The Growth of Contemporary Christianity in India - Report Example

of the The Growth of Contemporary Christianity in India The Growth of Contemporary Christianityin India Christianity in India is considerably different from most other nations. Firstly, India is a land of thousands of cultures, languages and lifestyles. With a population of approximately 1.2 billion, which is second only to China, India is a Hindu nation having 74% of its people professing Hinduism. In addition, it has the second largest Muslim population in the world. At present 6 % of the total population belongs to Christian religion.1 Admittedly, Christianity in India is as old as the Christian religion itself. According to the data available, Apostle Thomas Dydemus reached the kingdom of Gundophores in North India (present-day Pakistan) in the first half of the first century A.D. From there, in 52 A.D, he reached port of Musiris in Malabar Coast in Kerala. In fact, this Malabar Coast was home to a Jewish settlement the origin of which dates back to 1000 B.C. Though Thomas came with the prime objective of preaching the gospel to the Jewish community, he converted people from all strata of the society. Reportedly, Thomas established seven and a half churches in Kerala. From Kerala, Thomas travelled to the east coast, and was killed near Madras in the present-day Tamilnadu.2 In the second century A.D, an Alexandrian missionary named Pantaenus reported the presence of Christians in India. Soon, in 325 A.D., the Council of Nicea appointed John as the Bishop of Persia and Great India. Some two decades later, a group of Christians under the leadership of Knae Thomman reached Kerala from Persia and Mesopotamia. In fact, the reason behind their immigration was the persecution of Christians by Sapor II in Persia. This was followed by an influx of different groups of Christians from Western Asia and most of them settled around the Malabar Coast in Kerala in South India.3 The origin of Christianity in North India is still unclear. Though it is speculated that Thomas visited the kingdom of Gundophores in North India, it is not clear whether he made evangelical efforts. In addition, North India had commercial connections with Persian Gulf, including Christian nations like Armenia and Edessa. As already noted, Sapor II was persecuting Christians in Persia, and as a result, so many Christians came to India. Anyway, by 600 A.D., there were 10 bishops in India. According to the records of Marco Polo, out of the six great kings of Central India, three were Christians. However, Christianity in North India came under attack with the coming of Muslim rulers by the 15th century. These rulers wiped out Christianity from North India, and very little remains as the evidence of Christianity in North India other than speculation.4 However, Christianity in South India, especially Kerala, blossomed without serious threat to their existence. These ancient Christians of Kerala continued their cultural heritage and traditions through art forms like “Margam Kali”. These ancient Christians were also called “Syrian Christians” because of their connection with the churches in Persia and “Nazranis” as they were the followers of the Nazarene. As is well-known, Indian Hindu society follows caste system, and the coming of new religion required some changes in the system of social hierarchy. It seems that the Christians were better positioned than the lower castes. They were allowed to ride elephants and use beaded umbrellas. Thus, though Christianity was not a part of the caste system, it gained some specific sets of rights and a particular position like the castes in Hinduism.5 The existence of Christians under Hindu rulers was largely peaceful. The Christians accepted various rites and rituals from the Hindu religion. To illustrate, both Christians and Hindus use “thali” (a pendant made of pure gold to use in wedding ceremony) and both use “nilavilakku” (oil lamp) in rituals. However, these Christians differed from Hindus in certain aspects, including names, cuisines and dress code.6 It was in the year 1498 A.D that the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama found the new sea-route across the Arabian sea to South India. On reaching Kerala, the Portuguese were surprised to see the presence of Christianity, but did not accept the Kerala Christians as true Christians as they were non-Catholics. In addition, the Syrian Christians in Kerala looked more like a well-accommodated part of the Hindu Caste system than the one founded by Jesus Christ.7 Soon, Christianity reached the state of Goa when the Portuguese commander Albuquerque reached there. He entered into an agreement with the Pope regarding administrative and religious authority. Soon, Goa became the hub of Christian missionary activity with Franciscans, Augustinians, Carmelites, Dominicans and Jesuits working hard to spread Catholicism. From Goa, the religion spread to as far as Lahore, Agra, Nepal and Tibet. 8 However, unlike the ancient Syrian Christians, the new converts were lower caste people, and were looked down upon by Syrian Christians and upper caste Hindus. In other words, even after their conversion, the caste system had its impact on them.9 The Jesuit missionaries continued their efforts in the North India, and they made some interesting efforts to convert the Mughal emperor Akbar, followed by Jehangir. These emperors did not convert into Christianity but were supportive of the Jesuits. However, the emperors who followed, that is, Shah Jahan and Aurangezeb, were less supportive. Thus, by 1750 A.D, the Jesuits managed to have churches in Agra, Marwar, Jaipur, and Delhi, all in North India.10 Other European competitors including Portugal, Holland, and France lost their prominence with the coming of the British East India Company. In fact, the company was against evangelism and it even forced many missionaries to go back to their home country. However, the British Parliament forced the company to permit evangelism. As the company agreed, there was a flood of missionaries, not only from England but also from nations like America, Australia and New Zealand. The Baptists came to India in 1812 and Lutherans reached in the eighteenth century. All these missionaries received considerable support from the administration.11 The missionaries were dedicated to the welfare of the poor people, and thousands of educational institutions, hospitals, and community centers took birth. Some examples are the Ludhiana Hospital, the Gordon Christian College in Rawalpindi, the Baring Christian College in Gurdaspur, Ewing Hostel in Lahore, the Forman Christian College, and the Christian Medical College in Vellore. Thus, the missionaries played a significant role in improving education, lifestyle, health, and standard of living in the poor India. 12 However, it failed to attract the upper caste Hindus and the ones who converted were lower castes. Thus, the people who were converted were looked down upon. Also, there is the allegation that they converted for the financial benefits that followed. In addition, the attitude of the European Christians received much criticism. In fact, Syrian Christians lived in harmony with the Hindu system. They neither converted them nor interfered in their beliefs and practices. However, the European Christians criticized the Hindu gods and depicted them as demons. This onslaught was met with criticism by Hindus. This attack on Hindu gods had its adverse effect. These days, upper caste Hindus feel threatened by the invasion and many political parties have started promoting pro-Hindu ideologies. Thus, religious animosity has become a threat to missionaries in India.13 Despite these issues, the ministries in India are reporting considerable growth in Christian Church among middle and upper caste Indians. It grows at a rate of 4%, being the fastest-growing religion. However, in this nation with 456 languages and 2611 cultures, spreading Gospel is a very difficult task and about 88% of the population still remains untouched. However, the growth of Hindu nationalism is rather alarming. There are frequent cases of attacks on missionaries, and pockets of strong resistance are growing.14 Thus, it seems that it is high time to think about a change in the strategy.15 In total, it is seen that the history of Christianity in India is as old as the history of Christian religion. In the much receptive Indian Hindu society, Christianity was well accommodated and catered for. However, the revival of Hinduism, which took place partially as a result of the onslaught on their traditional ways of life, has become a serious threat to the growth of Christianity in India. Another serious challenge for contemporary Christianity in India is to make the converted people identify their place in the Indian society. To illustrate, the lower caste and tribal converts are often looked down upon by the higher castes and the situation is not different even within the Christian society. That means the real uplift does not take place despite the conversion. In addition, it is necessary to strike a balance between conversion and non-conversion in order to accommodate the Hindu sentiments. As is seen, the attacks on missionaries have considerably increased since 1990s, and the missionaries themselves are partially guilty as many conversions were more like purchases than like conversion based on faith. Thus, India has never felt insecure in the presence of alien religions, people, and ideologies in its entire history, and has successfully accommodated and assimilated all of them in a process of harmonious mutual sharing. If the present-day activities of Christianity intimidate them, it is high time to sit back and think. Bibliography Collins, Paul M. Christian Inculturation in India. Burlington: Ashgate, 2007. Frykenberg, Robert Eric, and Alaine M. Low. Christians and Missionaries in India: Cross-cultural Communication Since 1500. Cambridge: Psychology Press, 2003. Jenkins, Philip. The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South. Oxford: Oxford Uty. Press, 2006. Malik, Malti. History of India. New Delhi: Atul Gupta, 2009. Neill, Stephen. A History of Christianity in India: The Beginnings to AD 1707. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1984. Neill, Stephen. A History of Christianity in India: 1707-1858. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1984. Vadakkekara, Benedict. Origin of Christianity in India: A Historiographical Critique. New Delhi: Media House, 2007. Read More