India, Sept. 15 -- The voice on the phone was hushed, barely above a whisper. "We have to be careful," he said in Nepali. "The neighbors are watching. They already held a funeral for me." He wasn't dead-at least not physically. However, to his family and community, Bhaluwan Kumar Paswan (name changed) ceased to exist the day he embraced Christianity. In a small village in southern Nepal, Bhaluwan now lives a double life: publicly conforming to Hindu customs, privately devoted to Jesus. He is what many call a "crypto-Christian"-a secret believer in a land where faith can be fatal.

Hidden Faith, Enduring Witness The term "crypto-Christian" refers to those who secretly follow Christ while outwardly adhering to another religion, often to avo...