• BC Christian News • NOVEMBER ISSUE 2000 • VOL. 20 #11 • Formerly "Christian Info News" •

Christian faith flourishing amidst Hinduism in Nepal
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By David F. Dawes

Nicanor Tamang, head of International Needs Nepal, prepares to cross a river to share the gospel.

HINDUISM is the state religion of Nepal, a monarchy which lies just north of India. Out of a total population of 21 million, almost 90 percent are Hindu, and seven percent Buddhist.

Fifty years ago, there were no known Christians in the nation; by 1972, there were approximately 1,500. Since then, the number of Christians has skyrocketed; there are now an estimated 400,000 to 750,000 believers in Nepal.

Much of this growth is due to the church planting ministry developed by Dr. Nicanor Tamang, executive director of the Nepal branch of International Needs (IN). Tamang was in British Columbia recently, and spoke at several churches, including: Lynn Valley Full Gospel in North Vancouver; North Langley Community Church; and Mountain Ridge Community Church in Abbotsford.

After accepting Christ at age 16, Tamang attended Hindustan Bible Institute in Madras, India. He graduated in 1972 at the top of his class, and then worked with Youth for Christ in Nepal. Under the leadership of Tamang and his wife Elizabeth, IN Nepal was established in 1974; its main objective was to start new churches. Tamang now oversees more than 40 church plants.

"Church planting is progressing very well," he told BCCN. "Many church groups are involved. We do not plant churches under our banner. We help local congregations to plant churches in their area or beyond. The project belongs to them; they have ownership of it. The idea is that they don't become dependent on a large organization; they have to look after those churches themselves."

Such success would have been impossible at one time. For some 15 years, Tamang laboured in an environment which brutally repressed Christian faith. He was jailed twice for his beliefs; and in 1987, he was banished from Nepal. In 1990, however, the ruling Panchayat System was ousted in a revolution, and social conditions changed dramatically. In 1991, Tamang was pardoned, and allowed back into the country.

"Under the previous regime," he said, "Christians were hounded. Police would harass us, jail us. When I was imprisoned, I was mentally tortured, but not physically abused. They were a bit careful with me, because I was well known. But a lot of people were arrested, jailed and beaten. So we used to be very quiet and secret about evangelism. But now, the government is not going after Christians."

Nevertheless, evangelism is still technically illegal. "The law is on the books -- it says you can't preach your religion, but it doesn't single out a particular religion. The government is not enforcing it at the moment." The main reason, he says, is that "most of the politicians who took power in 1990 had been in jail -- so they strongly feel that people should have freedom of choice. We are pretty free to evangelize at the moment; the government is looking the other way -- closing their eyes, so to speak. People who are caught are not generally prosecuted; they are simply given a warning."

Despite the lax atmosphere, however, evangelism is still done with some secrecy. "Christians are not yet recognized as a minority community. We don't publically proclaim the gospel. But Christians can now have conferences and meetings without harassment. We keep it secret -- but we're not worried. We quietly evangelize one-to-one, and in small groups; we don't make a big noise about it."

In addition to this spiritual 'quiet diplomacy,' IN Nepal provides humanitarian aid and vocational training, and sponsors students. Call (604) 888-5558.