Bhutan

Biblical History

The confusion of languages is the result of the disobedience of the descendants of Noah’s three sons by not following God’s command to “…Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Ge 9:1). Instead they “…²found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there….⁴And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Ge 11:4) Bad move! “…the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth”(Ge 11:9)

From Ge 10 (‘Table of Nations’) and research by Bodie Hodge there may be two lines of descendants involved. 1) via Japheth’s son Madai (Medes, Aryans, India incl. today’s Bhutan) also Japheth’s grandson Togarmah, (some who moved to Mongolia, China and Russia), and 2)via Shem’s great-grandson Joctan’s 13 sons (Ge 10:26-29) populated Arabia, India incl. today’sBhutan, Indonesia and beyond?

Intercessory Overview

Until the 1980s, Bhutan was isolated from the rest of the world by its Himalayan geography, poor infrastructure and poor international relations. In 2008, the country adopted a multiparty constitutional democracy and implemented a new constitution that affords a greater level of religious freedom. Most Christians in Bhutan are of Nepali heritage, and believers are focused on reaching the ethnic Bhutanese with the message of Christ.

Major Religion

88 percent of the Bhutanese people are Buddhists. ≈1% are Christians.

Persecution

Christians are restricted by federal laws and persecuted by local authorities.

What it means to follow Christ

The king identifies himself as the defender of the Buddhist faith, and the government works covertly to discourage the spread of Christianity. Christians are viewed as followers of a foreign, Western religion. There is no opportunity for the legal registration of churches in Bhutan. Christians often lose their jobs and are unable to find work because of their faith. Many Christians must worship in secret.

Access to Bibles

Though small numbers of Bibles are allowed into the nation legally, the government continues to restrict widespread distribution. Most Bibles must be smuggled into the country from neighbouring nations.

Prayers

Pray that those reaching out to college students will be granted grace and favour.
Pray that God will continue to raise up more women for ministry.
Pray for successful Bible distributions in the country.
Pray for an increase in youth engagement with the gospel.
Pray that God will mobilize more Bhutanese Christians to share the gospel with the unreached.

More Prayers

Pray for true spiritual freedom in this “Land of the Dragon”. The Buddhist monarchy, the government policies to keep Bhutan isolated, and the strong hold of Vajrayana Buddhism resulted in Bhutan being one of the world’s least-evangelized nations. Bon (an indigenous religion) was replaced by Buddhism, but maintains a strong occultic/demonic influence. Pray for Jesus to reveal Himself to King Wangchuk and royal family, so that they might know His love and power. Among the 5 largest Tibetan/Himalayan peoples (Dzongkha, Tshangla, Lepcha, Kheng, Gurung), only the Lepcha have a significant Christian population. Pray for a fellowship of believers to witness among every ethnic group of the Bhutanese! A New Testament exists in Dzongkha (official language), but most languages have no Scriptures.
Christians are denied religious freedom and are persecuted in various ways. Church buildings are forbidden in all but a very few cases; most fellowships must meet in homes. Bhutanese who become Christian face the loss of their citizenship, of other benefits – such as free education, health care, employment – and of access to electricity and water. In some instances, harassment and beatings occur. Despite these, groups of believers are forming and increasingly spreading across the breadth of the country.
Border ministries. Indian believers in particular, but also Nepalis and others, are active in evangelism and literature distribution among Bhutanese. Many Christians in Bhutan have come to the Lord by these means. Pray that Bhutanese as well as Bhutanese students in India and around the world may hear the gospel and respond positively.
Media ministries are particularly helpful when witness within the country must be done cautiously. Pray for:
- Scripture translation and distribution. The NT has been translated in Dzongha, the national language. The majority of indigenous languages have no Scriptures whatsoever. Pray for the effective spread of Christian materials in the country and at the borders (GFA, EHC).
- Audio materials. GRN has produced Scripture or Christian recordings in 10 languages.
- Other media. Shortwave radio is available in some languages of Bhutan. GFA locally broadcasts a programme in the indigenous Dzongkha language. The JESUS film is used in and around Bhutan in five languages.