Picture copyright Focus Radio 2008
India: the two big issues
Religious pluralism Hindus 84% Muslims 10% Christians 3% Sikhs 1.5% Buddhists, Jains, others 1.5%
Inequality Regional Economic Social - caste
India: A landmark election India Focus NOMURA GLOBAL ECONOMICS Alastair Newton +44 20 710 23940 alastair.newton@nomura.com Sonal Varma +91 22 4037 4087 sonal.varma@nomura.com Prabhat Awasthi +91 22 4037 4180 prabhat.awasthi@nomura.com Craig Chan +65 6433 6106 craig.chan@nomura.com May 18, 2009 The ruling UPA coalition has done unexpectedly well in India s
Business people
Religion is alive and well
Shiva Shiva & Parvati Durga/Kali Ganesh Lakshmi Krishna
Gurus Sai Baba Rajneesh Murari Bapu Many others
Issues Three major structures of Hinduism, both barriers and bridges
SOCIAL Family Community Caste THEOLOGICAL All ways lead to God SPIRITUAL There are other powers
Issues Connecting British Hindus Identity: how do Hindus define themselves? Relating to other faith communities especially Muslims Re-interpreting Hindu values for the next generation - in a new context
Brahmins 5% One suggested name for this is the Fat, Lame man of India Vaishia (merchant class) 5% OBC (Backward Castes) 45% Kshatriya (Warrior class) 5% Scheduled Castes SC 18% ST 8% Scheduled Tribes -80% of all Christians come from the Scheduled Castes and Tribals -90% of all Christian work is among Tribals
Caste Hindu Forum of Britain Caste in the UK A summary of the consultation with the Hindu community in Britain
Caste Discrimination: Hindu Council UK Puts the Record Straight The result of several months research by Dr Raj Pandit Sharma
The church in India as old as the 1st century AD but as new as the many churches being planted today. unevenly distributed, with very few in the north compared to the south and north-east.
North India 0.87% 70% North East 31% 0.5% South India 6% 30%
united through church unions and cooperative structures but also divided by social distinctions and personality clashes. faces great openness to the Gospel along with considerable pressure in some places. Its style of worship and church life is very Indian in some congregations, very western in others.
Post-independence (1947) Church union Foreign missionaries reduced Para-church organisations (local church becomes weak) Cross-cultural mission
Issues today What does it mean to be Indian and Christian? Rammohun Roy Brahmabandhav KC Sen NV Tilak Chakkarai and Chenchiah Subba Rao
Religious pluralism Inequality Uniqueness of Christ Conversion Focus on people groups ( homogeneous units, caste) Contextualisation (Rethinking Forum, Yesubhaktas) Salvation or humanisation (build the church or influence society?) Social action and ch. planting (wholistic biblical worldview)
Major networks EFI IMA GFA CTTI UP Mission Operation Agape Concern NPCTI 2020 Network
Completing the Task in India (CTTI) GOD S S STRATEGY in the world and India ( REV 7:9) 7 PLUG Reaching every People group Language Urban cities Geographical Villages
S Eastern UP: 10 districts
District Population: 2,000,000 District Villages: 2,000 3,000 OUR Focus: The Block Block Population: 100,000-150,000 Block Villages: 100-150
SEVENFOLD HEALING FOR INDIA PHYSICAL SPIRITIUL MENTAL EMOTIONAL INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS (between communities) HEAL OF THE LAND
Wholistic approach SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION LEADERSHIP TRAINING HOSPITAL SERVICES CORE VALUES THE GOSPEL HEALTH THE POOR KINGDOM ETHICS PRIMARY EDUCATION COMMUNITY HEALTH MICRO-ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT KACHHWA CHRISTIAN HOSPITAL Transformational Ministries
Conversion Exploitation of the poor? Multinational funding? Global domination? Anuja Prashar, Conversion and Anti-conversion
Professor Rambachan Colonialism Exclusive claims Identification with missionary culture New community identity
How do we respond? Recognise the concerns Discuss, debate, dialogue Examine our ultimate goal Examine our motivation Examine our language Consider cultural expectations for spirituality & discipleship
Other questions Response only from Dalits? Only rural? Overcoming caste barriers? Sustainable
Sustainability Finance People
Contextualised approaches
Isu Satsang Singing
Isu Satsang
Questions Baptism and communion?
Questions Symbols?
Questions - Boundaries? - Baptism and communion? - Symbols? - Teaching? - Leadership?
The church in India Demonstrating Integrity and justice Concern for the whole person Transparent leadership Crossing barriers Unity Biblical discipleship Spiritual power
Church and ministry structures Integrity Family life Prayer and response to the supernatural