Christian Identity and Dalit Religion in Hindu India, 1868-1947Series: Studies in the History of Christian Missions (SHCM)When a form of Christianity from one corner of the world encounters the religion and culture of another, new and distinctive forms of the faith result. In this volume Chad Bauman considers one such cultural context -- colonial Chhattisgarh in north central India.In his study Bauman focuses on the interaction of three groups: Hindus from the low-caste Satnami community, Satnami converts to Christianity, and the American missionaries who worked with them. Informed by archival snooping and ethnographic fieldwork, the book reveals the emergence of a unique Satnami-Christian identity. As Bauman shows, preexisting structures of thought, belief, behavior, and more altered this emerging identity in significant ways, thereby creating a distinct regional Christianity. |
Contents
Chhattisgarh the Satnamis | 8 |
Plan of the Book | 15 |
Broader Issues | 28 |
Factors in Becoming or Not Becoming Christian | 71 |
The Myth of History and the History of Myth | 101 |
Allopathic Medicine and the Allure of Efficacy | 133 |
Christian Womanhood | 167 |
Common terms and phrases
accepted according appears argued association attempted became Christian become began behavior believed brahman British called caste Central century Chamars Chapter Chhattisgarh Chris Christian community Church claims colonial considered context continued conversion cultural Disciples discussed early especially Evangelical evidence example fact famines figures folder followers foreign forms Ghasidas Ghasidas’s given Guru hand Hindu Hinduism Hira Lal identity important India indicated interest interpreted involved Jesus joined land later leaders living McGavran means medicine mission missionaries movement panth particularly past Paul percent political possible practices Press regarding region rejection religion religious Report respect returned ritual Robert Satnami Satnami-Christian Simon social Society status story suggests symbols term tion tradition treatment true Tularam University University Press Untouchable upper-caste values village western women York