Christianity has been present in India since at least the third century, but the faith remains a small minority. Even so, Christianity is growing rapidly in parts of the subcontinent, and has made an impact far beyond its numbers. Yet Indian Christianity remains highly controversial, and it has suffered growing discrimination and violence. This book shows how Christian converts and communities continue to make contributions to Indian society, even amid social pressure and violent persecution. In a time of controversy in India about the legitimacy of conversion and the value of religious diversity, Christianity in India addresses the complex issues of faith, identity, caste, and culture. It documents the outsized role of Christians in promoting human rights, providing education and healthcare, fighting injustice and exploitation, and stimulating economic uplift for the poor. Readers will come away surprised and sobered to learn how these active initiatives often invite persecution today. The essays draw on intimate and personal encounters with Christians in India, past and present, and address the challenges of religious freedom in contemporary India.
Rebecca Samuel Shah is a scholar of religion and economic development who has done pioneering work on the impact of religious belief and practice on the lives of poor women in the Global South. She now serves as research professor at Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion, and is also a senior fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute. Joel Carpenter is the director of the Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity at Calvin College. He also has served as religion director of the Pew Charitable Trusts and as provost of Calvin College. Currently he is leading research and publication projects on Christianity in Africa and Asia. He also writes about Christianity in higher education.
Acknowledgments Map of India Introduction I. Conversion and Identity 1. Saving the Soul of India: Christian Conversion and the Rise of Hindu Nationalism - Rebecca Samuel Shah 2. Drinking a Cup of Nectar: The Transformation of Lakshmibai Tilak - Sean Doyle 3. A 'Willingness to Become Undone' in Relation to Others: The Plural Life of C. F. Andrews - Bernardo A. Michael 4. Christian Conversion in India: Political Exploitation or Personal Transformation? - Joshua Iyadurai II. Indian Praxis, American Learning 5. American Evangelicalism, Social Action, and Christianity in India - Aminta Arrington 6. What God Has Joined Together Let No One Separate: Local Church and Development Agencies in God's Mission - Darren Duerksen III. Nationalism, Violence, and Freedom 7. Bollywood and the BJP: An Analysis of Indian Identity in Karan Johar's Films - Samuel Thambuswamy 8. Human Rights and Freedom of Religion--The Ground Experience: Interviews with Dr. John Dayal and Rev. Vijayesh Lal - Karuna M. John 9. Christian Responses to Violence in India - Vikas Ram and Kay Higuera Smith 10. Religious Freedom among the Marginalized in Bangalore, India - Rebecca Samuel Shah and Timothy Samuel Shah 11. The Burned Church: Christians and Pluralism in India - Paul S. Rowe Bibliography Contributors Index
"The situation of Christianity in India has taken a turn for the worse in very recent years, and it is a story that needs to be watched carefully. Rebecca Shah and Joel Carpenter have put together a team of scholars who understand what is happening on the ground. The case studies in this book are nuanced and powerful and provide us with much-needed information to help us understand why things have gotten to this point. I recommend this book highly in hopes that more people will become aware of the present plight of India's forty-five million Christians." --Dyron Daughrity, Pepperdine University "This collection of important and insightful essays explores the various contentious circumstances surrounding India's many Christian communities in contexts of mounting Hindu nationalism. As India's secular constitution is undermined and religious freedoms of minorities are abrogated, the very concept of 'majority' has become a devilish force in contemporary politics, and the structural stability of India is threatened. Readers will find out how, despite Hindu nationalists' attempts to diminish Christianity's legacy and role, Christians of India manage to survive and thrive." --Robert Eric Frykenberg, Professor Emeritus of History and South Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin - Madison "In this stimulating volume, Shah and Carpenter assemble a diverse array of authors who provide readers intimate access to the lives of Indian Christians, while entering provocatively and productively into contemporary Indian debates about Christianity in relation to conversion, development, national identity, and the law. The volume's authors provide historical and legal context for the current wave of anti-Christian activity and legislation, present startling statistical data on conversion and development, offer thoughtful theological reflection on being Christian in times of persecution, and critique the flattened, homogenized visions of national identity espoused and promulgated by Hindu nationalists. Along the way, the volume helpfully highlights what's at stake in these debates, not only for the Christians who find themselves the victims of discrimination and violence, but also for India and Indians more generally." --Chad M. Bauman, Butler University "Christianity in India: Conversion, Community Development, and Religious Freedom is an invaluable contribution to the literature on religion and politics in India. Dispelling myths that Christians are forcibly converting gullible Hindus, the essays persuasively demonstrate the agency of those who choose to become Christians, the community's courageous response to Hindu nationalist violence, and the vital importance of religious freedom to Indian democracy. This book could not be more timely." --Amrita Basu, Paino Professor of Political Science and Sexuality, Women's and Gender Studies, Amherst College "This bold and insightful volume introduces readers to timely, hot-button issues facing Christians in contemporary India. Drawing from a variety of disciplines, contributors grapple with complexities arising from Christianity's unique and long-standing relationship with the poor and oppressed. The volume makes a strong contribution to the study of religion and social development in South Asia." --Chandra Mallampalli, Fletcher Jones Foundation Chair of Social Sciences, Westmont College
