It seems as though ecumenism in India (Northern India in particular) is rooted in a necessity, more than simply a theological ideal. I have already discussed in various posts the extreme religiosity that permeates the Indian culture, and in a country where Christianity is such an extreme religious minority, those who profess a faith based in the Gospel of Jesus Christ must come together rather than remain disconnected due to denominational boundaries. I do not intend to make the claim that a theology of Christian unity does not play a significant role in the identity of Indian Christians, however. The ecumenical ideal is as vibrant as the women's sarees here, and many of the leaders in the North Indian unity movement were Indians, rather than their Western counterparts.
T.K. Thomas spent much of his career working in the Geneva offices of the World Council of Churches and was considered one of the finest advocates of the world Christian unity movement. His numerous writings championed the most cutting edge ideas of ecumenical theology (particularly in India). "The Christian ideal, then, has nothing exclusive about it," Thomas writes. "It invites people of all religious persuasions and people of no religious persuasion to work together for human development", largely because Christianity recognizes its Christ as the fullest embodiment of authentic humanity. Still, according to Thomas, such emptying and blurring of any religious identity is a necessity of the Christian faith. "We cannot follow the Christ who emptied himself without emptying ourselves of all things -- including our identities."
Furthermore, Thomas was a leading name in cause of inclusive language and women's rights in the Indian Church. In a country of extreme class-ism, caste-ism, and sexism, he argued that it was simply inappropriate to discriminate against 'the least of these' (in this case, women) in words and deeds if we are to hold Jesus's Gospel message true. God is ever present and aware of all that occurs. God is everywhere and all things. Thus, "everything must of course include woman, but she is not seen, she is, for the most part, excluded." As a result, women (who make up the majority of practicing Christians in India) are followers of the male monopolized God. In the current Indian culture, such claims are quite revolutionary, but so is our Christian faith, he argued. Christ came to give good news to the oppressed, thus requiring the Church, both male and female, to become more "daringly eclectic" with our language for God.
Still, nothing about such claims are simple in a society where one's location in the cultural hierarchy makes all the difference. Many of the Hindus that I have met talk to me about their appreciation for the man Jesus of Nazareth. They recognize the value in his teachings of love and care for others, and they even speak of him as a respected Guru. Christians are esteemed for their work with the poor and the excellent private education that they provide India. Still, Christianity has a message that is not particularly appealing to those in the higher echelons of Indian society, as it advocates for a breaking down of exclusionary social and political structures. Hinduism often welcomes elitism (though I do not pretend to be naive of the same potential in prosperity gospel or predestination theologies within Christianity), thus the majority of Christian converts from Hinduism are those in the lower castes. And so we return to the cultural necessity of uniting in a common cause, or faith. Dhanji Bhai Nauroji said in 1881: "[Indian Christians] belong, it is true, to various denominations, but seldom if ever do they make anything of denominational differences. The fact is, they do not know and are not eager to know, what these difference exactly are. They are Christians, and they glory in that name."
Yet, the colonized Indian Christians still remained dependent on their missionaries and thus held tightly to the ties of their mission churches. As a result, the conversations surrounding church union in North India brought with it unique tensions concerning dual identities: the traditions of their Western evangelists and the realities of their indigenous faith. They required approval from the Western powers, since the movement was one for unity (rather than further separation in the name of denominational preferences) and often struggled to find an acceptable road map for union in the eyes of their Western founding churches.
Eventually there was success after four official drafts of a unity plan. The powers that be in the West were satisfied with the proposal, and in 1970, the Church of North India was inaugurated. Some have said that the greatest and last significant success of CNI was the day it unified. They argue that few know of the continued work of the Church of North India and that (particularly here in Kolkata) the Catholic and Assemblies of God presence is the Christianity of which most Indians are aware. Perhaps that is largely caused by the tensions that have always existed in CNI between its historical ties with the colonizing religion of the West and its desire to be an indigenous Indian Church. Both the Roman Catholics and AGs are still controlled by their Western heads and can be more publicly present due to their outsider status. It is much more difficult for an Indian church to decipher its mixed identity in the public square. It again becomes the struggle that Mainline Protestantism in America grapples with : how do we both profess loudly our unique Christian faith and still be active and respected participants in a pluralistic society that does not necessarily share our faith commitments? How do we be revolutionary prophets for the peace and justice of Jesus Christ without disrespecting those who believe differently (and thus negating our own purpose of sharing the Good News)?
I think the beginning of the answer must be unity. Holding onto fights over history and polity, of schisms and excommunications does not seem appropriate any longer (I am not certain, personally, that it ever was, but that's a conversation for another day). CNI is on the right path, they are Christians in Northern India first and products of certain mission fields second. The next stage of their work will be to discern what their future holds as a faith communion. It has been nearly 40 years since the 40-year unity conversation culminated in the inauguration of the Church of North India. If the seminarians I have met at Bishop's College are any indication of the forthcoming church (and I like to think that seminarians always are!), I am very excited to see what CNI has in store for Northern India.
T.K. Thomas spent much of his career working in the Geneva offices of the World Council of Churches and was considered one of the finest advocates of the world Christian unity movement. His numerous writings championed the most cutting edge ideas of ecumenical theology (particularly in India). "The Christian ideal, then, has nothing exclusive about it," Thomas writes. "It invites people of all religious persuasions and people of no religious persuasion to work together for human development", largely because Christianity recognizes its Christ as the fullest embodiment of authentic humanity. Still, according to Thomas, such emptying and blurring of any religious identity is a necessity of the Christian faith. "We cannot follow the Christ who emptied himself without emptying ourselves of all things -- including our identities."
Furthermore, Thomas was a leading name in cause of inclusive language and women's rights in the Indian Church. In a country of extreme class-ism, caste-ism, and sexism, he argued that it was simply inappropriate to discriminate against 'the least of these' (in this case, women) in words and deeds if we are to hold Jesus's Gospel message true. God is ever present and aware of all that occurs. God is everywhere and all things. Thus, "everything must of course include woman, but she is not seen, she is, for the most part, excluded." As a result, women (who make up the majority of practicing Christians in India) are followers of the male monopolized God. In the current Indian culture, such claims are quite revolutionary, but so is our Christian faith, he argued. Christ came to give good news to the oppressed, thus requiring the Church, both male and female, to become more "daringly eclectic" with our language for God.
Still, nothing about such claims are simple in a society where one's location in the cultural hierarchy makes all the difference. Many of the Hindus that I have met talk to me about their appreciation for the man Jesus of Nazareth. They recognize the value in his teachings of love and care for others, and they even speak of him as a respected Guru. Christians are esteemed for their work with the poor and the excellent private education that they provide India. Still, Christianity has a message that is not particularly appealing to those in the higher echelons of Indian society, as it advocates for a breaking down of exclusionary social and political structures. Hinduism often welcomes elitism (though I do not pretend to be naive of the same potential in prosperity gospel or predestination theologies within Christianity), thus the majority of Christian converts from Hinduism are those in the lower castes. And so we return to the cultural necessity of uniting in a common cause, or faith. Dhanji Bhai Nauroji said in 1881: "[Indian Christians] belong, it is true, to various denominations, but seldom if ever do they make anything of denominational differences. The fact is, they do not know and are not eager to know, what these difference exactly are. They are Christians, and they glory in that name."
Yet, the colonized Indian Christians still remained dependent on their missionaries and thus held tightly to the ties of their mission churches. As a result, the conversations surrounding church union in North India brought with it unique tensions concerning dual identities: the traditions of their Western evangelists and the realities of their indigenous faith. They required approval from the Western powers, since the movement was one for unity (rather than further separation in the name of denominational preferences) and often struggled to find an acceptable road map for union in the eyes of their Western founding churches.
Eventually there was success after four official drafts of a unity plan. The powers that be in the West were satisfied with the proposal, and in 1970, the Church of North India was inaugurated. Some have said that the greatest and last significant success of CNI was the day it unified. They argue that few know of the continued work of the Church of North India and that (particularly here in Kolkata) the Catholic and Assemblies of God presence is the Christianity of which most Indians are aware. Perhaps that is largely caused by the tensions that have always existed in CNI between its historical ties with the colonizing religion of the West and its desire to be an indigenous Indian Church. Both the Roman Catholics and AGs are still controlled by their Western heads and can be more publicly present due to their outsider status. It is much more difficult for an Indian church to decipher its mixed identity in the public square. It again becomes the struggle that Mainline Protestantism in America grapples with : how do we both profess loudly our unique Christian faith and still be active and respected participants in a pluralistic society that does not necessarily share our faith commitments? How do we be revolutionary prophets for the peace and justice of Jesus Christ without disrespecting those who believe differently (and thus negating our own purpose of sharing the Good News)?
I think the beginning of the answer must be unity. Holding onto fights over history and polity, of schisms and excommunications does not seem appropriate any longer (I am not certain, personally, that it ever was, but that's a conversation for another day). CNI is on the right path, they are Christians in Northern India first and products of certain mission fields second. The next stage of their work will be to discern what their future holds as a faith communion. It has been nearly 40 years since the 40-year unity conversation culminated in the inauguration of the Church of North India. If the seminarians I have met at Bishop's College are any indication of the forthcoming church (and I like to think that seminarians always are!), I am very excited to see what CNI has in store for Northern India.
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