Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today I need to share a story that's both heartbreaking and inspiring—a story of modern martyrdom, radical forgiveness, and the enduring power of the Gospel in India. It's the story of Graham Staines, his two young sons, and his widow Gladys, whose response to unspeakable tragedy became a testimony that echoes around the world.
But to understand this story fully, we need to start at the beginning—with how Christianity first came to India nearly 2,000 years ago.
[The Apostle Thomas - Christianity's ancient roots in India]
According to ancient tradition, the Apostle Thomas—"Doubting Thomas" as we often call him—brought the Gospel to India in 52 AD, just about twenty years after Jesus's resurrection. Thomas is believed to have landed on the Malabar Coast in what is now Kerala, in southwestern India.
The tradition says Thomas established seven churches along the coast and reached both Jewish communities and high-caste Hindus with the message of Christ. He baptized converts, trained leaders, and planted churches that still exist today—the Mar Thoma Church and other "Thomas Christian" communities trace their origins directly back to the Apostle Thomas.
In 72 AD, Thomas was martyred near present-day Chennai (formerly Madras) on the eastern coast. According to tradition, he was speared to death while praying. His tomb in Chennai became a pilgrimage site, and the Christians he left behind continued spreading the faith.
So Christianity in India is ancient—it's not a Western import from colonial times, as some claim. Indian Christians can trace their heritage back to the first century, to one of Jesus's own apostles!
[Christianity through the centuries - survival and growth]
Through the centuries that followed, Indian Christianity survived and even thrived in certain regions, particularly in Kerala. When Portuguese explorers arrived in the 1500s, they were shocked to find thriving Christian communities that had been there for 1,400 years!
Unfortunately, Portuguese colonialism tried to bring these ancient Indian Christians under Roman Catholic authority, causing divisions that still exist today. Later, British colonialism in the 1700s-1900s brought Protestant missionaries who did tremendous good—establishing schools, hospitals, and orphanages—but also unfortunately linked Christianity with British imperialism in many Indians' minds.
Despite these complications, Christianity continued growing, especially among lower-caste Indians and tribal peoples who found in the Gospel a message of dignity, equality, and hope that the caste system denied them.
[Graham Staines arrives - 1965]
Which brings us to Graham Staines. Born on January 18, 1941, in Palmwoods, Queensland, Australia, Graham felt called to missions and arrived in the Indian state of Odisha (formerly called Orissa) in 1965, when he was just 24 years old.
Graham worked for many years with the Evangelical Missionary Society of Mayurbhanj, caring for leprosy patients and tribal communities in remote areas of Odisha. This was humble, sacrificial work—caring for people that Indian society often rejected and feared. Leprosy patients were outcasts, and tribal peoples were marginalized. But Graham saw them as Jesus saw them—as precious souls made in God's image.
He married Gladys, and together they raised their family in India. Their work became well-known among the local Christian and tribal communities. They weren't wealthy. They weren't powerful. They were simply faithful servants loving people in Jesus's name.
For over thirty years, Graham quietly served. He treated leprosy patients. He shared the Gospel. He showed Christ's love to those society had forgotten.
[The night of horror - January 22-23, 1999]
Then came the night of January 22-23, 1999. Graham and his two sons—Philip, age 10, and Timothy, age 6—were sleeping in their station wagon near a jungle camp in the village of Manoharpur in Odisha. They had been attending a Christian gathering.
Around midnight, a mob attacked. The vehicle was surrounded and set on fire. Graham and his two young boys were burnt to death inside.
Can you imagine? A missionary who had spent thirty-four years serving India's most vulnerable, murdered along with his two little boys. Burned alive while they slept.
The violent act shocked India and the international community. This became one of the most high-profile cases of anti-Christian violence in modern India.
[The investigation - who and why]
The Central Bureau of Investigation, along with state police and a judicial commission, investigated the case. The key accused was a man named Dara Singh, also known as Rabindra Kumar Pal, who was arrested on January 31, 2000.
Dara Singh was associated with Hindu nationalist groups that opposed Christian missionary work, especially among tribal peoples. They viewed conversion to Christianity as a threat to Hindu culture and accused missionaries of using deception or coercion—accusations that were false in Graham's case.
In September 2003, a court sentenced Dara Singh to death and others to life imprisonment. Later, in May 2005, the Orissa High Court commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court upheld the life sentence in January 2011, finding that while the crime was heinous, the death penalty wasn't warranted.
[Gladys's response - forgiveness that stunned the world]
But here's where the story becomes a testimony to the power of the Gospel. Gladys Staines—who lost her husband and two of her three children in one horrific night—responded in a way that stunned India and the world.
She publicly forgave the killers.
In a 2003 newspaper report, Gladys said: "I have forgiven the killers and have no bitterness, because forgiveness brings healing and our land needs healing from hatred and violence."
Think about that! Her husband and two young sons were brutally murdered, and she responded with forgiveness. Not because she didn't grieve—she grieved deeply. Not because the crime didn't matter—it was evil. But because she understood what Jesus taught: "To whomsoever you forgive, their sins will be forgiven."
She also said: "We are called to be under subjection to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except God." Even though the justice system had failed to prevent the attack and took years to bring justice, she submitted to God's sovereignty.
[Staying in India - continuing the mission]
But Gladys didn't just forgive—she stayed. Despite losing her husband and two sons, despite the danger, despite every human reason to leave India and return to Australia, Gladys remained.
She continued the work at the leprosy home. Later, a full hospital was built and named in Graham's memory. She kept serving the very people among whom her family had been killed.
When asked why, she gave this powerful statement: "I'm not bitter. Neither am I angry. But I have one great desire: that each citizen of this country should establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who gave His life for their sins."
Do you hear that? Her one great desire wasn't revenge, or even justice in the human sense. It was that Indians would come to know Jesus. The same Jesus who died for those who killed Him. The same Jesus who said from the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
[On grace and forgiveness - Gladys's testimony]
In another interview, Gladys explained how she could forgive: "If we don't experience the grace of God, we become bitter. We have to turn to God… Experience forgiveness and forgive others. Grace is available. Once you forgive, there will be healing."
This is the key! Gladys could forgive because she had experienced God's forgiveness. She could show grace because she had received grace. She could love her enemies because Jesus first loved His enemies—including her.
Her words have become an example of living out faith under extreme circumstances. They appear in contexts discussing emotional healing, forgiveness after trauma, and cross-cultural ministry. They resonate across faith communities because they reflect both deep suffering and deep grace.
[The Indian church today - growth despite persecution]
So what's the state of Christianity in India today? It's a mixed picture. India is officially a secular democracy with religious freedom, but Christians—who make up about 2.3% of India's 1.4 billion people, roughly 32 million believers—face increasing persecution.
According to Open Doors' 2025 World Watch List, India ranks 11th among countries where Christians face the most severe persecution. Hindu nationalist groups pressure Christians to reconvert to Hinduism. Churches are attacked. Pastors are beaten. Christians lose jobs and face social ostracism. Anti-conversion laws in several states make it difficult to share the Gospel.
But despite persecution—or perhaps because of it—the Indian church is growing! Particularly among the Dalits (formerly called "untouchables"), the lowest group in the caste system, and among tribal peoples. These are the very groups Graham Staines served.
[Dalit conversions - finding dignity in Christ]
For Dalits, the Gospel offers something Hinduism never has—dignity, equality, and hope. The caste system tells them they're worthless, that their low status is punishment for sins in past lives, that they deserve mistreatment. But Jesus says they're made in God's image, loved by their Creator, precious enough that He died for them!
Millions of Dalits have converted to Christianity over the past century. This is one reason Hindu nationalists oppose Christian missions—not because missionaries use deception or force, but because the Gospel's message of equality threatens the caste system's power structure.
[Healings and miracles - signs following the Word]
Another remarkable aspect of Indian Christianity's growth is the role of healings and miracles. In rural India, where medical care is limited and people live with chronic illness and demonic oppression, the Gospel often comes with power.
Missionaries and Indian evangelists pray for the sick, and God heals. They cast out demons in Jesus's name, and people are freed. These signs confirm the Word and lead many to faith. Just as in the book of Acts, healings and miracles accompany the Gospel's advance.
Indian pastors tell stories of entire villages coming to Christ after someone is healed in Jesus's name. A woman barren for years conceives after prayer. A man crippled for decades walks. A child tormented by evil spirits finds peace. And people ask, "Who is this Jesus? What power is this?" The Gospel spreads not just through words, but through demonstrations of God's power.
[The legacy of the Staines martyrdom]
The Staines martyrdom in 1999 could have sparked bitterness, retaliation, or fear that drove missionaries out of India. But instead, it became a testimony to the Gospel's power. Gladys's forgiveness showcased Christ more powerfully than years of sermons could.
Indians—Hindu, Muslim, and secular—were stunned by her response. Many said, "What kind of religion produces this kind of forgiveness? What kind of God gives this kind of grace?" And some came to faith because they saw Christ in Gladys.
The case also highlighted tensions between tribal communities, Christian missions, and Hindu nationalist groups. It triggered international attention and diplomatic concern. It prompted debate about religious freedom, minority rights, and the role of conversion in India.
But most importantly, it demonstrated that the Gospel is worth dying for. Graham and his sons joined the countless martyrs throughout church history who loved not their lives even unto death. And Gladys joined those who, like Stephen, forgave their persecutors and continued witnessing to Christ's love.
[Closing challenge - what we can learn]
So what can we learn from this story? First, missions is costly. Graham Staines gave thirty-four years serving leprosy patients in remote India. He gave his life and his sons' lives. Gladys gave her husband and children. This is the reality of taking the Gospel to hard places. As Samuel Zwemer said, "The unoccupied fields must have their Calvary before they can have their Pentecost."
Second, forgiveness is powerful. Gladys's forgiveness did more to advance the Gospel than any amount of preaching could have done. When the world sees Christians forgiving the unforgivable, they see Jesus. And some believe.
Third, the Gospel is growing in India despite persecution. Among Dalits and tribals, through healings and miracles, through faithful witnesses like the Staines family, Christ is building His church. The gates of hell will not prevail against it.
Fourth, we must support and pray for the Indian church. Our brothers and sisters there face persecution we can hardly imagine. They need our prayers, our financial support, and our advocacy. Will you commit to praying regularly for India?
[Closing prayer]
Let me pray:
Thank you for joining me today. The story of the Staines family challenges us all. Will we love like they loved? Will we forgive like Gladys forgave? Will we serve like Graham served?
Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations, and never underestimate the power of forgiveness to point others to Christ!
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