In search of identity : debates on religious conversion in India

265 Pages·2003·7.621 MB·English

by  Sebastian C. H. Kim

GRAD
BL
639
.K561
2003
In Search of Identity
Debates on
Religious Conversion in India
SEBASTIAN C.H. KIM
OXFORD

In Search of Identity

In Search of Identity
Debates on Religious Conversion in India
Sebastian C.H. Kim
OXFORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
BL
OXFORD
■ KSél UNIVERSITY PRESS
YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi 110 001
^oo I
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Acknowledgements
This journey has been a hard one. On the way I have been immensely
enriched by my reading and writing on the topic of conversion in India
but often overwhelmed by the complexity of the issue I am dealing with.
My journey has been enlivened by the many people who have shaped
my thinking and supported me in various ways, and I am privileged to
acknowledge here the contributions they have made along the road.
I am deeply grateful and indebted to Dr Brian Stanley, my PhD
supervisor at the University of Cambridge, for his insights and thorough
guidance, and also his pastoral concern. I have particularly appreciated
his wide knowledge of world Christianity and his careful scholarship. I
am very thankful for the advice given by Dr Julius Lipner of the University
of Cambridge and Prof. Robert E. Frykenberg of the University of
Wisconsin. I am also grateful for the interaction of other faculty members
and fellow graduate students of the Faculty of Divinity, University
of Cambridge.
I wish to thank my colleagues at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune: Dr
Leaderwell Pohsngap, the Principal for his encouragement, and
particularly Dr P.S. Jacob for his insights on Indian philosophy, which
made me aware of the depth of Indian thought. I also appreciate the
friendship and warm hospitality of Krickwin and Hmingi Marak both
during the years I taught at UBS and while I visited there for my research.
I am indebted to the members of the Fellowship of Indian Missiologists,
who first introduced me to this research topic. I would especially like to
thank Dr Jacob Kavunkal, Dr Julian Saldanha and Dr S.M. Michael for
their advice and help. I also appreciate the valuable input of the late Dr
Stanley Samartha and other faculty members of the United Theological
College, and of Dr Joshua Kalapati of Madras Christian College.
vi Acknowledgements
I am grateful to the staff of the Union Biblical Seminary, United
Theological College, Madras Christian College, Ishvani Kendra,
Vidyajoti College, and the National Archives of India for their help in
accessing the resources of these institutions. I would also like to thank
the Voice of India, Hindu Vivek Kendra, especially Mr Ashok Chowgule
for providing valuable material. I have very much appreciated the literary
wealth of the University Library and the libraries of the Centre of South
Asian Studies and of the Faculty of Divinity at the University of
Cambridge. The specialist collection of the Henry Martyn Centre, for
the study of mission and world Christianity, has also proved a very useful
resource in Cambridge, and I am particularly grateful to Dr Graham
Kings for his warm fellowship. In addition, I have extensively used the
Oriental and India Office Collections of the British Library and the
library of the School of Oriental and African Studies.
What began as a PhD thesis has now been realised as a book due to
the help of the editors at the Oxford University Press, New Delhi. I
gready appreciate their efficiency and careful scrutiny of my script.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to those in Korea who have
encouraged and helped me, especially Dr Chong-Soon Park without
whose support this journey would not have been possible. The help and
concern of Dr Paul Kiman Choi also sustained me on the way, and for
this I am very grateful. I wish to thank Dr Jin-Kyung Chung, Dr Sun-
Hee Kwak, Revd Sam-Hwan Kim, Dr Sang-Bok Kim, Dr Keun-Young
Park and Mrs Eu-Sook Lee. At the Presbyterian College and Theological
Seminary, Seoul I also appreciate the encouragement of Prof. Jung-Woon
Suh, Prof. Kwang-Soon Lee and Prof. Sun-Ae Joo.
Throughout my journey, I have been immensely thankful for the
concern and love shown by my parents, Young-Tae Kim and Nam-
Kyoung Kim. The interest shown by my brothers and sisters, especially
my older brother Dong-Hwan Kim, has been a great encouragement to
me. I also would like to express my sincere appreciation to my parents-
in-law, Neil and Gwyneth Freeman for their thoughtful help and advice.
Jonathan and Lydia have been very patient and understanding of their
Daddy stuck in the study with his books. I am grateful to them and also
to Kirsteen, my wife, for her sacrificial support, her critical comments
and meticulous correction of my writing. This journey has been a hard
one but with the support of many, and by the help of God, it has also
been a joyful one.
Cambridge
December 2002
Abbreviations
AIR All India Reporter
ATA Asia Theological Association
BJP Bharatiya Janata Party
CAD Constituent Assembly Debates: Official Report (Delhi)
CBCI Catholic Bishops Conference in India
CELAM Consejo Episcopal Ladnoamericano (Latin American
Episcopal Conference)
CWMG The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (New
Delhi)
ER The Ecumenical Review
FIC The Framing of India’s Constitution: Select
Documents (B. Shiva Rao (ed.); New Delhi)
HVK Hindu Vivek Kendra
IBMR International Bulletin of Missionary Research
ICHR Indian Church History Review
IMC/CBMS, Joint Archives of the International Missionary Council
SOAS and Conference of British Missionary Societies, School
of Oriental and African Studies, London
IMR Indian Missiological Review
IRM International Review of Mission(s)
NCCC National Christian Council Correspondence (IMC/
CBMS, SOAS)
NCCI National Christian Council of India
viii Abbreviations
NCCR National Christian Council Review
Niyogi Report Report of the Christian Missionary Activities Enquiry
Committee (Madhya Pradesh)
R&S Religion and Society
RSS Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
VHP Vishwa Hindu Parishad
WCC World Council of Churches