In the post-pandemic years, evangelistic efforts in India have visibly intensified. From rural outreaches to city-wide crusades, millions have gathered to hear the message of hope. Social media broadcasts now claim global reach. Preachers and “prophets” appear on stage with dazzling confidence. At first glance, it may seem that the Great Commission is advancing. But when we listen closely to the stories left in the wake of these gatherings, we are compelled to ask: is modern evangelism in India truly reflecting the Christ it claims to proclaim?
As someone who lives within this landscape of mission, I cannot escape the deep concerns surfacing all around me. Evangelism in India is no longer under persecution alone; it is under moral collapse. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I have witnessed a troubling rise in public scandals involving figures who claim to “evangelize” India. These cases include not only financial misappropriation and civil disputes, but grievous sexual offenses. Several prominent figures have been arrested or exposed, and while not every accusation may be valid, the impact is undeniable. Specific and harrowing cases make this all too real. Pastor Bajinder Singh, known as the “Yeshu Yeshu prophet”, was convicted in a 2018 sexual harassment case and recently handed a life sentence under Sections 376, 323 and 506 of the IPC for rape, assault and intimidation
In parallel, NCRB data may not break out religiously motivated crimes, but the growing number of prosecutions and convictions in high-profile clergy abuse cases is unmistakable.These moral failures among Christian representatives are not just personal tragedies. They are missiological crises. They confuse the watching world and place deep obstacles in the path of true Gospel witness.
Though some of these individuals are theologically flawed and do not represent the values of the Great Commission, their actions undeniably shape the public image of Christianity in this country. In a nation where Christians are already misunderstood, such moral and doctrinal failures give ammunition to those who oppose the faith. In some cases, these incidents are even used to justify social hostility and persecution against the broader Christian community, making the damage not only internal but nationally consequential.
Let me share with you the experiences of some of my non-believing friends, friends from the other camp, so to speak — whose encounters with evangelism turned out to be far from what we would ever want the Gospel to represent. Their stories are not attacks on the faith, but honest accounts of how something meant to bring healing instead left behind confusion, mistrust, and even pain.
A friend of mine studied in a Christian institution where religious instruction and Christian values were shared with all students, including non-Christians. Many non-believers drew comfort from the message of faith and hope taught there. However, a particular evangelical group that extended counseling services to schools shattered this fragile trust. A counselor, seen as a spiritual guide and helper, was later found guilty of a sexual offense. The fallout was severe. Not only was an individual harmed, but an entire generation of students began questioning whether Christian care was even real. The face of Christ had been defaced by one who claimed to represent Him.
Another friend recounted how a businessman, after a spiritual encounter, joined a Pentecostal congregation with zeal. He was soon told to distance himself from his family, sell his assets, and abandon his business in order to “enter the Kingdom.” This brand of hyper-ascetic teaching mirrors ancient Docetic heresies — the denial of the value of material life — long condemned by the early Church. And yet, today, they are dressed in charismatic language and misapplied Scripture, leading believers not to Christ but into bondage. What was once a hopeful life became a broken one, in the name of spirituality.
Theologically, these distortions undermine the very foundation of the Gospel. The grace of God is not earned by the rejection of wealth, nor is salvation attained by severing family ties. In Scripture, we meet Zacchaeus, who was both rich and repentant (Luke 19), and Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy disciple who honored Christ even in burial (Matthew 27:57–60). Paul reminds us that “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Any theology that makes grace a reward for suffering or self-denial is no longer the Gospel of Christ.
But the deeper problem lies not in just the message, but the messengers. The New Testament warns that “not many of you should become teachers... because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1). Today, we have multiplied evangelists but neglected spiritual formation. Many are self-appointed. Few are truly discipled. We have made evangelism a performance rather than a pilgrimage. What was meant to be Christ’s mission has often become a personal agenda.
As someone in conversation with non-believing friends, I am increasingly burdened by their honest questions. They do not ask about doctrinal subtleties or liturgical traditions. They ask why Christian leaders abuse power, why Christians manipulate the weak, and why so many who claim Christ do not resemble Him. These are not cynical questions. They are missiological wounds.
So where do we go from here? We must begin with repentance. The Church in India must create structures of accountability and communal discernment. Evangelists must be tested, not merely celebrated. Theological integrity must be guarded. We must reject prosperity manipulation on one hand and ascetic legalism on the other. The call of Christ is not to dominate culture or escape it, but to redeem it.
Missiologically, we must also re-center on the incarnational model of Christ. He did not distance Himself from the world to save it. He entered it. He was full of grace and truth. His evangelism was relational, ethical, and sacrificial. The modern Church must reflect this posture — not drawing crowds for emotional highs, but making disciples who walk in holiness.
“For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household” (1 Peter 4:17). The time to reform is now. We must remember that evangelism is not the end goal. Christlikeness is. The crowds at crusades do not prove faithfulness to the Great Commission. A transformed, Spirit-led, biblically grounded community does.
Let us not hurt the world in the name of the Gospel. Let us heal this land through the grace of the Gospel. Let us die to our agendas and yield to Christ’s purpose. For only then will evangelism truly become what it was always meant to be — the proclamation of a risen Savior, through a redeemed people.