Praying in Public, Ignoring the Poor: The False Christianity of Persecution Politics
When India’s Allahabad High Court ruled in January 2026 that no government permission is required to conduct prayer meetings on private premises, it delivered a judgment that was constitutionally sound, theologically appropriate — and quietly devastating to a certain kind of persecution narrative.
When India’s Allahabad High Court ruled in January 2026 that no government permission is required to conduct prayer meetings on private premises, it delivered a judgment that was constitutionally sound, theologically appropriate — and quietly devastating to a certain kind of persecution narrative.
The court was clear: private worship is fully protected under Article 25 of India’s Constitution. What is not automatically guaranteed is the right to extend that worship onto public roads and public property without prior notice to authorities. The ruling drew a simple, reasonable line — and in doing so, exposed a more uncomfortable one: the line between genuine religious persecution and the grievance of losing public dominance.
That distinction matters enormously, not just in India but in the United States, where Christianity has become increasingly weaponized as a political identity — and where the loudest voices claiming persecution are often the least engaged with what Christianity actually demands of its followers.
