INDIAN and CHRISTIAN

Changing Identities in Modern India

Papers from the First SAIACS Annual Consultation 912 November 2010

Cornelis Bennema and Paul Joshua Bhakiaraj

Edited by

SAIACS Press
BANGALOREINDIA

Oxford House Research Ltd

OXFORDUK

&

SAIACS Press SAIACS, 363 Doddagubbi Cross Road Kothanur, Bangalore-560077, India www.saiacs.org saiacspress@saiacs.org Copyright SAIACS 2011 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-81-87712-26-8 Cover design: Nigel Ajay Kumar Cover Photo: Mridula Dwivedi Layout: Primalogue Publishing Media Pvt. Ltd Printed and bound by Brilliant Printers Pvt. Ltd, Bangalore SAIACS Press is the publishing division of South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies

Contents
Foreword by Ian W. Payne.........................................................................vii Introduction...................................................................................................xi The Burden of History and the Gift of Identity: Reflections on Christianity in India.......................................................................................1 Christopher Hancock

Biblical Studies
History, History Books and the Blue Jackal.............................................14 Havilah Dharamraj and Angukali V. Rotokha The Poetics and Politics of Pauline Identity: Wrestling with an Ancestor to Articulate Our Identity as Indians and Christians........38 Simon Samuel Early Christian Identity Formation and Its Relevance for Modern India...............................................................................................................59 Cornelis Bennema

Theology and Philosophy

Indian _____ Christian: Filling the Blank Theologically.........................78 Kethoser Kevichusa Being Indian, Becoming Christian: Toward a Theological Vision for Identity Formation........................................................................................95 Paul Joshua Bhakiaraj Identity beyond Violence and the Politics of Friendship.....................114 Brainerd Prince Hindu and Christian: Conflict or Challenge?.........................................135 Michael Amaladoss Communalism and Nationalism: Lessons from the Indian Christian Rejection of the Communal Award in 1932.........................................155 Nigel Ajay Kumar

Religion and Culture

Christian Identity and Religious Pluralism in India: Conversion and the Hindutva Challenge to Indian Identity............................................176 John Arun Kumar Castes of Mind and the Culture of Conversion: A Study of Indigenous Church Movements in Contemporary Eastern Uttar Pradesh............197 A. Gangatharan Revisiting the Identity of Women............................................................222 Jayakumar Ramachandran Indian and European Muslim Identity: Possible Implications for Christian Political Thought.......................................................................246 Sean Oliver-Dee

Pastoral Theology and Psychology

Religious Conversion and Dual Identity: A Phenomenological Perspective..................................................................................................266 Joshua Iyadurai Identity and Conflict: A Pastoral Response............................................288 Ravi David Human Identity from the Perspective of Hinduism (Santanadharma).........................................................................................306 Kiran Kumar K. Salagame

Foreword
This book is the fruit of SAIACS first annual consultation. We plan to have many more because they offer significant value for the Church in South Asia. Through these consultations and through an open call for papers each year, we want to participate in current academic debates, signalling in a small way that we are part of South Asias public sphere. We want to facilitate discussion especially among those who are members of the Christian community at large. While we dont have all the answers, we want to provide an influential evangelical voice on a broad topic in South Asia at large. Stimulation, encouragement and direction. We need these if we are to make progress. We need these for life; in fact, they are proof of life. If something cannot be stimulated, encouraged or directed it is inert or dead. Without such interaction, we cannot fulfil our calling or contribute to the common good. You will have noticed our purposes spring from our identity. SAIACS is evangelical and academic. We stand for excellence in mission. SAIACS is Indian and Christian and the question of how we construe our identity and live it out is an essential part of the adventure of life before God and before the world. Who we are is both a commitment and a question. It is so appropriate then that for the topic of our first annual consultation we have: Indian and Christian: Changing Identities in a Modern India. The sixteen essays in this volume explore Indian and Christian identity. The aim is to arrive at a mature and balanced attitude to Indian-Christian identity. It is noteworthy that the participants, by and large, do not do several things. We should appreciate that they: Do not define Indian-Christian in terms of opposition or contradistinction to other communities; Do not make a hasty dash for Bible verses; Do not oversimplify the task; Do not oppose or play off Indian and Christian. There is an appreciation of the complexity of the task, of the need for communal conversation and of the provisionality of attempts to answer.

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What fascinates me, as a theologian, is how Christian identity stems from who our God is. What can be said of Indian Christian identity should not be able to be equally said of any community. Even to claim Christian identity as a divine gift is unclear in the South Asian context. As it turns out, it is crucial to clarify who is the giver of this divine gift. It is the Christian God. Some quick reflections mainly based on the book of Galatians demonstrate the point. Christian identity is both the gift and the demand of the Christian God. Moreover, that identity is provisional because it not yet clear what we shall be (1 John 3.2).

Christian Identity is a Gift of God the FatherThrough Jesus Christ and by the Spirit
The identity of the Triune God is important for Christian identity. Paul, in Galatians, insists there was no human source of his gospel (1.11). What turned Paul from his non-Christian past was, he says, the fact that God chose me and called me . . . and revealed his Son to me (1.15). Christian identity does not consist in birth (2.15), nor in keeping the law (2.17). It is defined by faith in Jesus Christ (2.16) whom God the Father sent. Christ died, that is the objective basis of Christian identity. Paul declares that his old self has died, it has been crucified with Christ and now union with Christ is the determining factor in his new existence (2.20). Christian identity is enjoyed and appropriated by the Holy Spirit whom God the Father gives (3.5). It has its subjective basis in experience by the Spirit (3.3, 5.5, 25). We are those who are living by the Spirit [and who] follow the Spirits leading in every part of our lives. This gift demonstrates the dignity of Christian identity. It is not a dignity that belongs inherently to us, but to God the giver. Because the liberality of this giftthis graceis undeserved, Christian identity is evidenced supremely by loyalty to Jesus Christ. We give ourselves to him who was given for us; we love him who first loved us. How this Christian identity is also distinctively Indian needs to be unfolded, but it begins from the dignity that Indians have of equally being Gods creation and of equally having the opportunity of being Gods redeemed people in this particular context. It means

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representing Christ our maharaja and guru. Indian-ness finds its true meaning in relation to Jesus Christ (Eph. 1.10) and will always exist as his particular delight (Rev. 7.9).

Christian Identity is also the Demand of GodLiving Like Christ by the Spirit.
Christian identity is what God expects of Christians. Paul talks about so-called Christians (Gal. 2.4) who claim to be Christians but are not really. He also speaks of Christians who behave badly, acting according to the flesh (5.19ff.). Christians are identifiable, he implies, by their ethical behaviour and by the character qualities of the fruit of the Spirit (5.22f.). Those who belong to Christ have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross (5.24). This demand demonstrates the challenge of Christian identity. It is evidenced by ethical behaviour. We must live up to our identity. We must live by the Spirit. Again how this Christian identity can be distinctively Indian also needs clarification, but it begins with living Christianly as an Indian in this particular context. It involves fulfilling the cultural charge, being fruitful, celebrating Gods creation, discovering and using Gods laws in nature and looking after what God has entrusted in this particular context. It means serving and obeying Christ our maharaja and guru. It means living holy and obedient lives as an Indian community of Spirit-filled Christ-followers, and as such, serving the peoples and nation of India.

Christian Identity is ProvisionalBecause it is Eschatological.

Christian identity awaits its final clarification when Gods goal in history is achieved. Paul talks of the process of transformation (6.15). Those who live by the cross of Christ are the new people of God (6.16). It is the cross of Christ that is at the heart of our identity, not our confidence in ethnic identity. Circumcision and uncircumcision do not count as much as the transformation brought about by Christs cross. The ethnic identity marker Israel is here used as a metaphor to undermine ethnic

Indian and Christian: Changing Identities in Modern India

supremacywe are the Israel of God. No ethnic identity is superior. All find their proper place before God. Our ethnicities are brought into harmonious relation in Gods new humanity. Indian Christian identity is evidenced as we work with God towards his new creation as Indians, in India and for India; at least for the India which will be found in the multitudes gathered before the throne of God (Rev 7.9). This is where history is heading. This is no violent hegemony of one cultures metanarrative, no new colonialism; for the One who is seated on the throne is the Lamb. Christian identity, Paul reminds us, centres on the cross of Christ. The cross of Christ clarifies our identity in terms of loyalty, ethics and our view of history. Indian Christian identity is no foreign import; it is the response of Indians to the One who made them, calls them and awaits them. What it means to be Christian and Indian will emerge as Indian Christians engage with that gift, that calling and that hope, all the while dialoguing with all Indians, interacting with all the disciplines of knowledge and living by faith in the particular context of India. Read on. These sixteen essays will contribute to answering for you for today for this particular context the questions posed by the title Indian and Christian: Changing Identities in Modern India. And in doing so they will point the way to what it means to be human. Or at least make you look forward to next years SAIACS annual consultation! Ian W. Payne Principal, SAIACS

Introduction
SAIACS stands for excellence in academics, ministry and missions. One way to promote and achieve this is through a consultation of top-notch thinkers, and so the idea for a SAIACS Annual Consultation was born. The overall purpose of the consultation is to stimulate, encourage and provide directions for academic, evangelical and missional thinking in South Asia. The specific objectives are: to provide a platform for addressing critical, pertinent issues that the Church faces in the changing context of South Asia; to promote and advance evangelical scholarship, and provide the Church in South Asia with resources, by producing a book from the presented papers. The SAIACS Annual Consultation strives to be unique by aiming for excellence, holding together theory and practice within an evangelical framework, and being relevant for the Church in South Asia. The first SAIACS Annual Consultation took place during 912 November 2010 at SAIACS in Bangalore, and had as its theme Indian and Christian: Changing Identities in Modern India. The consultation was co-sponsored by the Institute for Religion and Society in Asia (IRSA), based in Oxford, UK. Each session in the consultation consisted of an academic paper presented by a specialist in the relevant field (whether academician or practitioner), followed by a response and an open discussion. The specific outcome of the consultation is the present book, co-published by SAIACS Press and Oxford House (a global expansion of IRSA). The book starts with the keynote address given at the consultation by the Very Reverend Dr Christopher Hancock, Director of Oxford House (previously of IRSA). He explores how 21st century Christians in India reconcile the tension between the acts and givens of their history, and the problems and opportunities of their identity. Subsequently, the book covers four areas: Biblical Studies: three essays (H. Dharamraj & A. Rotokha, S. Samuel, C. Bennema); Theology and Philosophy: five essays (K. Kevichusa, P. Joshua Bhakiaraj, B. Prince, M. Amaladoss, N. Ajay Kumar);

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Religion and Culture: four essays (J.A. Kumar, A. Gangatharan, R. Jayakumar, S. Oliver-Dee); Pastoral Theology and Psychology: three essays (I. Joshua, R. David, S.K. Kiran Kumar). These essays attempt in their own ways to attend to the already complex issue of identity, which is made even more complex by the perspectives that religion and national affiliation bring to the discussion. The first section draws from and reflects on the Bible as it relates to identity construction. The essays in it affirm together that the attempts of our forebears and the patterns they established are indeed rich resources that could assist us in the contemporary project of identity construction. Havilah Dharamraj and Angukali Rotokha correlate the role the Chronicler played in the writing of Jewish history with the controversial altering of history books that was promoted by the NDA collation government at the centre. Similarly Simon Samuel looks to the apostle Paul and his attempts at identity construction as a model for the contemporary project. Cornelis Bennema sees in the life and practices of the early Church a model for identity formation today. The section on Theology & Philosophy contains papers that deal with both theological/theoretical issues as well as historical/practical ones, illustrating that the particular context we inhabit is necessarily an important conversation partner. It affirms that our theology of and for identity construction is not a matter of providing ready-made answers that have been sealed for all time. Rather it is a matter of developing a conversation with the teaching of the scriptures, our spiritual traditions, our particular histories and our contemporary situations, as complex as they may be. The complex and multiple practical issues that we face therefore can be engaged with and evaluated employing these resources. From his Naga context, Aniu Kevichusa analyses what would be the best word to use so as to connect the two terms Indian, Christian. Paul Bhakiaraj identifies that the larger macro-narrative of the scriptures represents the theological foundations for the project of identity construction for Indian Christians, yet a foundation that encourages the building of identity with Indian materials. Analysing conflicts in India, Brainerd Prince employs Ricoeurs work as a resource within the conflicts of our times. Michael Amaladoss notices how particular examples of a unique inter-religious engagement can

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be found as some people create identity straddling two religious traditions. Nigel Kumar casts his eye over history and observes that in the declining of the communal award Christians were really seeking to integrate within the mainstream and serve the nation as responsible citizens. In this section the papers suggest that theology is a dynamic and rich undertaking that can and ought to contribute to the churchs contemporary life and perhaps more importantly even to the building of the nation, as it fits and equips the Christian community to honour and serve the nation and its people. The people of the nation, men, women and children, with their differing religious affiliations and socio-cultural preferences have surely benefitted in the past from Christian presence in the nation, and indeed can continue to do so in the days ahead. By the same token the Christian community can benefit from studying how these communities have attempted to create an identity. This is the contribution that the essays in the Religion & Culture section make. Arun Kumar analyses the contentious issue of conversion and affirms that in a democratic and secular nation this prerogative should be open for all. A. Gangatharan analyses the relationship of caste and mission as the background to his study of indigenous churches which he interprets as an attempt to create a liberative identity in Christ that affirms the dignity of the individual who is ostracised by the caste system. R. Jayakumar observes the ambiguous role women are granted in society and challenges the church to serve them in the spirit of Christ. Sean Oliver-Dee seeks to study Muslim engagement with such issues as a valuable part of any study of identity and change, for it could teach us valuable lessons in a democratic polity. The final section offers us an instructive study on the need for sensitive analysis of practices that we find on the ground. These practices occur within the Christian fold, in between Christian and Hindu/Muslim/.. traditions, and within the Hindu fold. I. Joshua alerts us to the dilemmas that some people face as they yield to Christs person and message and desire to maintain allegiance to their family. After studying aspects of the background to the current debate, Ravi David suggests that Christians maintain both a constructive and critical stance in their process of identity construction. Kiran Kumar offers a valuable analysis of identity from the perspective of Santanadharma,

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which he then correlates to the perspective of transpersonal psychology, affirming the need for and benefit of a comparative perspective. This essay rounds of a section that brings fresh light from various sources to the complex subject of identity. These essays are clearly not homogeneous in their views. In fact some hold diametrically opposite views. For example, while C. Bennemas essay eventually denies the possibility of dual religious identities, M. Amaladoss and J. Iyadurai uphold that concept. They suggest that it is not only possible but also acceptable to be a Christian and Muslim or Hindu at the same time. This book intentionally does not seek to resolve such issues but intends to inform the reader about the complexity and breadth of the debate. We then leave it to the reader to make up her or his mind. In line with what SAIACS stands for, participants are normally evangelical in a broad sense but are not limited to a particular denomination, academic affiliation or country. Sometimes, however, an even broader participation, as is the case here, may be beneficial even necessary to sharpen the thinking, stimulate wider dialogue and gain broader acceptance. While SAIACS does not necessarily endorse all views represented in this volume, it desires to promote dialogue and mature conversations across disciplines and religious traditions. Overall this volume affirms and represents such a pursuit. Through the discussions that were conducted in a cordial and academic atmosphere and the resultant book, we seek to promote the health of the Christian community, engage with those from other religious traditions and together serve the nation by affirming and promoting its secular and democratic credentials. We thereby assert that religion can and should contribute to civil society and from that platform work to the building of an inclusive society and nation, thus also affirming its constitution and its place in the international community. It is with such a desire that the consultation was held and this book is published. We present it to you with the trust and prayer that it achieves those goals. We would like to express our thanks to several people and organisations that have contributed significantly to the completion of this book. We are grateful to SAIACS and the Board of Trustees for their enthusiastic support of this initiative. We thank the staff of the SAIACS CEO Centre for successfully hosting the consultation. We are

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especially grateful to Dr Chris Hancock, Director of Oxford House and previously of IRSA (UK) and the Slavanka Trust (UK) for largely funding the consultation. We thank Mrs Selena George, Mrs Susan Bennema and Mrs Mary Varughese for their able editorial work, Mr Nigel Kumar for the cover design, Mr George Korah for the layout, and Mrs Shilpa Waghmare, the SAIACS Press manager, for effectively coordinating the production of the book. We must also thank a donor who wishes to remain anonymous and generously provided a large donation towards the production of this book. Above all, we thank God for his help and hope that he can use this book to further his work in this world. The Editors

The Burden of History and the Gift of Identity: Reflections on Christianity in India
Christopher Hancock*

1. Introduction
I count it an immense privilege both to take part in, and, as Director of the Institute for Religion and Society in Asia (based in Oxford, England) to co-sponsor this historic gathering. We should all be immensely grateful to the Slavanka Trust in the UK whose generosity has helped to make our meeting possible. I see this event as providing the best kind of opportunity for mature, academic dialogue between scholars around sensitive issues that relate to the past, present and future character of the Christian community in India. It also provides an invaluable chance to explore together vital questions about the coherence of Indian national identity, in a society and world of many faiths and conflicting ideological interpretations of our shared global reality. I am delighted we have friends here from inside and outside the Christian community in India to help us think together critically and creatively on these immensely important subjects. The theme of this paperand, indeed, I believe, of the whole Consultationis this, How do 21st century Christians in India reconcile the tension between the acts and givens of their history and the problems and opportunities of their identity. It is a great topic and one that will, I hope, shape and challenge our conversations over the next few days and in the years ahead.

2. Initial Observations
Let us be clear about a number of things at the outset: unless we are, much that follows in our meeting will be misleading or misdirected.
* The Very Revd Dr Christopher Hancock is Director of Oxford House, an international affairs think tank, focusing on politics, religion and global affairs, based in Oxford, London, and Washington DC. Oxford House is a recent, global expansion of Dr Hancocks previous work as Director of the Institute for Religion and Society in Asia.