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%

Kshatriya (Warrior class) 5%

Vaishia (merchant class) 5%

OBC (Backward Castes) 45%

SC 18%

Scheduled Castes

ST 8%

Scheduled Tribes

-80% of all Christians come from the Scheduled Castes and Tribals -90% of all Christian work is among Tribals

One suggested name for this is the

Fat, Lame man of India

Caste

Hindu Forum of Britain

Caste in the UK

A summary of the consultationwith 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 co-

operative 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 unionForeign missionaries reducedPara-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 Salvation or humanisation

Conversion (build the church or influence society?)

Focus on people groups

(‘homogeneous units’, caste) Social action and ch. planting(wholistic biblical worldview)

Contextualisation(Rethinking Forum,

Yesubhaktas)

Major networks

• EFI

• IMA

• GFA

• CTTI UP Mission

Operation Agape

Concern

• NPCTI

• 2020 Network

Completing the TaskCompleting the Task

in India (CTTI)in India (CTTI)GODGOD’’S STRATEGYS STRATEGY in the in the

world and India ( REV 7world and India ( REV 7:9) :9)

PLUG PLUG

• Reaching every

• People group

• Language

• Urban cities

• Geographical Villages

S Eastern UP: 10 districts

OUR Focus:The Block

District Population:2,000,000District Villages:2,000 – 3,000

Block Population:100,000 -150,000Block Villages:100-150

SEVENFOLD HEALING FOR SEVENFOLD HEALING FOR

INDIAINDIA

PHYSICALPHYSICAL

SPIRITIUL SPIRITIUL

MENTALMENTAL

EMOTIONALEMOTIONAL

INTERPERSONAL INTERPERSONAL

RELATIONSHIPSRELATIONSHIPS

SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS

(between communities) (between communities)

HEAL OF THE LANDHEAL OF THE LAND

Wholistic approach

CORE VALUES

THE GOSPELTHE GOSPELTHE GOSPELTHE GOSPELHEALTHHEALTHHEALTHHEALTH

THE POORTHE POORTHE POORTHE POORKINGDOM ETHICSKINGDOM ETHICSKINGDOM ETHICSKINGDOM ETHICS

MICRO-ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

PRIMARY

EDUCATION

LEADERSHIP

TRAINING

SPIRITUAL

TRANSFORMATION

COMMUNITY

HEALTH

HOSPITAL

SERVICES

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