OF INDEPENDENCE NEEDS TO BE STARTED AGAINST THESE ANTI NATIONAL, NA TIONAL, ANTI HINDU CHRISTIANS LIVING IN INDIA REPARING REPARING FOR THE HARVEST H ARVEST http://www.tehelka.com/story_main.asp?filename=ts013004shashi.asp
A new mood of aggressive of aggressive evangelism has been emanating from America. Well-funded, superbly networked, backed by the highest of the land, seized of its moral supremacy, it has India as one of its key targets, reveals VK Shashikumar in a disturbing exposé
his s co coul uld d be th the e pl plot ot of a fe feve verred th thri rill ller er.. A ji jing ngoi oist stic ic Thi president, presi dent, multi multi-mill -million ion dolla dollarr corpor corporations, ations, high technol technology, ogy, a grand if furtive mission, networks spanning the globe, and biblical invocations. Only it's real. And its got India Ind ia in its crosshair. crosshair.
Religious expansionism has not witnessed this scale, scope, and state resources in a long time. Detailed investigations by Tehe Tehelk lka a re reve veal al tha thatt Am Amer eric ican an ev evan angel gelic ical al ag agenc encie ies s hav have e establ est ablis ishe hed d in Ind India ia an en enor ormo mous us,, wel welll-co coor ordi dina nated ted an and d strate str ategi gise sed d re reli ligi gious ous co conv nvers ersio ion n pl plan an.. Th The e op opera erati tion on wa was s launched in the early 1990s but really came into its own after af ter Ge Geor orge ge W Bu Bush sh Jr Jr,, an av avowe owed d bo born rn-a -aga gain in Ch Chri rist stia ian, n, became president of the United States in 2001. Since then, aggressive evangelists have found pro-active support from the th e ne new w ad admi mini nist stra rati tion on in th thei eirr ef effo fort rts s to co conv nver ertt so some me sections of Indian society to Christianity. At the heart of this comple com plex x and sop sophis histic ticated ated ope operati ration on is a sim simple ple str strateg ategyyconvert locals locals and then give them the know-ho know-how w and money to plant their own churches and multiply. multiply. Around the time that Bush Jr moved into the Oval office, a worldwi worl dwide de con convers version ion mov movemen ement, t, fun funded ded and effe effected cted by Amer Am eric ican an ev evan angel gelic ical al gr grou oups, ps, wa was s pea peaki king ng in Ind India ia.. Th The e move mo veme ment, nt, wh whic ich h beg began an as AD AD20 2000 00 & Bey Beyon ond d an and d la later ter morph mo rphed ed in into to Jo Josh shua ua Pr Proj ojec ectt I an and d Jos Joshu hua a Pr Proj ojec ectt II, wa was s designed to be a sledgehammer-a breathtaking, decade-long steamroller of a campaign that would set the stage for a systematic, sophisticated and self-sustaining "harvest" of the "unreached people groups" in India in the 21st century. It was wa s ju just st as th the e op oper erat atio ion n wa was s ta taki king ng of offf th that at th the e sc scri ript pt changed. Much to the delight of American evangelicals, one of their own, George Bush Jr, became the occupant of the White House. In a major policy decision taken very early into his pres pr esid idenc ency, y, Bu Bush sh,, on Ja Janua nuary ry 29 29,, 20 2001 01,, unv unvei eile led d a "fa "fait ith h based" base d" soc social ial ser servic vice e ini initia tiativ tive e that inc include luded d a new Whi White te House office to promote government aid to churches and Christian Christi an faith-b faith-based ased organisations. organisations. This, in effect, threw the massive weight of the federal government behind religious groups and religious conversions. The Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives was set up in the White House in the first week of February 2002 and a man called Jim Towey was appo appoint inted ed dir direct ector or.. (A sna snap p int intro roduct duction ion to Towey owey:: he was the legal counsel to Mother Teresa in the late 1980s.)
Thou Though gh Bu Bush sh's 's in init itia iati tive ve to fun fund d "s "sal alva vati tion on an and d re reli ligi giou ous s conversion" is stalled in the Congress over constitutional and civil rights concerns, he has pushed for its implementation through executive orders.
White House-Christian Coalition nexus The The Ame meri rica can n pr pres ess s is rep eple lete te wi with th rep epor orts ts on Bu Bus sh' h's s larg la rges esse se to fa fait ithh-ba base sed d or orga gani nisa sati tion ons. s. Th They ey sa say y it it's 's hi his s "ret "r etu urn gi gifft" to th the e Chri ris stian Right for having loyally supported his presidential campaign. The Christian Coalition, founded by American TV evangelist and head of the multibillion Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Pat Robertson, played a crucial role in the 2000 election. Recently, in his TV programme, Club 700, broadcast on CBN, Robertson created a stir by announcing that he is confident Bush will win the 2004 election in a "blowout" because God has told him so. Indeed, Bush is keen to retain what we call the votebank and Amer Am eric ican ans s 't 'the he ba base se'. '. Aft fter er al all, l, th the e Far Ri Righ ghtt Ch Chri rist stia ian n evangelists have also been the most loyal backers of his hardline militarism in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. But there is another, perhaps more important, reason why Bush is keen on supporting his evangelist friends who run huge transnational missionary organisations (TMOs). In the decade 1990-2000 they ran a global intelligence operation so complex and sophisticated that its scale and implications are no less than staggering. This operation has put in place a syst sy stem em whi which ch ena enabl bles es th the e US go gover vernme nment nt to ac acce cess ss any ethno eth nogra graphi phic c in infor forma mati tion on on an any y lo loca cati tion on vi virtu rtual ally ly at th the e click of the mouse. This network in India, established with funding and strateg strategic ic assistance from US-based TMOs, gives US intelligence agencies virtually real time access to every nook and corner of the country. (See 'List of TMOs Active in India') Since Bush's ascendancy to the presidency this network of netw ne twor orks ks ha has s mu mult ltip ipli lied ed ra rapi pidl dly y in In Indi dia. a. Bu Bush sh su supp ppor orts ts conv co nvers ersio ion n in Ind India ia bec becau ause se he su suppo pport rts s th thos ose e Am Amer eric ican an
TMOs who fund and strategise conversion activities in this country. Organisations like the International Mission Board, Souther Sout hern n Bap Baptis tistt Con Convent vention ion,, Chr Christ istian ian Ai Aid, d, Worl orld d Vi Visio sion, n, Seventh Day Adventist Church and multi-billion enterprises run by eva evange ngeli list sts s li lik ke Pat Robe oberts rtson on,, Bi Bill lly y Gr Grah aham am an and d Roger Ro ger Houtsm Houtsma, a, amongs amongstt many others, were instru instrumental mental in running a coordinated conversion campaign in India under the th e ba bann nner er of AD2 D200 000 0. Th Thes ese e lat ater er be bec cam ame e th the e Jo Jos shu hua a Project and when the decade-long movement officially closed down do wn in Ma Marc rch h 20 2001 01,, Jo Josh shua ua Proj ojec ectt II wa was s la laun unch ched ed to sustain sus tain con convers version ions s and int intell elligen igencece-gath gatherin ering. g. Grah Graham' am's s TMO, Billy Graham Evan ang gel eliist Associat atiion, suppo porrts conv co nvers ersio ion n ac acti tivi viti ties es in Gu Gurg rgao aon, n, Ha Harya ryana, na, an and d Kol olka kata ta.. When AD2000 was conceived for India, the plan was based on a mi mili lita tary ry mo mode dell wi with th th the e int nten entt to inv nvad ade, e, oc occ cup upy, y, control, or subjugate its population. It was based on solid intelligence emanating from the ground and well-researched information inform ation on variou various s facets of selected people group groups. s. The idea was to send out spying missions to source micro details on religion and culture. The social and economic divisions in the va vari riou ous s In Indi dian an co comm mmun unit itie ies s we were re cl clos osel ely y ex exam amin ined. ed. Given the oppressive and institutionalised caste system in the Hindu society, American evangelical strategists chalked outt pl ou plan ans s fo forr re reac achi hing ng th thes ese e va vari riou ous s "u "unm nmix ixab able le"" ca cast ste e groups gro ups.. The man many y fau faultl ltline ines s run running ning thr through ough the cou country ntry-divisions in terms of ethnicity, caste, creed, language and class-were all factored in during the generation of ethnographic data. North Ind North India ia wa was s des desig ignat nated ed the co core re ta targ rget et of Am Ameri erica can n evangelists. It was described as the "core of the core of the core" cor e" of a wor worldwi ldwide de eva evangel ngelica icall mov movemen ementt con concei ceived ved by fundamentalist American missionaries. This movement that took shape over the 1990s, has now taken off because of a unique collaboration collaboration between the American government and US-base USbased d eva evangel ngelica icall mis missio sion n agen agencie cies. s. In the 199 1990s 0s thi this s movement was shaped by the World Evangelical Fellowship (an international alliance of national evangelical alliances),
working with the AD2000 movement. It brought together a wide wi de va vari riety ety of in indi divi vidu dual als s an and d or orga gani nisa satio tions ns,, und under er th the e single goal of achieving "a church for every people and the gospel for every person by the year 2000." Its focus was miss mi ssio ionar nary y mo mobi bili lisa sati tion on an and d ch chur urch ch pl plan anti ting ng in Ind India ia an and d other regions of the world where the Christian population was negligible. This movement was also a massive intel in telli ligen gence ce ga gathe theri ring ng ex exer erci cise se fu funde nded d an and d su supp pport orted ed by American missionary organisations that were responsible for the election of George W Bush.
Global evangelism plans AD2000 first attracted attention at a convention of inter in ternat natio iona nall eva evange ngeli lica call mi miss ssio ions ns ca call lled ed La Laus usan anne ne II in Manila in 1989. The movement then spread rapidly around the globe to help catalyse evangelism. The strategy behind the movement was to establish pioneering global partne par tners rshi hips ps to eve event ntual ually ly pr prov ovid ide e a ch chur urch ch wi withi thin n eve every ry "unreached people group". Ralph Winter, founder of the US Center Cent er for World Mis Missio sion, n, cha charac racteri terised sed the mov moveme ement nt as "the largest, most pervasi pervasive ve global evangelical evangelical network ever to exist." Thi his s movem eme ent nt,, spe pea arhe hea ade ded d by Luis Bus ush h from the move mo veme ment nt's 's he head adqu quar arte ters rs in Co Colo lora rado do Sp Spri ring ngs, s, US US,, wa was s plan pl anne ned d fo forr la larg rge e co conv nver ersi sion on of pe peop ople le li livi ving ng wi with thin in th the e "10/ "1 0/40 40 Win indo dow" w".. In Inci cide dent ntal ally ly,, Bi Bill lly y Gr Grah aham am,, a Ch Chri rist stia ian n fundame fund amental ntalist ist and rabi rabid d evan evangel gelist ist,, who was re respo sponsi nsible ble for George W's "born again" Christian status and whom the president considers as his godfather was the honorary cochairman of the AD 2000 movement. The 10/40 window is the rectangular area comprising parts of North Africa and large parts of Asia between 10 degrees north and 40 degree degrees s north latitu latitude de where 95 perce percent nt of the worrld's "least evange wo gellised poor are found nd.." AD 2000 movement mobilised and funded evangelical operations in India. Further, they sponsored the May 17-25, 1995, Global Cons Co nsul ultat tation ion on Wor orld ld Ev Evan angel geliz izati ation on (G (GCO COWE WE)) in Seo Seoul ul,,
South Korea, where nearly 4,000 Christian leaders from 186 countries, including India, gathered to draw up secret and covert cov ert eva evangel ngelica icall pla plans. ns. Man Many y Ame Americ rican an eva evangel ngelist ists s now descr des crib ibe e GC GCOW OWE, E, Se Seoul oul,, as "th "the e mo most st str strat ategi egic c Ch Chri risti stian an gathering in history." That year also saw the transformation of the movement to a higher plane in the name of Joshua Project. The first GCOWE consultation was held in Singapore in 1989. The The fi firs rstt fi five ve ye years ars of th the e dec decade ade (1 (199 9900-20 2000 00)) we were re the years of seeding the clouds with the vision of a church for every people and the gospel for every person by the year 2000. This involved the building of a new kind of partnering relationships, a grassroots networking structure…a "network of networks." While AD2000 spied out the land and its inhabitants to get an ac accu cura rate te pi pict ctur ure e of op oppo port rtun unit itie ies s an and d ch chal alle leng nges es fo forr conversion activities in India, they also framed subversive strate str ategi gies es to im impl plem emen entt th thei eirr pl plan ans. s. Co Conc ncept epts s li lik ke PL PLUG UG,, PREM and NICE were conceived. PLUG refers to the target group-people in every language, urban centre and geographic division. PREM refers to the techniques to useprayer pra yer,, re rese sear arch ch,, ev evang angel elis isati ation on an and d mo mobi bili lisa sati tion. on. NI NICE CE refe re fers rs to ho how w th the e wo work rk is to be do done ne-n -net etwo work rkin ing, g, ta taki king ng initiative, and using an evangelist to spur existing groups and cohorts in their efforts to convert people to Christianity.
Local networks For Indian evangelical groups, access to American technolo tech nology gy mea meant nt fast faster er and mor more e sec secure ure com commun munica ication tion with their patrons. And, of course, the availability of the Bible in lo loca call la lang ngua uage ges, s, In fa fact ct,, in to toda day' y's s In Indi dia, a, th the e Bi Bibl ble e is ava av ailabl ble e in almost all langu gua ages and dialects. If the translation of the Bible was a symbol of huge transnational exer ex ercis cise, e, the mas massiv sive e dis distri tributi bution on of gos gospel pel li litera teratur ture e was nothing less than a distribution marvel. In India, a coor co ordi dina nate ted d go gosp spel el li lite tera ratu ture re di dist stri ribu buti tion on exer erci cise se wa was s staged to reach 600,000 villages by the end of 2000. Finally, American evangelical organisations that also run cash-rich
television channels pumped in money to buy slots on Indian telev tel evis isio ion n net netwo works rks.. In fac fact, t, Pat Rob obert ertso son, n, wh who o re recen centl tly y stepped down as the chair chairman man of the Christ Christian ian Coalition Coalition and the owner of the CBN set up a studio in Hyderabad to help Indian evangelicals minister through television programmes. Thes These e pr prog ogra ramm mmes es ar are e br broa oadc dcas astt on va vari rious ous net netwo work rks s in India where CBN buys time. The Joshua Project, started by a splinter group of CBN, was also al so a lar arge ge-s -sca cale le int ntel elllig igen ence ce op oper erat atio ion n th that at br brou ough ghtt toge to geth ther er Am Amer eric ican an st stra rate tegi gist sts, s, th theo eolo logi gist sts, s, mi miss ssio iona nary ry spec sp ecia iali list sts, s, demo de mogr grap aphe hers rs,, tech te chno nolo logi gist sts, s, soci so ciol olog ogis ists ts,, antthr an hro opo pollogi gis sts and res esea earrcher ers s to crea eate te the most comprehensive people group profiles in the 10/40 Window. In fact, fac t, the eth ethnono-li lingu nguis isti tic c pr prof ofil ilin ing g of the peo peopl ple e gr group oups s in India, probably, cannot even be matched by data with the government of India. The logic behind this massive intelligence gathering operation was to "make a priority of esta es tabl blis ishi hing ng as a mi mini nimu mum, m, a pi pion onee eerr ch chur urch ch-p -pla lant ntin ing g move mo veme ment nt wi with thin in ev ever ery y et ethn hno-l o-lin ingu guis isti tic c pe peop ople le of ov over er 10,000 individuals by December 31, 2000." The launch of the Joshua Project in the mid-1990s resulted in scores of American research teams arriving in India to lay prel pr elim imin inar ary y roa oadm dmap aps s fo forr th the e ch chur urch ch-p -pla lant ntin ing g mi miss ssio ion. n. Everyone came on tourist visas and, on their arrival in India, thei th eirr res espe pec ctive mission part rtn ner ers s to too ok the hem m in. This partnership with Indian researchers resulted in the production of enormous field data on various people groups in the country country.. This, in turn, led to the identification identification of areas and regions where evangelical activities could be carried out in a focused and methodical manner. Jos Joshu hua a Pr Proj ojec ectt II is a co cont ntin inua uati tion on an and d exp xpan ansi sion on of th the e original plan. Its professed aim is to "highlight all the leastreac re ached hed peo peopl ples es (n (nonon-Ch Chri rist stia ian) n) of the wo worl rld d and to hel help p build ministry networks and partnerships focusing on these people." The constant research and updating of ethnographic data from India should ring alarm bells within the th e int ntel elli lige genc nce e age genc ncie ies s in In Indi dia. a. In fa fact ct,, th the e pr proj ojec ectt
maintai ain ns its "p "peo eop ples lists ts"" in coopera rati tio on with the Inte In terrnati tion ona al Mission Board of th the e South ther ern n Bapt ptiist Conve Co nventi ntion. on. Th The e Sou Southe thern rn Ba Bapti ptist sts, s, as wi will ll be se seen en la later ter,, have traditionally worked hand-in-glove with the American Central Intelligence Intelligence Agency (CIA). India's ethno-cultural data collected by the project is categorised by them as 'Security Level 2' because there is a danger to Indian and foreign missionaries if data relating to their conversion activities is made public.
The main target: India As part of AD2000, Christian organisations in most countries, including India, had an embarked on an ambitious National AD2000 Initiative. In India the Evangelical Fellowship of India was wa s centr tra al to th the e fulfillmen entt of the go goa als set by th thiis init in itia iati tive. ve. Acc ccor ordi ding ng to th the e fo foun under ders s of AD AD20 2000 00 (a (and nd th that at includes Bush's pal Billy Graham) north India is the 'kairos', the key. India is where the era of modern missionary effort began nearly 200 years ago with the arrival of William Carey, the fa fath ther er of mo mode dern rn ev evang angel elic ical al mi miss ssio ions. ns. Ho Howev wever, er, th the e nine ni ne no north rth an and d ce centr ntral al In Indi dian an st stat ates es of Bi Biha har, r, Raj ajas asth than, an, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Punj Pu njab, ab, Hi Hima mach chal al Pr Prade adesh sh an and d Ha Hary ryan ana a we were re co cons nsid ider ered ed areas ar eas of im imme mens nse e st strat rategi egic c im impo porta rtanc nce e fo forr the fol follo lowi wing ng reasons: The The Ga Gang nget etic ic be belt lt is on one e of th the e mo most st he heav avil ily y po popu pula late ted d regions of the world. Forty percent of the Indian population lives here; New Delhi is the capital and centre of political power in India; It is the most socially deprived area of India (the Hindi belt has a literacy rate of 30 percent, infant mortality is double the national average and the government of India officially designates four of these states as BIMARU (sick)); This area of India is known as the heartland of Hinduism, a religion that boasts of some 33 million gods; and It has the smallest Christian presence in all of India. According to the 1991 census, the Christian population of North India is 0.5 percent of the total population.
Clearl Clea rly, y, no nort rth h In Indi dia a wa was s st stra rate tegi gica call lly y im impo port rtan antt fo forr th the e missionaries. What made things easier for them was the new buoya buo yanc ncy y in Ind India ia-U -US S re rela lati tions ons.. Th Ther erefo efore re,, it wa was s ope open n to researchers and their research plans. Billy Graham and his ilk openly admit that they dispatched spying missions to India. "Just as Joshua sent out the spies to survey the land and report on its condition before the children of Israel moved out in obedience to God's command, many more miss mi ssio ionar narie ies s an and d Ch Chri rist stia ian n wo work rker ers s ar are e fi find ndin ing g re rese sear arch ch information invaluable in laying their plans," say the AD2000 and an d Be Beyo yond nd Mo Move veme ment nt do docu cume ment nts. s. Ov Over er th the e pa past st ei eigh ghtt years, tremendous energies and resources have been spent on spying out the land and its inhabitants. The The In Indi dia a Mi Miss ssio ions ns As Asso soci ciati ation on (IM (IMA) A) in pa partn rtners ershi hip p wi with th Gosp Go spel el fo forr As Asia ia,, an anoth other er bi big g Am Ameri erica can n mi miss ssio ionar nary y ou outfi tfit, t, resea re searc rched hed and pub publi lish shed ed ve very ry in info form rmat ativ ive e an and d ac accu curat rate e books that unraveled the intricate mosaic that is India. Some of those books are in Tehelka's possession. One of the big achievements of the Chennai-based IMA was conducting a detailed India-wide PIN code survey. India's postal service is one of the world's largest and it is important to understand why Am Ameri erica can n mi miss ssio ion n ag agen enci cies es pi pick cked ed on Ind India ia's 's po post stal al system to devise their covert conversion strategy. The Indian posta pos tall sy syst stem em ha has s a net netwo work rk of 1, 1,52 52,7 ,786 86 po post st of offi fice cess-89 89 percent of them in villages, which means one post office for 23.12 sq. km of rural land and one for every 3.16 sq. km of urban stretch, or one for a village with 4,612 people or one for 12,924 people in a town or city. city.
PIN-code theory The 6-digit PIN code introduced in August 1972, identifies and locates every departmental delivery office. The first digit represents repr esents the zone, the second the sub-zo sub-zone, ne, the third digit shows the postal sorting district, the fourth digit indicates the mail route and the last two digits indicate the specific post office of destination in that zone. For this purpose the country has been divided into eight zones and each region in each zone has been assigned a particular postal circle circle in the
first two digits of a PIN code. The Delhi circle, for instance, instance, is 11. The digits 45 to 49 represent the Madhya Pradesh circle and 60 to 64 are a re for the t he Tamil Tamil Nadu circle. This neat division of India through the postal codes is seen as a boon for strategising missionary work, coding the data emerging from the field and flowing it back to missionaries on the job. Given below are a few way in which pincodes have helped evangelical work: There is no easier way of locating workers than attaching pincodes to them Media contacts can be linked easily with workers Sorting "harvest forces" and mailing lists is easyThe codes make distribution of gospel literature faster and easier Urban areas have more postal codes than rural areas. This helps in planning effectively to plant churches in each area. To really come to grips with the implications of IMA's PINcode theory one has to understand the 'Joshua Project II Data Back Ba ckgr grou ound nd'. '. Th The e re repo port rt of th the e Jo Josh shua ua Proj ojec ectt II is se self lf-explanatory: "Joshua Project II provides a "blue-print" of the unfinished task of world evangelisation. It came out of the process of the AD2000 and Beyond Movement focusing on a list of approximately 2000 people groups that most need a church churc h planti planting ng movem movement. ent. The peoples listed here are over 10,000 in population and less than two percent Evangelical and less than five percent Christian adherent. Data has been comp co mpil iled ed fr from om ma many ny so sour urce ces s in incl cludi uding: ng: Sou Southe thern rn Ba Bapti ptist st Convention, Operation World, Adopt-A-People Clearinghouse, US Center for World Mission and the AD2000 movement. "The mission of Joshua Project II is to highlight the peoples of the world who have the least exposure to the Gospel of Jesus Chris Chr ist. t. Jo Josh shua ua Pr Proj ojec ectt II se seek eks s to ac acco comp mpli lish sh thi this s th thro roug ugh h infor in forma mati tion on sh shar arin ing g an and d ne netwo twork rkin ing… g… th the e mi miss ssio ion n of th the e Joshua Project is threefold. First, to gather, manage and distribute strategic population, prog pr ogre ress ss in indi dica cato torr an and d mi mini nist stry ry ac acti tivi vity ty in info form rmat atio ion n to maximise the visibility of the least-reached peoples to the
Church. The goal is a comprehensive, accurate, validated, publ pu blic ic al ally ly av avai aila labl ble e li list st of al alll th the e et ethn hno-c o-cul ultu tura rall pe peop ople le groups of the world. Second, to be a least-reached peoples networking resource to the th e Christian mission community. community. Thi Third rd,, to en enhan hance ce the fl flow ow of info inform rmat atio ion n bet betwe ween en Great Great Comm Co mmis issi sion on or orga gani nisa sati tion ons s by us usin ing g st stan anda dard rdis ised ed da data ta coding." In In Indi dia's a's ca case se th this is "s "stan tanda dard rdis ised ed dat data a co codi ding" ng" ha has s bee been n married to IMA's survey. This has been used to such a degree that even the diverse language groups of India have been divided into PIN codes. The ability to send evangelists that are familiar to language and culture greatly facilitates the spee sp eed d at wh whic ich h co conv nver ersi sion on can ha happ ppen en.. It is al also so co cos st effective since tactics can be formed at home base. This also enables any Christian missionary organisation anywhere in the wo worl rld d to so sour urce ce any eth ethnono-cu cult ltur ural al or eth ethnono-li lingu nguis isti tic c data on India at the click of the mouse. So let's say if one of Bush's Bus h's Ch Chri rist stia ian n ev evan angel gelic ical al cr cron onie ies s wa wants nts to ch chec eck k ou outt which missionary organisation is working with the Banjaras in Na Nalg lgon onda da,, Kh Kham amma mam m an and d Kr Kris ishn hna a di dist stri rict cts s in An Andh dhra ra Pradesh, all he has to do is plug into this highly guarded database.. It will tell him how many Banjaras were converted database to Christianity over a specified period, the names of Indian Chri Ch rist stia ian n re rese sear arch cher ers s wo work rkin ing g in co comm mmun unit ity y an and d wh whic ich h evange eva ngeli lical cal mi mini nist stry ry co coor ordi dina nati ting ng the ex exer erci cise se of "s "sav avin ing g soul so uls" s".. Ju Just st ab abou outt an any y de deta tail il he wa want nts s is av avai aila labl ble e on dema de mand nd.. Ob Obvi viou ous sly ly,, it fl flow ows s th the e ot othe herr wa way y as we welll. So assu as sumi ming ng tha thatt so some mebo body dy at th the e CI CIA A he headq adquar uarter ters s wan wants ts information on a particular district or region all that needs to be do done ne is to ca call ll up Bu Bush sh's 's me ment ntor or Rev Bil illly Gr Grah aham am.. Grah Gr aham am wi will ll in tu turn rn lo log g in into to da data taba base ses s ma main inta tain ined ed by a netw ne twor ork k of Am Amer eric ican an Ev Evan ange geli lica call Mi Miss ssio ions ns.. Al Alll th this is ca can n happen in seconds and this is how technology has made evangelical activities so potentially dangerous.
TOP SECRET
Laptop evangelists Latest cutting-edge web technologies are used to keep in touch with various "unreached people groups" through key local interlocutors. They also track on a regular basis status indicators like number of evangelists working within a people group, the number of Christian adherents, church growth and missio mis sion n age agency ncy pr progr ogress ess ind indica icators tors.. All thi this s info inform rmati ation on is then used to "promote networking and partnerships focusing on least-reached peoples in order to promote the flow of strategic strategi c minis ministry try activ activity ity infor information mation between indivi individuals, duals, churches, denominations and mission agencies.
Teh ehe elka's under erc cover opera rattion manage ged d to set up networking contacts with the Joshua II project. Evidence of the meticulous nature of this data is available with Tehelka. The The am amaz azin ing g ne netw twor ork k th that at ha has s be been en es esta tabl blis ishe hed d ca can n be illustrated with the following anecdote. B Shreeprakash and B Jayaprakash from Kayamkulam, Kerala, came across the December 1998 issue of the National Missionary Intelligencer publ pu blis ishe hed d by Th The e Na Nati tion onal al Mi Miss ssio iona nary ry So Soci ciet ety y of In Indi dia, a, Royappettah, Chennai, while waiting for an appointment with a doctor. That sparked off an amateur investigation exercise, the contents of which were put down in their report titled 'Conversions in India'. Here's an extract:
"As part of this work, an address namely, 'Workers Together' in US was contacted. To my surprise, a pastor of the Brethren Church, contacted me from my own town, his residence was
only 1km away from that of mine. He called me over onl telephone and invited me for a personal meeting. On visiting his house, he handed over to me an oxford Edition of the Bible, printed in New York, and a few booklets and pamphlets. What astonished me was, that the pastor had with wi th hi him m, a copy of let ette terr which I had sen entt to US. On enquiring about how the nearness of my residence with that of the Pastor was understood by the party at Bangalore, he showed me an official directory of the list of the evangelicals working in India, with their family photographs and complete details arranged in order of PIN codes. Another directory of their worldwide network was also shown to me." There cannot, perhaps, be a better example to understand the effects of marrying the IMA's survey with Joshua Project's data da taba base se.. Th The e me mess ssag age e is th this is-a -an n Am Amer eric ican an mi miss ssio iona nary ry agency will go to any length even if it means converting converting just one person. A letter written to an agency in the US is redirrec di ecte ted d imm mmed edia iate telly to Ban anga galo lorre an and d the ag agen ency cy in Bangalore in turn tracks down the nearest evangelist and directs him to take upon the task of ministering the gospel to the newest seeker. In fact, the mission goal of IMA, according to its general secretary, Ebenezer Sunder Raj, is: "We need a church within cycling distance, then within walking distance and fi fina nall lly y wi withi thin n hea heari ring ng di dist stanc ance." e." Th The e Ch Chur urch ch gr grow owth th figures that are with Tehelka Tehelka clearly indicate that this mission mandate is on in full swing.
Data on India: the CIA connection The "spying out" missions that generated the vast ethnographic data of the Indian people also involved detailed stud st udy y of Dr KS Si Sing ngh' h's s 'P 'Peo eopl ple e of In Indi dia a Pr Proj ojec ect' t' th that at wa was s launc la unched hed in 19 1985 85 by th the e An Anthr throp opol ologi ogica call So Soci ciety ety of In Indi dia a (ASI (A SI). ). Un Unde derr Si Sing ngh' h's s le lead ader ersh ship ip,, th the e ASI un unde dert rtoo ook k an ambi am biti tiou ous s pr proj ojec ectt to ch char artt on one e of th the e mo most st fa farr-r -rea each chin ing g ethn et hnog ogra raph phic ic st stud udie ies s in th the e 20 20th th ce cent ntur ury y. Fiv ive e hu hund ndrred scholars spent over 26,000 field days to compile information for these volumes. This gigantic research work came handy for American and Indian strategists strategists to draft their evangel evangelical ical
plans for India. According to Luis Bush, "Never before has this kind of information on India been so carefully surveyed, prepared, well published and distributed…We do not believe it is accidental. God is allowing us to "spy out the land" that we might go in and claim both it and its inhabitants for Him." T The he da data ta co coll llec ecte ted d by exp xper erts ts fr from om Wyc ycllif iffe fe/S /Sum umme merr Institute of Linguistics, World Vision (WV) and the International Mission Board/Southern Baptists to compile the Joshua Project Peoples list included a detailed and comp co mpre rehen hensi sive ve li list st of the pe peopl ople e gr grou oups ps in Ind India ia as wel well. l. Tho Thoug ugh h th this is ma may y ap appe pear ar no norm rmal al in inte terrna nati tion onal al res esea earrch activity - generating ethnographic profiles of non-Christian peop pe oplle gr grou oups ps in the 10/ 0/40 40 wi wind ndow ow - th ther ere e ar are e un uns see een n dangers inherent in the compilation of such accurate peoplegroup profiles. The CIA has publicly admitted to having used Wycliffe/SIL and the Southern Baptists for covert intelligence operations in many parts of the world. The cosy relationship between the Wycliffe and CIA is documented exhaustively in a book Thy Will Be Done written in the 1990s by Gerald Colby and Charlot Char lotte te Denn Dennett. ett. The boo book k docu documen ments ts joi joint nt CIA CIA--Wy Wycli cliffe ffe missions to source anthropological data from Latin America. Herre' He e's s a qu quot ote e fr from om th the e bo book ok:: "S "SIL IL had he help lped ed ga gath ther er anthro anth ropol pologi ogical cal inf inform ormati ation on on the Taras arascan can Indi Indians ans tha thatt ended up in Nelson Rockefeller's intelligence files. The files contain con tained ed cr cross oss-re -refer ferenc ences es to re reveal veal beha behavio vioural ural patt pattern erns s amon am ong g In Indi dian an pe peop ople les s in ev ever eryt ythi hing ng fr from om so soci cial alis isat atio ion n (inc (i nclu ludi ding ng agg aggre ress ssiv ive e ten tenden denci cies es)) an and d per perso sonal nality ity tr trai aits ts,, driv dr ives es,, em emot otiion ons s, an and d la lang ngua uage ge st stru ruct ctur ure e, to po poli liti tica call intrigue, kinship ties, traditional authority, mineral resources, exploi exp loitati tation, on, and lab labor or rel relati ations ons.. Rock ockefel efeller ler cal called led the these se data the Strategic Index of Latin America." The question that will rattle not only the Indian government, but also outrage the Indian citizens is whether the American-funded "spying miss mi ssio ions ns"" ca carr rrie ied d ou outt by In Indi dian an an and d fo fore reig ign n mi miss ssio iona nary ry agencies through more than a decade has resulted in the
preparati pre tio on of a 'St Stra ratteg egiic In Ind dex of India' at the CIA headquarters? Wycliffe, Wyclif fe, the Sou Souther thern n Bap Baptis tists ts and Worl orld d Vi Visio sion n hav have e all been active in India as well. Could it be mere coincidence that Sout Souther hern n Bap Baptis tists ts who are amo amongs ngstt Pr Presi esident dent Bus Bush's h's most loyal supporters, played an active role in the "spying out" missions? In fact, Colby and Dennett's book features a missionary of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, William Carlsen, who admits that he gave an eight-hour briefing to the CIA on Thailand's tribal areas. In the mid-1970s when the CIA's CIA 's pen penetr etrati ation on of Am Ameri erica can n mi miss ssio ionar nary y ag agenc encie ies s ma made de interna inte rnatio tional nal head headlin lines, es, the age agency ncy pas passed sed a sel selff-li -limit miting ing executive order to refrain from using foreign missionaries for intelligence gathering operations. Incidentally, it was George Bus Bu sh Sr wh who o in hi his s fi firs rstt ac acti tion on as th the e ne new w CI CIA A di dirrec ecto torr decl de clar ared ed on Feb ebru ruar ary y 11, 19 197 76, th that at he wo woul uld d ba ban n th the e practice of enlisting "clergymen and newsmen as intelligence agents." But this was just public grandstanding, doublespeak to save the CIA not only from embarrassment, but protect its operations in Latin American countries such as Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador. As soon as this announ ann ounce ceme ment nt wa was s ma made de the CI CIA A gra grante nted d it itse self lf a pri privat vate e waiver. This was confirmed in April 1996 when the then CIA director, direc tor, John Deutch, testifying testifying before a Senate intelligence intelligence comm co mmit itte tee, e, sa said id th that at th the e ag agen ency cy co coul uld d wa waiv ive e th the e ba ban n in cases "unique and special threats th reats to national security security." ."
Faith-based policies of White House Surprisingly, Bush's supporters like the National Association of Ev Evan ange geli lica cals ls (N (NAE AE), ), ma made de la labo bori riou ous s pr prot otes ests ts th then en to condemn con demn the col collab laborat oration ion betw between een mis missio sionari naries es and the intelligence agency. "Any foreigner living in a foreign culture alre al read ady y co come mes s und under er a nat natura urall su susp spic icio ion. n. If thi this s po poli licy cy is reversed, it would totally erode the ministry of missionaries," said Jerry Rankin, the then president of the Southern Baptist Convention Foreign Mission Board. In effect, this amounted to a plea to the CIA to keep their most well publicized (and hardly noticed) secret guarded!! The very fact that CIA has
been courting religious missionaries in India and elsewhere is testimony to the fact that US funded evangelical missions have an unparalleled reach to the remotest corners of the country cou ntry.. Chri Christi stianit anity y Today in its is issue sue of Apr April il 29, 199 1996, 6, carr ca rrie ied d th the e fo foll llow owin ing g co comm mment ent by th the e NA NAE E Pr Pres esid iden entt Do Don n Argue: Arg ue: "F "For or inte intelli lligenc gence e agen agencie cies s to see seek k any re relat lation ionshi ship p whatsoever with our religious workers must be unequivocally prohibited." Yet, as recently as January 15, on a visit to the Union Bethel AME Church in New Orleans (this is a predominantly AfricanAmerican congreg ega ation) Bush tout ute ed his fai aith th--based init in itia iati tive ves. s. Th Thes ese e in init itia iati tive ves s ar are e de desi sign gned ed to br brea eak k th the e constitutional sanctity of the separation of the State and the Churc Chu rch. h. Bu Bush sh is des desper perate ate to ent entang angle le an and d enm enmes esh h fa fait ithhbased bas ed or orga gani niza zati tion on as pr prov ovid iders ers of va vari rious ous se serv rvic ices es.. Th The e Americans United For Separation of Church and State and some som e othe otherr int inter er-fa -faith ith or organi ganisat sation ions s have cha challe llenged nged the Bush Bu sh pl plan an fo forr re reli ligi giou ous s co conv nver ersi sion ons. s. Am Amer eric ican ans s Un Unit ited ed,, founded in 1947, is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Was ashi hing ngto ton, n, DC DC.. Bu But, t, th the e Bu Bush sh ad admi mini nist stra rati tion on ha has s relentlessly pushed its religious agenda. It has now become inextricably linked with not only its social services policies dom do mes esti tic cal allly, bu butt al also so wi with th US fo forrei eign gn po poli licy cy and th the e disbursal of aid to US-based TMOs. "President Bush shows littl li ttle e ap appr prec ecia iati tion on or un under derst stand andin ing g of th the e se separ parati ation on of chur urc ch and state te.. Bus ush h is closely aligned with ultr tra aconserv con servati ative ve Chr Christ istian ian gr groups oups that have oppo opposed sed chu church rch-state sta te se separ parati ation on for ye year ars. s. It is ob obvi vious ous the they y ha have ve gr grea eatt influence over his domestic and foreign policy agendas," Rob Boston, Bos ton, ass assist istant ant dir direct ector or of com commun munica icatio tions, ns, Ame Americ ricans ans United, told Tehelka. The hes se TMOs, themsel elv ves have bee een n instr trum ume ent nta al in influencing the faith-based policies of the Bu s h administration in the first place. Therefore, they in turn, by virtu tue e of being Bush loyalists have carried the 'Bush Religious Agenda' to other countries, including India. While with wi thin in th the e US th this is ag agen enda da "s "str trik ikes es at the he hear artt of th the e
religious freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment" of the US constitution, in the rest of the world, specially, India, it ha has s vi vita tall lly y su subv bver erte ted d it its s se secu curi rity ty an and d in inte tegr grit ity y. "T "The he Religious Right organisations and fundamentalist Protestants groups have way too much influence over the Bush administratio admini stration. n. Sadly, many Ameri Americans cans do not follo follow w fore foreign ign policy decisions (with the exception of the war in Iraq) and are either not aware of what is happening or, more often, simply do not care. As a result, we are on the verge of dism di sman antl tlin ing g th the e wa wall ll of se separ parati ation on of ch chur urch ch an and d st state ate in America-a policy that, if enacted, is bound to have negative repercussions around the world as fundamentalist interpretations of Christianity increasingly become the basis for foreign policy," said Boston.
Crusade in India India is key to the Bush religious agenda. His government has given grants to Christian charities that are involved in conversion activities in India. On October 3, 2002, the US department of health and human services announced that telev tel evis isio ion n ev evang angel elis ist, t, Pat Rob obert ertso son's n's ch char arit ity, y, Ope Operat ratio ion n Blessing, would be given demonstration grants through the so-called Compassion Capital Fund. Robertson's organisation and the other "intermediaries" were free to distribute this federal grant (essentially American tax payers' money) to religious groups and community groups of their choice to prov pr oviide so soci cial al se serv rvic ices es.. In ot othe herr wo word rds, s, th ther ere e wa was s no restriction on how the federal grants were to be used. In an interview intervi ew to Newsweek three years ago Robertson Robertson said, "I've got 10 good years left," and "my heart is on missions, and on getti get ting ng peo peopl ple e in into to th the e ki kingd ngdom om of Go God. d. Th That' at's s th the e ma main in thrust of my life." In the same interview, Robertson recalled fond fo ndly ly a rec ecen entt cr crus usad ade e in In Indi dia: a: "I sp spok oke e to a cr crow owd d of 500,000 people!" he said. "Eighty-two acres of people! The res espo pons nse e wa was s ov over erwh whel elmi ming ng." ." Robe bert rtso son' n's s Op Oper erat atio ion n Blessing is very active in India through CBN India
headquartered
at
Jubilee
Hills
in
Hyderabad.
Incide Inc den nta tallly, Robe bert rts son def efttly def efrrau aud ded th the e Indi dia an government because Indian laws do not permit issuance of visas to Christian missionaries. In response to an unstirred question (NO. 969) in the Lok Sabha on February 27, 2001 the minister of state for home , Vidyasagar Rao, responded that "no new missionaries are allowed after 1984. However, short term visas are being issued to the foreigners who are coming only in administrative capacity, to review working of their organisations organisations etc." Certainl Certainly, y, Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition in the US and head of the multi-million Christian Broadcasting Network, might have had "administrative" reasons to travel to India. But he, surely, did not have either the permission or the right to evangelise. The Indian government has been caught napping. Rev Bush, head of a dec decadeade-lon long g glo global bal eva evangel ngelisa isation tion pr progra ogramme mme,, visite ted d In Ind dia in Januar ary y 2003. He wa was s a gues estt of the Evangelical Fellowship of India and presumably traveled to India on a tourist visa. In the early years of 2000, many evangelists entered India fraudulently. Amongst them were extremist Christians like Don Noble, president of Maranatha Vol olun unte teer ers s In Inte tern rnat atio iona nall af affi fili liat ated ed to a fu fund ndam amen enta tali list st Chris Chr isti tian an gr grou oup, p, th the e Se Seve venth nth Da Day y Ad Adven venti tist sts s an and d Pas astor tor Michael Ryan, director of Global Mission, the Seventh Day Adventist church's international outreach department which co-o co -ord rdin inat ates es In Indi dia a ev evan ange geli list stic ic in init itia iati tive ve.. Th The e US st stat ate e depar dep artme tment nt web websi site te ma mak kes no bo bones nes ab abou outt th the e fa fact ct tha thatt Americ Ame rican an eva evangel ngelist ists s ente enterr Indi India a by emp employ loying ing fra fraudul udulent ent means. In the context of the fact that Robertson is one of America's most rabid Christian fundamentalists, Bush's largesse to him certainly has implications for India. In an interview broadcast on his own TV channel this is what Robertson had to say on one of the religions followed in India: "Hinduism and many of the occult activities that come out of the Orient are inspired by demons and demon worship...There's this concept that all religions are the same and all are good. That is not true. The
worship worsh ip of the Dev Devil il is no nott go good. od."" Rob obert ertso son' n's s fr frie iend nd an and d fellow evangelist, Jerry Falwell, also a TV preacher, ignited anti-American violence across many countries in November 2002 when he called the Prophet Mohammad a "terrorist" on American television. In Jammu and Kashmir, Falwell's emarks werre publ we bliishe hed d in local news wspa pap per er.. As wo worrd sprea ead d prot pr otes esto tors rs sp spil ille led d ou outt in into to th the e st stre reet et pe pelt ltin ing g st ston ones es an and d shouting anti-American slogans.
The Oval Office centre Accord Acco rdin ing g to Am Ameri erica cans ns Un Unit ited, ed, "R "Rob obert ertso son's n's Ope Operat ratio ion n Blessing, a $66 million-a-year agency, also has a cont co ntro rove vers rsia iall hi hist stor ory… y…Th The e co cont ntro rove vers rsy y ov over er Op Oper erat atio ion n Blessing stretches back to 1994, when Robertson used his '700 Club' daily cable television programme to raise funds for the cha charity rity.. Robe obertso rtson n tol told d vie viewers wers Oper Operati ation on Ble Blessi ssing ng was using cargo planes to aid refugees from Rwanda who had fled into the neighbouring nation of Zaire (now known as Congo) to escape a violent civil war…In fact, Robertson was using his planes to haul mining equipment in and out of Zair Za ire e fo forr Afri frica can n Dev Devel elopm opment ent Co Corp rpora oratio tion, n, hi his s for for-pr -profi ofitt diamond mining company." Incidentally, Robertson sought the Republican nomination for president in 1988 and later founded the Christian Coalition, a political group that has worked tirelessly to elect Republicans to pub publi lic c of offi fice ces s na nati tionw onwid ide. e. Bu Bush sh's 's pr pres esid iden enti tial al el elec ecti tion on victory has been, by far, the coalition's biggest success till date. After having installed a Christian fundamentalist as the Pres esiide dent nt of Am Amer eric ica, a, Rob ober erts tson on st step eppe ped d do down wn as the president of the Christian Coalition in December 2001. The Washington Post, in a dispatch on December 24, 2001 noted that the religious right had found its "center in Oval office". The wri rite terr of this dispa pattch, Di Dia ana Milba ban nk wrote, "A procession of religious leaders who have met with him testify to his faith, while Websites encourage people to fast and pray for the president."
For American American evangel evangelicals icals,, Bush is "God's man at this hour". The Bush administration's faith based initiatives-'charitable choi ch oice ce'' as it is of ofte ten n ca call llee-wa was s on one e of hi his s key ca camp mpai aign gn planks during the 2000 presidential campaign. In fact, as Texas governor, Bush had become a fervent advocate of this poli po licy cy th that at en enab able led d Ch Chri rist stia ian n rel elig igio ious us or orga gani nisa sati tion ons s to evangelise while providing publicly financed service. As pr pres esid ident ent,, Bus Bush h has ex expa pande nded d th the e 'c 'char harit itabl able e ch choi oice ce'' approach to virtually all aspects of government aid-national and foreign. "In every instan instance ce when my administration administration sees a responsibility to help people, we will look first to faithbased institutions, to charities and to community groups that have shown their ability to save and change lives," Bush told a rally in Indianapolis on July 22, 1999. Evangelists all over the th e wo worl rld d we werre an and d st stil illl co cont ntin inue ue to be ha happ ppy y wi with th th the e lang la ngua uage ge us used ed by Bus ush, h, fu fulll of Bi Bibl blic ical al ref efer eren ence ces s an and d metaphors, as it is. "Saving Souls" is a common and oftenused expression by evangelists all over the world to refer to religious conversion.
Exploiting the AIDS victims On September 21, 2000, Bush wrote in USA Today that he would allocate $80 billion over 10 years in tax incentives to help churches (in America) provide social services. The US gover gov ernm nment ent ha has s es estab tabli lish shed ed an unp unpara arall llel eled ed pa partn rtners ershi hip p with wi th Ch Chri rist stia ian n re reli ligi gious ous or orga gani nisa satio tions ns.. In the la last st we week ek of Septem Sep tember ber 20 2003 03,, the US ad admi mini nist strat ratio ion n an anno nounc unced ed ne new w rules enabling Christian religious institutions to access $20 billion worth of federal grants. Faith-based organisations can access and use this fund to deliver services from drug dr ug/a /alc lcoh ohol ol de de-a -add ddic icti tion on to pr pris ison on ref efor orm m to HI HIV/ V/AI AIDS DS related care and support activities. The idea, of course, is to give opportunities opportunities to those who suffer to be "rebo "reborn", rn", just as Bush was after years of alcohol addiction. Even th Even thoug ough h the Bu Bush sh adm admin inis istra trati tion on has den denie ied d tha thatt it its s initiatives support evangelical activities, the fact is that faithbase ba sed d or orga gani nisa sati tion on us use e pr pray ayer er an and d pr pros osel elyt ytis isin ing g as an
integral part of its provision of social services. After all, Bush has ha s ofte ten n cite ted d his own "rebo borrn" stat atu us to justify the interventions of faith based organisation in the social sector. In his autobiography, A Charge To Keep, itself a twist on a well-known hymn, Bush wrote that evangelist Billy Graham had "planted a mustard seed in my heart, and I started to change… It was the beginning of a new walk where I would recommit my heart to Jesus Christ." Bush ha Bush has s re repea peated tedly ly si singl ngled ed ou outt and pr prai aise sed d fai faithth-bas based ed organ or ganis isati ations ons wh whos ose e co core re phi philo loso sophy phy is co conv nvers ersion ion wh whil ile e dispens dis pensing ing soc social ial services. services. Duri During ng las lastt yea year's r's Stat State e of the Union speech his invited guests were Tonja Myles of the 'Set Free In Inde deed ed Pr Prog ogra ram' m' at He Heal alin ing g Pl Plac ace e Ch Chur urch ch in Ba Bato ton n Rou ouge, ge, Lou ouis isia iana, na, an and d He Henr nry y Loza ozano no of Tee een n Ch Chal alle lenge nge,, Calif Cal ifor orni nia. a. Bo Both th pr prog ogram ramme mes s us use e re reli ligi giou ous s co conv nvers ersio ion n as tre tr eatm tmen entt. Withi hin n th the e US, Bush's praise for religi gio ous conversion programmes has raised concerns as well. Early into the Bush presidency, the United Methodist Church, the second-largest Protestant denomination in the US, made it plai pl ain n th that at th the e pr pres esiide dent nt's 's fa faiith th-b -bas ased ed ini niti tiat ativ ives es we werre essentially about conversion. In a press release on June 14, 2001, a representative of the Methodist Church, Rev. Eliezer Valentin Castanon, Castanon, said: "No one can honestly believe that a program funded with tax dollars, which requires as a major component of treatment the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, will not advance religion." One faith-based programme that Bush goes gaga about is the prison-based InnerChange Freedom Initiative started by Cha harrles Colson. Inc nciiden enta tallly ly,, Colson was one of the chara ch aract cters ers fr from om th the e Wate aterg rgate ate epi episo sode; de; he sp spent ent se seve ven n mont mo nths hs in pr pris ison on fo forr ob obst stru ruct ctin ing g ju just stic ice e in a on one e of th the e Wat ater erga gate te cas ases es.. "I "Inn nner erCh Chan ange ge is an in inte tens nsiv ive e Bi Bibl bleecentered program, ostensibly open to inmates of all religious persu per suas asio ions, ns, bu butt ev ever ery y mo mont nth h in inma mates tes ar are e ev eval alua uated ted on whether they "demonstrate a belief in Jesus Christ," wrote Robyn E Blumner, perspective columnist of the St Petersburg Times, on September 28, 2003. "Those inmates who fail to show the proper level of piety are removed and lose the
special freedoms and privileges dangled before inmates as ince in cent ntiv ives es to pa part rtiici cipa pate te," ," he add dded ed.. Bu Bus sh in intr trod oduc uced ed InnerC Inn erChan hange ge in into to the Tex exas as pr pris ison on sy syst stem em wh when en he wa was s governor. At present it operates in four states and the Bush gover gov ernm nment ent su subs bsid idis ises es it its s co conv nvers ersio ion n ac acti tivi viti ties es wi with th the American tax-payers' money money.. What un What under derli lies es al alll th this is is tha thatt th the e Bu Bush sh adm admin inis istra tratio tion' n's s cons co nser erva vati tive ve ev evan ange geli lica call wo worl rldv dvie iew w ha has s pr prol olif ifer erat ated ed to count co untri ries es li lik ke Ind India ia.. He Here re th the e Ch Chur urch ch an and d Chr Chris isti tian an NG NGOs Os have ha ve be been en inv nvol olve ved d fo forr a lon ong g ti tim me in th the e pr prov oviisi sion on of voluntary volunta ry socia sociall servic service. e. But churches and Christi Christian an NGOs in India Ind ia an and d the tra trans ns-na -nati tiona onall (r (rea ead d Am Ameri erica can) n) fa fait ith-b h-bas ased ed NGOs NG Os wh who o ha have ve a la larg rge e pr pres esen ence ce in Ind India ia ha have ve gl gleef eeful ully ly responded to the message emanating from the White House. Bush's support for religious conversion conversion has happened on the persuasive power of the dollar. It is safe to say that almost alll ev al evan ange geli lica call or orga gani nisa sati tion ons s in In Indi dia a an and d no nonn-Ca Cath thol olic ic churches and the Christian NGOs get their funding from their American patrons or from USAID. These groups, like CARE or World Vision tend to Christian social workers and consciously infuse Christian religiosity as part of the help they provide to socially and economically marginalised communities.
Holistic development tactics Worl orld d Vi Visio sion, n, the worl world's d's lar larges gestt Chr Christ istian ian chu churc rch h mis missio sion n agency, has traditionally been closely linked with successive Amer Am eric ican an go gove vern rnme ment nts. s. Th The e fo form rmer er US Am Amba bass ssad ador or fo forr International Religious Freedoms, Dr Robert Seiple, was WV chief for 11 years till 1998 when he was picked by former pres pr esid ident ent,, Bi Bill ll Cl Clin inton ton,, to hea head d the off offic ice e of Int Inter erna nati tiona onall Religious Freedoms. Around the period when Seiple was the president of WV, its vice-president from 1993 to 1998 was Andrew S. Natsios. He is now the administrator of the US Agenc Ag ency y fo forr In Inter terna natio tiona nall De Devel velopm opment ent (U (USAI SAID) D).. For mo more re than th an 40 ye year ars, s, US USAI AID D ha has s be been en th the e le lead adin ing g go gove vern rnme ment nt agency providing economic and humanitarian assistance to developing countries.
WV's fo WV's focu cus s is ch chil ildr dren en and co comm mmun unit ity y dev devel elop opme ment. nt. It is involved in more than 162 projects in 25 states. It projects its community development programmes as "holistic development". This is implemented through Area Development Programmes (ADP). Each ADP works in an area that is contiguous geographically, economically or ethnically. These programmes provide access to clean drinking water, healthcare, education and setting up of income generating proj pr oject ects. s. Bu Butt in infus fused ed wi with th su such ch dev devel elop opmen mentt wo works rks is th the e spiritual component-Bible classes. In Indi dia a, WV projec ects ts itself as a "Chr hriisti tian an relief and development agency with more than 40 years experience in working with the poorest of the poor in India without respect to race, region, religion, gender or caste. caste."" However However,, Tehelk ehelka a has in its possession US-based WV Inc.'s financial statement file fi led d be befo fore re th the e In Inte tern rnal al Rev even enue ue Se Serv rvic ice, e, wh wher erei ein, n, it is clas cl assi sifi fied ed as a Ch Chur urch ch mi mini nist stry ry.. In an any y ca case se,, it its s mi miss ssio ion n statement is self-explanatory: "World Vision is an international partnership of Christians whose mission is to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in working with the poor and oppressed, to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the Good News of the Kingdom of God." Tho Thoug ugh, h, WV WV,, ha has s co cons nsul ulta tati tive ve st stat atus us wi with th UN UNES ESCO CO an and d partners part nership hips s wit with h UN age agenci ncies es lik like e UNI UNICEF, CEF, WHO WHO,, UNH UNHCR CR and ILO, the fact is that its financial records reveal that it has funded fund ed eva evangel ngelica icall acti activit vities ies all ove overr the worl world, d, inc includ luding ing India. WV uses its international clout and its close links with the US government through USA SAIID to network with governments and corporate entities in the developing world. WV has an ongoing channel of interaction with the Confeder Conf ederati ation on of Indi Indian an Indu Industri stries es (CI (CII); I); its 200 2003 3 fin financ ancial ial report it states that "the Rural Development Department of the Government of Assam recognised WV India as a leading development agency in the state and has recommended that WV be the choice for receiving bilateral funds. The government has also sought WV's assistance in creating a
propos prop osal al fo forr US US$ $ 80 mi mill llio ion n fo forr dev devel elop opme ment nt wo work rk in the state." The The in inco come me an and d ex expen pendi ditur ture e ac acco count unt fo forr th the e yea yearr end ended ed September 30, 2002 shows that its total income was Rs 95.5 crores, which included foreign contribution of Rs 87.8 crores. For an or orga gani nis sat atio ion n th that at cl clai aims ms to be on only ly in invo volv lved ed in development and relief work, it is quite stealthy about its positioning and exact nature of activities. When approached by Teh ehel elk ka as pa part rt of it its s un unde derrcov over er op oper erat atio ion n fo forr an inte in terv rviiew ew,, WV In Indi dia' a's s na nati tion onal al di dirrec ecto tor, r, Dr Ja Jaya yak kum umar ar Christian, after having agreed to the interview backed out bec be cause he wante ted d copi pies es of the ficti titi tiou ous s Chri ris sti tia an magazine that Tehelka claimed to be representing. However, what goes unnoticed by the governments and the corporate corporat e world is WV India's evangelical evangelical missions missions as part of its development agenda. Proselytisation is an integral part of its provision of development services under its much-touted ADP programmes. Though none of the literature published by WV In Indi dia a ev even en me ment ntio ions ns it its s eva evange ngeli lisa sati tion on mi miss ssio ions ns,, forrei fo eig gn pu publ blic icat atiion ons s of WV In Indi dia a pr prou oudl dly y pr proc ocla laim im its "spiritual" component. Take for instance, WV New Zealand's report (4 September 2002) on the funding of ADP in Dahod, Gujarat. Under the head he ad,, 's 'spi piri ritu tual al de deve velo lopm pmen ent' t' th the e rep epor ortt st stat ates es:: "H "Hel eld d a vacation Bible school for 150 children from different villages. The children participated in games, Bible quizzes, drama and other activities. Organised a one-day spiritual retreat for 40 youn yo ung g pe peop ople le an and d a ch chil ildr dren en's 's Ch Chri rist stma mas s pa part rty y. Ea Each ch of Dahod's 45 villages chose five needy children to attend the party." In Dumaria, Banka district, eastern Bihar, "the ADP supp su ppor orts ts lo loca call ch chur urch ches es by ru runn nnin ing g le lead ader ersh ship ip-t -tra rain inin ing g courses for pastors and church leaders." What has an ADP got to do with running leadership-training cours co urses es fo forr pa past stors ors an and d ch chur urch ch le leade aders rs? ? Inc Incid ident ental ally ly,, WV New Zealand funds ADP programmes programmes in the tribal pockets of India. Indi a. The New Zea Zealan land d Gov Govern ernment ment's 's Volu oluntar ntary y Agen Agencie cies s
Support Scheme (VASS) jointly fund the two-year project, the NZ government matching WV contributions on a 2:1 basis. There are many other instances of evangelical programmes run by WV India. In the Gajapati ADP, situated in Gumma Block of Orissa's Gajapa patti di dis str triict, a WV rep epo ort adm dmiits that "C "Ca anadi dia an missionaries have worked in the area for just over 50 years and an d to toda day y 85 85-9 -90 0 pe perc rcen entt of th the e co comm mmun unit ity y is Ch Chri rist stia ian. n. However, local church leaders had little understanding of the impo im porta rtanc nce e of the their ir ro role le in co comm mmuni unity ty dev devel elop opme ment. nt. AD ADP P staff build relationships with these leaders to improve church co-operati co-ope ration on and part partici icipati pation on in deve develop lopmen mentt ini initia tiativ tives. es."" Here He re WV or orga gani nise sed d tw two o tr trai aini ning ng ca camp mps s fo forr lo loca call ch chur urch ch leaders in holistic development.
Targeting the tribals In Ma Mayu yurb rbha hanj nj,, ag agai ain n in Or Oris issa sa,, WV reg egul ular arly ly or orga gani nise ses s spiiri sp ritu tual al de deve velo lopm pmen entt pr prog ogra ram mme mes s as pa part rt of its ADP pack pa ckag age. e. Th The e WV re repo port rt sa says ys:: "O "Opp ppos osit itio ion n to Ch Chri rist stia ian n workers and organisations flares up occasionally in this area, generally from those with vested interests in tribal people rem emai aini ning ng il illi lite tera rate te an and d po powe werl rles ess. s. WV sup uppo port rts s loc ocal al churches by organising leadership courses for pastors and church leaders." WV India is active in Bhil tribal areas and openly admits its evangeli evan gelical cal int intenti entions ons:: "Th "The e Bhi Bhill peo people ple wor worshi ship p anc ancest estral ral spir sp irit its s bu butt al also so ce cele lebr brat ate e al alll th the e Hi Hind ndu u fe fest stiv ival als. s. Th Thei eirr super su perst stit itio ions ns ab about out evi evill sp spir irit its s ma mak ke th them em su susp spic icio ious us of change, which hinders community development. ADP staff live li ve am amon ong g th the e Bh Bhil il pe peop ople le th they ey wo work rk wi with th,, ga gain inin ing g th the e vill vi llag ager ers' s' tr trus ustt an and d sh show owin ing g th thei eirr Ch Chri rist stia ian n lo love ve fo forr th the e people by their actions and commitment." This being the case it is not suprising that WV India was honoured with the 2003 Mahatma Gandhi Award for Social Jus Justi tic ce. Th Thiis awa warrd is ho hos ste ted d by th the e All In Indi dia a Ch Chri rist stia ian n Coun Co unci cil. l. In Inc cide dent ntal allly, Jo Jos sep eph h D' D'So Souz uza a wh who o wa was s AI AICC CC's 's
Pres esiide dent nt du duri ring ng th that at ye year ar al also so he head ads s an ev evan ange geli lica call network, Operation Mobilisation, in India. OM, again, is an American TMO. It was founded by Georg Verwer and today is a global ministry "committed to working in partnership with churches and other Christian organisations for the purpose of World mission." Essentially, Bush has sparked off a theological fight between tho th ose Chri ris stian organisat atiions who bel eliiev eve e that the heiir expression of faith is serving the marginalised, dispossessed and an d hu hung ngry ry in a no nonn-se sect ctar aria ian n wa way y an and d th the e ot othe hers rs wh who o believe that the only way to bring change and reform is by Bibl Bi ble e th thum umpi ping ng.. Un Unfo fort rtun unat atel ely, y, th the e Bi Bibl ble e th thum umpe pers rs ar are e winning and they are being underwritten by the American tax payers. What they are probably not aware is that missionaries in India Ind ia's 's ba back ck of the bey beyon ond d vi vill llag ages, es, li lik ke Ka Kara rala la,, (s (see ee bo box) x) have been pulled into Bush's missionary zeal. Sadly, while Pas asto torr Pra rabh bhat at Na Naya yak k is de deep eply ly co comm mmit itte ted d to br brin ing g th the e villagers of Karala to Christ, he is unaware that Christian evange eva ngeli lical cal the theol ology ogy an and d mo mone ney y do dole led d out by the Wh Whit ite e House threatens to rip apart the social fabric of India. The US administration headed by Bush is the most overtly religious in memory. Numerous press reports in America and Europe have highlighted instances where "cabinet meetings star st artt wi with th pr pray ayer ers s an and d wh wher ere e no pr pres esid iden enti tial al sp spee eech ch is comp co mple lete te wi witho thout ut so some me st state ateme ment nt of Chr Chris isti tian an fai faith. th."" Hi His s foreign policy often seems rooted in biblical theology. The world has already seen Christianity vs Islam being played out in the war debate over Iraq. The Christian Right is solidly behind Bush's Christianity First policy. Richard Land, a key leade le aderr of th the e So South uther ern n Ba Bapti ptist st Co Conv nvent entio ion, n, ha has s st stro rongl ngly y suppo su pporte rted d Bu Bush sh's 's fai faithth-bas based ed for forei eign gn po poli licy cy.. By the wa way, y, Land, is a key member of US government's Committee on International Religious Freedoms. Freedoms. The The Sou Southe thern rn Ba Bapti ptist sts s fi fier erce cely ly belie believe ve in conve convers rsio ion. n. No Nott many ma ny wo woul uld d kn know ow th that at pe peop ople le li lik ke Land Land ov over erse see e th the e US
International Religious Freedoms report. The 2003 report is a no-nonsense document that conveys the official US policy supporting supporti ng evangel evangelisatio isation. n. It openly admits that "US officials have continued to engage state officials on the implementation and reversal of anti-conversion laws." Here's an excerpt from th e report: "This act (Foreigners Act) strictly prohibits visitors who are in the th e co coun untr try y on to tour uris istt vi visa sas s fr from om en enga gagi ging ng in rel elig igio ious us prea pr eac chi hing ng wi with thou outt fi firs rstt ob obta tain iniing pe perrmi miss ssio ion n fr from om th the e Ministry of Home Affairs. Given this context, the Government discourages foreign missionaries from entering the country and an d ha has s a po pollic icy y of expe pellli ling ng fo forrei eign gner ers s wh who o pe perf rfor orm m missionary work without the correct visa…New missionaries currently enter as tourists on short-term visas. U.S. citizens accused of religious preaching while visiting India as tourists have faced difficulties obtaining permission to return to the country for up to a decade after the event."
Christian NGOs in India The Bush administration's prescription of religiosity as social pollic po icy y ha has s gr grat atif ifiied th the e rel eliigi giou ous s Ri Righ ghtt in th the e US US.. Th The e propone pro ponents nts of fai faithth-bas based ed ini initia tiativ tives es wan wantt US gov govern ernmen mentt fund fu nds s to go to th thos ose e ch chur urch ches es an and d Ch Chri rist stia ian n NG NGOs Os th that at consider conversion as part of rehabilitation activities. Since the USAID funds Christian NGOs in India and also since US trans-n tran s-nati ational onal Chri Chrisit sitian ian NGO NGOs s lik like e Worl orld d Vi Visio sion n and CAR CARE E are heavily involved in develop development ment initiatives initiatives in India, their role in evangelical activities is not a matter of conjecture. It is, of course, another matter that USAID plays a vital role in inte intelli lligenc gence e gath gatherin ering g ope operati rations ons for the CIA CIA.. Pr Presi esident dent John F Kennedy had established USAID, along with the Peace Corps and the Alliance for Progress, "all three designed in part to stem the spread of communism." The link between the CIA and Christian missionary groups is USAID. This is written in great detail in Thy Will Be Done. Here's a quote again: "…That June, President Nixon's director of (US) AID, John Hannah, had admitted publicly that AID had funded CIA
operations in Laos, and subsequent revelations pointed to CIA-AID collaboration in Ecuador, Uruguay, Thailand and the Phil Ph illi lipp ppin ines es." ." In fa fact ct,, CI CIA A-s -sup uppo port rted ed mi miss ssio iona nari ries es we werre embroiled embro iled in counter counter-insur -insurgency gency operatio operations, ns, civi civill wars and were more often than not conduits for arms and armaments for Christian insurgent groups all over the world. Under President Bu s h ' s fundamentalist Christian government, the era of CIA-USAID-Evangelicals partnership has come back with a roar. And a world caught up in "War on Ter errror" an and d th the e sear arc ch fo forr elusive we wea apons of mass destruction, has had no time to notice. In any case, aid dispensed by USAID was hardly meant to spurr dev spu devel elop opme ment. nt. Du Duri ring ng th the e Co Cold ld War ar,, it wa was s me mean antt to keep the former former So Sovi viet et Un Unio ion n at bay and to keep afloat, afloat, bloa bl oate ted, d, ve vena nall an and d co corr rrup uptt reg egim imes es al alll ov over er th the e wo worl rld. d. Including Saddam's. In a research paper titled 'Bush and Foreign Aid', for the journ journal al Fo Forei reign gn Affai ffairs rs (Sep (Septemb tember/O er/Octo ctober ber 200 2003), 3), Stev Steven en Radelet, who was Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury from January 2000 to June 2002 and is now a senior fellow at the th e Ce Cent nter er fo forr Gl Glob obal al De Deve velo lopm pmen ent, t, wr wrot ote: e: "O "One ne of th the e greatest surprises of George W Bush's presidency so far has been his call to dramatically increase U.S. foreign aid…(in Sept Se ptem embe berr 200 002) 2) Bu Bush sh rel elea ease sed d hi his s Na Nati tion onal al Se Sec cur urit ity y Strategy, which gave prominence to development and aid alongside defense and diplomacy. Then came his State of the Unio Un ion n ad addr dres ess, s, in wh whic ich h he ca call lled ed fo forr $1 $10 0 bi bill llio ion n in ne new w funding ($ 15 billion total) over the next five years to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean." Radelet went on to reveal that US foreign aid increase from $11 $1 1 bi bill llio ion n in 20 2002 02 to $1 $18 8 bi bill llio ion n in 20 2006 06 is th the e la larg rges estt increase in decades. This from a Republican president whose party par ty ha has s tr trad adit ition ional ally ly dem demons onstra trated ted an anta tagon gonis ism m to towa ward rd foreign aid. USAID's change of fortune is nothing short of miraculous. In the 1990s it almost disappeared into oblivion becau bec ause se US as assi sist stanc ance e to poo poorr co count untri ries es dec decli lined ned by 25
percent. September 11 brou percent. brought ght the issue of foreign aid back into limelight. Nothing can illustrate this better than the example of Sudan. This oil rich country has for years been caught in a debilitating and destructive civil war that has pitted a Muslim gove go vern rnm men entt cen entr tred ed in th the e no nort rth h ag agai ains nstt th the e sou outh ther ern n Chri Ch rist stia ians ns.. Bu Butt th the e rec ecen entt di disc scov over ery y of oi oill in Su Suda dan n ha has s chang ch anged ed the dy dynam namic ics s of th the e co confl nflic ictt an and, d, as lu luck ck wo woul uld d have it, the oil was struck in the Islamic, northern Sudan. So human rights groups and Christian missionary organisations have been crying themselves hoarse over the "brutal antiChri Ch rist stia ian n ca camp mpai aign gn of th the e Mu Musl slim im go gove vern rnme ment nt"" an and d th the e "per "p erse secu cuti tion on of th the e no nonn-Mu Musl sliims ms." ." In th the e sa sam me br brea eath th Chris Chr isti tian an fun fundam dament ental alis ists ts li lik ke Rev Fra rank nkli lin n Gr Grah aham am an and d Senator Sam Brownback have pressured Bush to assist the rebels. Pressure is also suddenly being mounted internationally and within the US for "diplomatic intervention" to "end the conflict and prevent a disastrous famine" in the country. And guess who is making the loudest noises about Sudan? Christi Chri stian an Sol Solida idarity rity Inte Interna rnatio tional. nal. It is wor workin king g ove overti rtime me to influence the US Congress and British parliament. Over the last la st de deca cade de,, US USAI AID D ha has s sp spen entt $1 $1.2 .2 bi bill llio ion, n, mo most st of it to supp su ppor ortt th the e SP SPLA LA,, th the e Ch Chri rist stia ian n reb ebel el gr grou oup p in So Sout uthe hern rn Sudan. The CIA CIA-USAID-Mi -USAID-Mission ssionary ary partners partnership hip story in Sudan is completed when the last block of the jigsaw puzzle is put in place-Andrew S Natsios. Natsios Natsi os wa was s ap appoi point nted ed adm admin inis istra trator tor of USA USAID ID on Ma May y 1, 2001. But President Bush gave him two other hats to wear as well-special coordinator for international disaster assistance and special humanitarian coordinator for Sudan. Ostensibly, Bush wants to ensure that aid reaches the people of Sudan as op oppo pose sed d to be bein ing g st stol olen en an and d mi misa sapp pprrop opri riat ated ed by th the e Sudanese government.
The fact that aid deliveries have for so long been stolen by the Christian rebel groups, of course, did not even merit a mention. Natsio Nats ios s ha has s ea earl rlie ierr se serv rved ed in US USAI AID D fr from om 19 1989 89 to 19 1993 93 head he adin ing g tw two o of it its s vi vita tall de depa part rtme ment nts. s. It It's 's a st stra rang nge e co co-incidence that during the time when CIA backed American missionary agencies were receiving ethnographic data from "spying missions" set up by American evangelical organi org anisati sations ons in Indi India, a, Nats Natsios ios was ass associ ociated ated wit with h Worl orld d Vision, whi hic ch, in tur urn n, was involved in analysing the ethno eth nogra graphi phic c da data ta al along ong wi with th Wy Wycl clif iffe fe an and d th the e So South uther ern n Baptists.
Post-9/11 strategy Under the Bush Presidency, the post-9/11 period has been mark rke ed by two key initiatives: sup upp port to "frontline coun co untr trie ies" s" th that at ar are e he help lpin ing g US in it its s "w "war ar on te terr rror or"" an and d appear committed to development and humanitarian issues lik li ke HI HIV/ V/AI AIDS, DS, po pover verty, ty, and ec econ onom omic ic in inequ equal alit ity y. Wh What at is strik str ikin ing, g, ho howe wever ver,, is th that at the Bu Bush sh ad admi mini nist strat ratio ion, n, in it its s effo ef fort rts s to pr proj ojec ectt US as a "s "sof oftt po powe wer" r" as op oppo pose sed d to a mara rau udi ding ng milita tarry supe perrpo pow wer er,, has rel eliied and bee een n infl in fluen uence ced d di disp spro ropor porti tion onat ately ely by fai faithth-ba base sed d gr grou oups ps an and d institutions. And given the fact that Bush administration officials regularly hold consultations with Church groups and leaders, it is not surprising that American evangelical missions have found a deep reservoir of support with the US government for their activities in India and elsewhere.
