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Statistically, Christians are a small piece of Sri Lanka's puzzle. More than 70 percent of the population is Sinhalese, while 17 percent is Tamil. These two groups form the principal combatants in the civil war; Muslims (8 percent) and Christians (7 percent) mostly observe from the sidelines. Protestants make up only 1 percent of the population, though the last 20 years have seen significant growth among evangelical churches, mainly along Pentecostal lines.

The Sinhalese and Tamils existed in reasonable harmony during most of their history, often occupying separate villages or neighborhoods but worshiping in the same shrines. This mutual tolerance began to break down in the late 1950s, when prime minister Solomon Bandaranaike came to power by appealing to Sinhalese pride. Elected on a wave of excited feeling, backed by a very visible cadre of militant Buddhist monks, he made Sinhala the official language of schools and government. Later governments reserved the majority of university places for Sinhalese students.

Tamils began to feel like second-class citizens, and they reacted strongly. Militant groups such as the Tamil Tigers began to violently oppose the government (and each other) while advocating a separate state for Tamils. Bloody ethnic riots, assassinations, and violent altercations punctuated the years from 1957 on. After the 1983 riots, war broke out.

The Tamil Tigers perfected the tactic of the suicide bomb, assassinating numerous top officials including Rajiv Gandhi, the prime minister of India. Prime ministers and presidents were murdered, sometimes by Sinhalese extremists who thought the government accommodated too many Tamil grievances, sometimes by Tamil separatists. Government soldiers reacted ruthlessly.

In Sri Lanka it is no trick to find people who have suffered because of ethnic warfare. One student whom I will call Bernard was taken to prison in 1998, straight from his pastor-training institute. (Like many others who told me their stories, Bernard didn't want his name mentioned because, though the country is at peace now, war may begin again.) He hailed from Jaffna, a Tiger stronghold, and that was suspicious enough.

Bernard is slight, almost delicate in his appearance. He said his captors beat him and threatened him with execution for two days, then threw him into an 8-by-8-foot room with 40 other men. The room was too crowded to sleep lying down but, "I shared Jesus Christ with many people," he told me in his high, soft voice. "It was a good place to tell about Jesus."

Eventually he was moved to a rehabilitation center, where he found two other born-again believers. At a daily chapel "Hindus were in the middle, the right corner was for Buddhists, Roman Catholics were in the left corner." Bernard's fellowship of three grew as others came to faith. Eventually some of the prisoners complained to the authorities that Bernard's group induced conversions with offers of money or other favors. This is a frequent complaint against Christians in Sri Lanka, that they pursue "unethical conversions."

"The captain called me in and asked me who gave me the authority to lead this group. I said that God gave me the authority. He made me kneel down on the floor, and he beat me.

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October 2003, Vol. 47, No. 10