About Bihari Christians

Bihari Christians

History: Christians in India, particularly in South India, believe that Christianity was brought to India in the First Century by the apostle Thomas, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus. By 350 A.D., Christianity was well-established in India. R. Rajendra Prasad, former president of India, said during a celebration honoring the apostle: "Remember St. Thomas came to India when many countries in Europe had not yet become Christian . . . and it is a matter of pride to us . . ." Christianity is not a "western" religion. Its roots are in the Middle East and it was an "Indian" religion centuries before Christopher Columbus 'discovered' North America.

Current Status: North India, which includes the state of Bihar, has the least number of Christians, claiming less than 1.6 percent of the population. The official figure for the number of Christians in India is 2.7 percent of the population. Kerala in the southwest is 21 percent Christian, and some states of the northeast India are 60 percent to 80 percent Christian.

Language: Out of a total of 100 Christians, Hindi-speaking Christians represent only 3.2 percent. About 400 million of India's 950 million people speak Hindi. Even fewer Christians speak Urdu, the religious and daily-life language of many Muslims, including the Bihari. In the state of Bihar, less than 2 percent of the population professes Christianity.

Scriptures: The Bible is available in Hindi and Urdu, yet the literacy rate among Bihari Muslims is low and some Bihari Muslims would call neither Hindi or Urdu their mother tongue. The New Testament is available on cassette in both the Hindi and Urdu languages. A portion of the Bible was translated into the Magadhi language, spoken by some Bihari Muslims, in 1826, but it is now out of print.

Radio and Television: Religious broadcasting is illegal within India. However, there are international Christian broadcasts aimed at India.

Missions: Many nationals and non-nationals are working to spread the Gospel throughout India, and people are responding, even in the state of Bihar. Christians conduct relief and development programs in this disaster-prone area, however, mostly tribal peoples have responded to the Gospel as a result of these ministries. There is no direct witness to the Muslims of Bihar. Few Biharis of any religious background become Christians. The Bihari church itself is weak and fragmented, distracting Christians from their call to missions.

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