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INDIAN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY

God Realization / Experience God

Indian Christian theology started in 19th century and called as the Thommistic Christians.
From there the Christianity has started, though there are many religions and culture in India.
Indian Christian Theology is on the process of evolving among these religions. This
developing theology has made significant contributions to Indian Christian Theology. It has
foundation from the West and reassembles Christianity in the Cultural context of India. It has
focused on the realization of God with Indian background. Christian theology is to address to
the life-contexts of the people and socio-political situations existing in our country. It has
made effort to be contextual in attending to the problems in our society. In this way
discovering God through the suffering and working for their liberation in our context.

Our early Christian community converted from Hindu tradition to the Christian culture.
Though people converted to Christianity people brought the caste into Christianity because of
that it was not developed. There is disciple and guru system in Indian for educational system.
The liturgy played vital role to form the Christianity in the early days. From there foreign
missionaries developed the Christian community by adopting Indian situation to culture and
language by promoting Indian Christian theology.

Guru Roberto De Nobili : source of inspiration


Roberto De Nobili came as a missionary to spread Christianity in India. He has chosen
the inculturation as tool for spreading Christianity. It was very difficult for him so he changed
himself according the soil as guru. He became a sannyasi by practicing like Brahmin and
studied Hinduism and applied to Christianity by giving Christian interpretation in this way he
justified himself. His greatest contribution to Indian theology is praxis of inculturation, which
is the source of inspiration for the follower even today.

Upadhyaya: Thinker / pioneer for Christian faith


Upadhyaya suggested that Hindu-Christian which means that th fruitful interpretation of
Christian faith from Hindu world, ideals, conceptions and practices. He began an attempt of
Hindu encounter with Christ and Christianity. Even further he explained, we have drunk of
the spirit of Hinduism. His concept of Hindu-Christian is far reaching in its implications as it
breaks the traditional framework for the understanding of the Christian identity. He was a
pioneer in relating Christian faith with the culture, tradition, philosophy and genius of India.
Upadhyaya is remembered also for making known the mystery of God as Saccidananda. The
Divine mystery is Sat- being or reality; it is cit- consciousness and it is ananda- bliss. All
these dimensions are combined into one and the Divine mystery is named as Saccidananda.
He applies the trinity aspect to Saccidananda. God the Father is the Sat-being, the Son is the
Cit-consciousness, and the Spirit is Ananda-joy, fulfillment. He gave shape to a new way of
thinking for Indian Christians.

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Fr.P.Johanns and the Calcutta School
The protagonists group was pioneering venture to study Hinduism in depth so as to
meaningfully relate it to Christianity. They tried to effect a rapprochement between Hinduism
and Christianity, at doctrinal level, which took the concrete form of monthly publication
called “The Light of the East.” The goal of this publication was to help India to know and
understand Jesus. Not to put out the existing lights. Rather we shall try to show that the best
thought of the East is a bud that fully expanded blossom into Christian thought. Fr.Johann’s
through his writings he contributed regularly to the Light of East under the general theme: To
Christ through the Vedanta. He attempted to show a parallel between Thomastic ideas and the
views found in the Vedantic systems. He carries the credit of developing deep into the
Vedanta and fro reinforcing the idea that it contains truths and that it can lead us to Christ.
Christ and Christianity were shown by him as fulfillment of Vedanta.

Ashrams: Personal realization of God


Ashrams and sannyasa are household words in India. It evokes the minds to the history
of India’s quest for the Absolute; they renounced everything in search of Absolute. Ashram
represents a place or environment where this God-realization takes place. It is a place where
one seeks God intensely and experiences him deeply. The Necessary condition is sadana –
realization. It comes out of Dyana – intense Meditation and Yoga. Indian Christian theology
did not move above the Indian Heritage. Since 1940’s first Protestants, then Christians
followed to relate Christian faith with the tradition of Sannyasa and ashram. Ashram with its
life of Sannyasa proved the development of Indian Theology. The pioneers of the Christian
Ashrams and Sannyasa movements are Swami Parama Arubi Anandam, Swami
Abhishikananda, Swami Dayananda (Bede Griffths). Christian ashrams and Sannyasic
movement try to absorb this spirit of Hindu tradition. They have become the natural setting
for the development of an Indian Christian theology.

Bede Griffiths (Swami Dayananda): Mystical Experience of Trinity

Bede argues that the Saccidananda experience is parallel to the mystery of the Trinity.
According to Bede, the Hindu Advaitic experience ends with the realization of the one and
with identity with the One (I am Brahman). Whereas, the Christian experience of the Trinity
does not stop with the experience of identity and unity, rather it goes beyond. It breaks
through the identity, oneness and comes out as relation/communion and as love in a unity that
is differentiated. Cosmic revelation or covenant is the experience of the primordial presence
of the Divine in the world and within one’s inner self. To this primordial manifestation of the
Divine belong, in the Hebrew tradition, figures like Adam, Noah, and Melchizedek. In
Hinduism, this cosmic revelation in its exterior aspect is expressed in Vedic tradition, and in
its interior aspect in the Upanishads. This divine presence is a continuous and never ending
presence like the dance of Shiva. Each tradition is unique in its own way be it Christian,
Hinduism or Buddhism.

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Theology in a New Socio-Political Context
Theology has taken shape in the Indian socio-political context today; the motivation of
missionaries to save souls from domination by administering baptism and make them
members of the church. Hindus thought that Christians were aliens in India because the rule
of British. Christians responded to this nation building as developmental work for the society.
In the base of contextual theology we could see everything in the light of faith and
experience. The representatives of these two trends of Indian theology are known as
“Ashramites” and “Liberationists”. The future shape of Indian Theology will depend very
much on the way the religio-cultural and socio-political strands of thought.

RAIMUNDO PANIKKAR

Panikkar is an outstanding Indian theologian who has decisively influenced contemporary


Indian theology. His writings bring to light the understanding of reality in connection with
others, which forms the first step towards improving the society. His notion of cross-cultural
economics is based on the awareness of the intrinsic limitation of each economic system. The
adoption of a holistic vision as found in the advaitic tradition. This is an essential element for
transformation.

Radical Relativity and Cosmotheandrism:


Radical Relativity is the ontological state of the whole reality, which is the web of
relationships. Nothing is, nor can be understood and defined without reference to its being-in-
relation to the rest of reality. This affirms the oneness of reality and strikes out all dualism and
dichotomy. Radical Relativity can be perceived in the very heart of reality whose whole as
well as parts carry in themselves an abyss of mystery–understood in terms of either
transcendence or immanence-in which consciousness, earthliness and secularity or cosmic
nature come together. In other words, every being bears in itself the stamp of the divine, the
human and the cosmic. He coined the new term called Cosmotheandrism. The Cosmos, theos
and aner are not three dimensions of a whole, but rather all the three are present in every
single being, which makes the entire reality internally bound together by this cosmotheandric
principle.

Inter-Religious Relationships
Panikkar has set exercises a lot of influence on today’s Indian theological reflection in the
areas of Christology, inter-religious dialogue, hermeneutics etc. According to Panikkar, each
religion is a universe of myth (mythos), and is an organic whole by itself. Like a language, it
has its own structure, dynamism, and growth. Religions exist side by side with their own
autonomy. The diversity of religions is the manifestation of the great depth of reality. He sees
the relationship among the religions as relationship among myths. He calls this wider dialogue
as “ecumenical ecumenism” in contrast to “ecumenism” spoken in the Christian Churches.
The dialogue among the followers of various faiths should be a “dialogical dialogue” to enter
into the level of the mythos of the other. This dialogue will take the form of testimony rather
than discussion. The inter-religious dialogue which takes the form of testimony is bound to
lead to a truly “intra-religious-dialogue”. Influence, transformation and dialogue are
generated in a particular religious tradition when the presence of another religious tradition is
recognized and seriously taken into account.

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The mystery of Christ
It is against this background of the unity of all reality pluralism and dialogue among
religions, that Panikkar understands and interprets the mystery of Trinity and Christ. Panikkar
sees in the mystery of the trinity the paradigm of the very texture of reality which is radical
relativity.Panikkar understands Christ as the symbol of the Cosmotheandric reality.
Christophany: Christ, then, is the symbol of totality of reality. If such is the case that in
Christ the totality of reality manifests itself, then, what we have is nothing but a Christophany.
By a deep experience of reality, we then also experience Christ. This Christ transcends all
barriers of religions, history, temporality, etc. In this way Panikkar wants to open a space for a
meaningful dialogue and encounter with other religious traditions.

MICHAEL AMALADOSS

Religions and the Movement Towards Fullness


Regions are not related to one another nor are they equal to others. There is difference
and pluralism in this experience of the ultimate-as pluralism conditioned by diversity of
culture, socio-political; and historical factors. Each religion is capable in its own historic-
cultural situation of giving expression to an absolute relationship. Which binds it to the
followers of other faiths, hence dialogue becomes more important for the self-understanding
of religion. He suggested a model of community. The individuals are in the community each
one with his charismas talent experiences. They are one community growing towards the
fullness. The significance of historical jess is expressed saying that through his death God has
established and enduring covenant with humanity. The evangelization and proclamation
cannot be a one-sided activity of the part of the church, but it should take place in the context
of inter-religious dialogue.

SOCIO-POLITICAL ORIENTATION: Sebastian Kappan


He is known for his prophetic approach. He invites us to theologize in the Socio-Political
context. He was very much involved in studying the religio-cultural forces. What is
remarkable is that he brings his studies to bear upon the socio-political context more directly
and sharply. He was very much admired, but at the same times a contraverted theologian. He
has been a key figure in the shaping of Indian theology liberation. He lived in vital contact
with the various streams of liberation in the country, and was a source of inspiration for
several groups of social activists by his discussion and interaction.

Foundational Theology of Liberation


The foundational theology of liberation of Kappan is a theology which cuts across the
barriers of religions and ideologies, and critically reflects on “the historical self-manifestation
of the Divine as gift-call and on the human response to it.” It is also universal. It is not
restricted to religious group or tradition; it is founded on the experience of a common situation
in which Hindus, Muslims, Christians, followers of secular ideologies, etc., find satisfactory
solution to their day to day problems of life in social, cultural, economic and political level.
From this angle, we see that all genuine theology is liberative, as it provokes freedom from
every alienation and freedom for love, communion and creativity. The gospel can bring
transformation in Indian society, when it is read and interpreted in an unprejudiced manner,
freed from all historical accretions.
Theandric Praxis

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Kappen states that the Divine can be encountered either as a gift in the true experience of
love, truth, fellowship, etc., or as a challenge or a call mediated through the historical situation
in which we find ourselves. The manifestation of the Divine is mediated through history and
the human response to it takes place continuously, and that is what he calls theandric praxis.
For him theology is a reflection on this praxis.

Setting Jesus and his Gospel Free


He is critical of the present state of Christianity in general and of its condition in India in
particular. We have to proclaim Jesus Christ of pompous liturgy, preaching and dogma, but
Jesus of history, the prophet of Nazareth who could free the Indian society from its fetter.
According to Kappen the attachment to the mystical Christ blunts the awareness about the
Indian realities; it has rendered the Christians incapable of a prophetic involvement in the
contemporary Indian Society.

George M. Sores-Prabhu
Soares-Prabhu was the most influential Biblical scholar in India. His reading and
interpretation of the Bible starting from the Indian situation, characterized by massive poverty
and oppression, distinguished him from others. His interpretation of the Bible was very
scholarly, very relevant and at the same time faithful to its message. A religious reading will
apply the traditional method of Indian exegesis to the biblical text and transpose its Greek and
Hebrew symbols into Indian ones without destroying the social concern which is an essential
part of the Bible’s message. A social reading will read the Bible in the light of a liberating
praxis among the socially without succumbing to the sociological reductionism of the strictly
Marxist approach.

The Poor and their Role


Soares explores the Bible from the standpoint of the poor, the victims, and the exploited.
The result is a gripping and vibrant picture of the poor and their role in God’s dealings with
humanity. For him, the poor are not simply individuals in the Bible, but a sociological group,
marked by powerlessness and marginalization (also economic deprivation. According to his
analysis of the Bible, the poor is a dialectical group against the powerful, the mighty, the
haughty or the rich (as the Bible refers). The poor in the Bible is not a passive group, but an
active agent through whom God brings about radical changes and transformations in the world
and society.

The Liberative Pedagogoy of Jesus


The pedagogy of Jesus was highly liberative. The pedagogy is liberative in a two ways. It
liberates people from unbridled competitiveness and greed by making them conscious of their
worth. It teaches them the inalienable reality of God’s love. It leads to the realm of
unconditioned personal freedom (moksha). Another dimension is that it frees them from the
great myths which legitimize the structures of their society. It allows them to work for a new
world where in which all men and women live as brothers and sisters. The societal freedom
symbolized by the classless society of Karl Marx also lies in the horizon of the pedagogy of
Jesus.

SAMUEL RAYAN: an Attempt to formulate Ascending Christology


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The methodological significance of Rayan can be understood against background of
theological education in India, because at the time all for practical purpose the imparting the
western traditional theology which is only classical methodology. But he broke with this
tradition, to pursue theology differently. That is committed to attentiveness to what happens
to people around us, their struggles, their tears and hopes, and for response to concrete human
problems became the focal point of his theologizing. In short, his theology was the
methodology of Jesus himself for whom god talk was the fruit of his deep immersion into the
human. He suggested the urgency of interpreting the mystery of Christ starting from the
context of changing India with its problems and challenges.

For him reflection for Jesus and his message have clear Indian dent which from his
rootedness in Indian history, culture, and tradition. He brings insights from the Indian religio-
cultural tradition and dealt with Indian approach to history. For him, history is to be able to
understand both the biblical and Indian approach to history. Why he is concerned about
history is because he is convinced that history is about the human. For him history is to be
described in terms of the value and should make man as human. But it is not as the way of
domination, conquest or violence, exploitation. Church–Imitates Christ: For him ecclesiology
is the outcome of basic faith in the human person, and interpretation of Jesus and reading of
history. For him the task of the church is the same as that of Jesus: to be solidarity with
marginalized, to champion a new social order and to participate in the struggles for liberation
so that bread, freedom, justice and equality may be accessible to all children. In order to do
that, the church, like Him, must be truly enfleshed; it must become the flesh of India’s flesh.
He also gives much importance to witnessing through praxis that can make the church
credible as a herald of good news in India.

Conclusion
There are multi religion and culture in Indian. The Christianity is considered as the
foreign religion because Christianity has the unique way of worship God which is not
appropriate Indian soil. That is why any effort to build up a new humanity of freedom,
fellowship and justice in India has to take into account the fact of religious pluralism and
seriously examine whether it can be only an obstacle to be overcome. The author proposes
the interculturation where the dialogue between religions to understand better and respect,
know each other. This provokes new insights in the ongoing reflection on faith-experience.
The relationship between religion and society tends to slip into an enquiry into the
relationship between the church (institutional religion) and the state (institutional society).
This is the attempt to understand the role of religion in society ant its relationship to other
realities like culture, ideology, society and politics. The experience of pluralism and especially
the impact of it in the society are considered as a process of transformation toward great
justice. The myths seek to explain all phenomena interms of symbols and spirits. The whole
cosmos is seen as a unity. The growth of science has progressively replaced the simpler
explanations offered by cosmic myths.

The process of secularization has further strengthened this distinction between culture
and religion. Secularization has led to a greater differentiation between the various elements
that constitute society. The people are distancing themselves from institutional religion or

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choosing to live at superficial levels is no indications that they ignore this ultimate ground as
the basis of values.
Religion must also keep its transcendence in order to remain inspirational, prophetic and
eschatological. Religion needs to be inculturated in order to be relevant and effective. The
phenomenon of secularization has deprived religion of its claim to be a universal meaning
system. Vatican Council II also acknowledges this concept. In spite of forming various
fundamental movements, the religions must aim at becoming more personal, conscious project
and because it has to do with the ultimate meaning of life, it should have public impact.

Amaladoss says that religion must serve the interests of society. One cannot exist
without the other. Moreover, a secular state cannot really survive effectively unless the society
also becomes secular, with an awareness of itself as a multi-religious society. Society that is
committed to liberation the role of religion is one of providing inspiration, prophecy,
challenge, and hope in terms of the ultimate. In a multi-religious society the various religions
play this role together, that is, believers must not be satisfied in rooting themselves and in
being challenged by their own religion. They must seek in dialogue to provide a common
religious grounding that would inspire collectively the community committed to liberation.

It would be easy to understand that other religions too belong in some way to the
realization of God’s kingdom in this world. In seeking to establish this kingdom on earth, we
are called to collaborate with other believers and all people of goodwill. All of us are called to
conversion. All of us are called to confess our sins. All of us are called to be open to
enrichment by others. All of us are called to a common commitment. We are not here talking
of interreligious dialogue leading to the enrichment of each other’s faith, but we are asking for
a common action in the pursuit of justice and fullness for all human beings. We are called to
do this without in any way being disloyal to our faith.

Hence, interreligious dialogue does not only confine to the religious sphere but also must
embrace all dimensions of life: economic, sociopolitical, cultural and religious. In this way,
we can discover the complementarity, the urgency and the relevance of dialogue among the
common people in daily life as among scholars and people with deep religious experience. .
Thus each religious tradition may stand as unique agent of transformation.

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