Global Report: Ministries Now Aim to Reach Hindu Heads as Well as Hearts

by Stan Guthrie

C. Kaushal remembered the bloody partition of India in 1947 as if it happened last week. Kaushal was 9 years old when the British withdrew from India, sparking the slaughter of half a million Muslims and Hindus. His family, which worshiped the monkey god Hanuman and four other gods, had little sympathy for the monotheistic Muslim minority.

C. Kaushal remembered the bloody partition of India in 1947 as if it happened last week. Kaushal was 9 years old when the British withdrew from India, sparking the slaughter of half a million Muslims and Hindus. His family, which worshiped the monkey god Hanuman and four other gods, had little sympathy for the monotheistic Muslim minority.

“I remember very specifically that my parents sent me with food to give to my elder brother, who was busy joyfully . . . killing Muslims,” Kaushal said, his voice suddenly choked with regret.

Later, as a 15-year-old, he saw a mason repairing a stone idol, and he began doubting the truth of Hinduism. Then, in 1960, Kaushal heard an evangelistic sermon and became aware of his own sin, including his complicity in the murder of Muslims 13 years before. Kaushal received Christ, and a great burden was lifted from his heart.

But when his Hindu family members heard about Kaushal’s conversion, they scornfully dissolved an arranged marriage, beat him severely, and kicked him out of the house. “Half dead” and with nowhere else to go, Kaushal walked 35 miles to Delhi and knocked on the door of a pastor he knew. Kaushal now serves as director of the Delhi-based Living Hope Ministries, an evangelistic and training agency.

A mile wide, an inch deep?
A half a century after the bloody birth of India as an independent state, Kaushal’s experience is emblematic of both the problems and progress in reaching Hindus for Christ. On the one hand, a Christian presence exists in every one of India’s 600 districts, according to the Evangelical Fellowship of India. Some 15,000 Indians serve cross-culturally as missionaries in the country, with another thousand working internationally. On the other hand, only about a fourth of India’s 28,000 postal regions have a Protestant pastor, evangelist, or missionary, and only a third of the country’s 219 languages have any portion of Scripture. According to the encyclopedic work Peoples of India, the country is home to 980 peoples. The Indian Missions Association, however, reports that more than 600 of them are still “unreached.”

Yet a series of new evangelistic and prayer initiatives is giving cause for hope that centuries of inertia are over and that the world’s 800 million Hindus may finally be more than a blip on evangelical radar screens. (For a summary of Hindu beliefs, see box on page 471.)

Since the traditional arrival of Thomas in the first century—the ancient Mar Thoma church is named for the “doubting” apostle—Christians have been a small but significant presence in India for nearly two millennia. Officially listed as 2.5 percent of India’s nearly 1 billion people, Christians may equal about 4 percent—or a presence approaching 40 million people.

The Christian mark on the culture runs deep, at least in the south. Francis Sunderaraj comes from a Christian family in Madras. He and his wife live in a housing complex amid Hindu neighbors in Hyderabad. She teaches in a Roman Catholic school where 95 percent of the students are either Hindu or Muslim.

“Hindus have a great respect for the values of the Christian faith, particularly in the field of serving the community,” said Sunderaraj, who served as general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India until his retirement from the post earlier this year. “They have a great respect for our institutions, our hospitals, and they do respond very well.”

Strong indigenous organizations such as the Friends Missionary Prayer Band and the India Missions Association continue to recruit and send workers. The IMA reports that 471 missionaries from India Every Home Crusade visited nearly 4.6 million homes in almost 10,000 villages in 18 states over a 15-month period, starting 2,500 “Christ groups.”

Other organizations work closely with Western partners. In 1996 OM India, affiliated with Operation Mobilization, launched an initiative called Project Light to present the gospel to 100 million Indians via literature distribution, preaching, and other means over a five-year period.

Sunderaraj, noting that India’s tribal peoples and untouchables will “naturally” continue responding to the love of Christians, says charismatic churches are finding strong response to the gospel in conjunction with ministries of healing and deliverance from demons.

“They pray and visit the family of the sick, and they let the family know that they are praying for the person,” Sunderaraj said. “When the person is healed, that creates a response. I know of many cases where, just by healing, many Hindus—and even Muslims—are becoming Christians.”

Some parts of India’s largely tribal North East are among the most evangelical on earth, of course. However, the vast northern and northwestern Hindu belt, where Kaushal works, has barely been touched, more than two centuries after William Carey launched the modern era of missions from there. Missiologist Roger Hedlund, who teaches at Carey’s Serampore College, says the nation’s 700 million-plus Hindus “for the most part remain untouched.”

“The Indian missionary movement is largely rural and tribal,” continued Hedlund, who works with CBInternational. “For the most part it misses the burgeoning urban populations of India’s 300 cities.”

That may be changing. In February, 1995, 25 leaders from 17 churches and agencies formed the Partnership for North India, which has a goal of seeing a church within “shouting distance” of every village and urban area. The four emphases of the partnership are prayer, mobilization, research, and training. While Western “missionaries” are largely taboo, the networks in the partnership are hoping to mobilize and train 50,000 church planters in the next five years. They have identified 55 major groupings of people in the region, divided into a dozen clusters.

Luis Bush, who leads the international AD2000 and Beyond Movement, estimates that over the last quarter-century, just nine Indian and Western agencies have started nearly 5,700 churches in the country’s north. His count does not include the work of many smaller agencies. In Himachal Pradesh, called by Operation World “India’s least-evangelized state,” around 150 pastors turned out for a May conference on church planting. The DAWN Fridayfax reports that about 1,200 people have been baptized in the state in the last five years, with 20 new churches started in the first three months of this year alone.

“North India stands at a unique moment in its history,” Bush said. “The Holy Spirit is moving as perhaps never before.”

Why have such signs been so long in coming? An American missionary to Nepal, the world’s only Hindu kingdom, says that there has been no event in the Hindu world comparable to the Iranian hostage crisis or the Gulf war to get the attention of Western Christians. (See sidebar on Nepal on page 471.)

“I wonder if the primary reason for the neglect is that our own national and security issues have not arisen in these countries,” he said. The annual “30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus” has encouraged millions of evangelicals around the world to intercede for the Islamic world. Hoping to spark a similar outpouring for Hindus, Youth With A Mission, South Asian Concern, and the Pittsburgh, Pa.-based “Reconciliation!” church fellowship launched a “30 Days Hindu Prayer Focus.” Participation in the first effort, from May 18 to June 16, was comparatively small but promising.

“We are finding evangelism and church planting among Hindus slow,” stated Raju Abraham, director of missions for SAC. “At the same time, I have observed much greater openness among Muslims as a result of the (other) worldwide prayer movement.”

“With serious prayer, I believe that we could see fantastic things in five years,” Abraham added.

Besides a lack of prayer, there are many reasons for the weakness of Christianity among the Hindus of North India, of course. Sunderaraj mentions the deep entrenchment of Hindu religion and culture.

“One barrier is that Hinduism is basically syncretistic,” Sunderaraj noted. “Hinduism can absorb any religion. ‘There’s a big ocean,’ and Christ can be(seen as) one of the incarnations. That is a big barrier. It’s very difficult in such a situation to proclaim the uniqueness and supremacy of Jesus Christ. The second is that teaching salvation to the Hindu is not very easy. To tell them your sins are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ is something ‘too easy.’ They don’t accept that.”

According to Robin Thomson, a partner of the Surrey, England-based South Asian Concern and director of Satya Bhavan, SAC’s ministry of training, research, and outreach among South Asians, the main barriers are social and cultural. Thomson says many mainstream Hindus saw the church as a Western institution fit only for the lower castes and outcastes, who gladly embraced the dignity offered in Christ.

“For the minority who get past the cultural barrier, a major spiritual barrier is the gospel’s emphasis on the cross, repentance, and salvation by grace alone,” Thomson said. “Many Hindus have a deep desire to do things for their salvation and a deep pride in their culture and spiritual achievement.”

Hindu resurgence
That pride has grown visibly in the last few years—unfortunately sometimes seen in attacks on minority religions and motivated by fear, both from the gains of other groups, and by the inroads made by modern and postmodern culture.

In 1992 Hindu mobs destroyed the historic Babri Mosque in Ayodhya. Hundreds of Muslims were then massacred in Bombay, heretofore known mainly as India’s commercial hub. A Hindu political group, the Bharatiya Janata Party, has come to prominence, running prosperous Bombay (now called by its “Hindu” name, Mumbai) and (with the fundamentalist Shiv Sena) the state of Maharashtra as well. Last year a BJP politician introduced a bill that, if passed, would outlaw conversions from one religion to another in Maharashtra.

“Hindu nationalist groups are growing in influence in India,” Thomson said. “The basic aim of such groups is the restoration of Hindutva, a Hindu kingdom, and the restoration of the former glories of Hindu culture.”

Hindus, who comprise 83 percent of India’s 949 million people, make liberal use of television, movies, and newspapers to convey their message and values. Sunderaraj remembers the days when a festival to honor Ganesha, the elephant god, was a subdued affair.

“These days, they have become very aggressive,” Sunderaraj said.

(Of course, Christians have for years been adept at using the media to spread the good news. Films such as “Ocean of Mercy,” “Man of Compassion,” and “Jesus” regularly draw large audiences. Trans World Radio broadcasts programs in 40 languages, FEBA Radio in 25, Gospel For Asia in 11, and Back to the Bible in five.)

Hindu outreach
Sunderaraj and others report systematic efforts by Hindus to reconvert Christians and Muslims who were once Hindus. Aiding the Hindus in their task is the carrot of government set-asides for low-caste Hindus, in the form of scholarships and jobs.

Of course, some Hindu fundamentalists, like zealots from other religions, are not averse to using the stick of violence. Sunderaraj says he has heard reports of pastors, evangelists, and church buildings being attacked. “At the same time, protection is also being given by the government and by the police,” he noted. “When we get into converting people, there is a resistance.”

“There was a time when the Hindu scriptures and the Hindu talks were confined to certain people—maybe the priests and the Hindu philosophers,” Sunderaraj said. “Now we are given to understand that it is going down to the Hindu lay people, also. We even hear about the Sunday schools at the Hindu temples, and also (Hindus) visiting the hospitals. Hinduism is becoming a kind of missionary religion.”

Most of that effort is aimed at strengthening Hindus in their own faith and culture, and not at other communities. But India has thousands of “godmen” and “godwomen” who attract followings of various sizes for their purported spiritual insights and ability to perform miracles. India is also home to a devoted band ofrationalist “guru-busters” who attempt to debunk the claims of the politically connected gurus, some of whom have international followings.

One well-known Hindu sect, the Hare Krishnas, is openly evangelistic, while other Hindu outreach efforts, such as the New Age movement, are more subtle. Acharya Palaniswami, a Hindu monk and editor of the Hawaii-based Hinduism Today, notes the infusion of Western talent and money over the last three decades, which has improved the ability of Hindus to reach out to an increasingly receptive West. Hinduism Today presents the Hindu message in an attractive format to readers in 39 countries.

“The West is clearly open to the Hindu message, ready to hear about yoga, meditation, mysticism, healing and the ancient ways,” he wrote in an article for World Pulse. “. . . . A small army of yoga missionaries—hatha, raja, siddha and kundalini—beautifully trained in the last 10 years, is about to set upon the Western world. They may not call themselves Hindu, but Hindus know where yoga came from and where it goes.”

Many large Hindu temples have been built in the traditionally “Christian” United States and Great Britain. Of course, the same modern and postmodern culture that has opened the door to wider acceptance of Hinduism in the West also poses a challenge to the hundreds of thousands of immigrant Hindus, as well as their compatriots back in India.

In today’s increasingly pluralistic world, Hindus—still smarting over what they see as missionary mistreatment—are making alliances with members of other religions where they can. Palaniswami reports a multifaith effort called the United Religions Initiative to encourage all religions to work together in harmony. At a recent meeting in San Francisco, he said, “public apologies were made to all present for the aggressions the Christians have made upon the other religions.” In another example, however, last summer Hindus worked with Protestant Christians to get Boris Yeltsin to veto a law restricting religious freedom in Russia, which Yeltsin in fact did.

Palaniswami acknowledges the right to “ethical conversion” of people from one faith to another. He says that his Hindu church, the Saiva Siddhanta Church, does not allow a person to leave the religion he was born with and embrace Hinduism until his former religious leader—say, a rabbi—accepts his decision and releases him.

“Hindus, of course, do their missionary work, their outreach to the world, primarily but not exclusively to Hindus,” he said. “They are not engaged in trying to convert the world to their spiritual path, and in fact consider such efforts puerile, unreligious, and destructive to individuals, families, and societies.”

Palaniswami added, “Most missionaries, certainly not all, still live in the conquistador’s consciousness, wanting in their hearts for Christianity to conquer the world and not too worried about any anguish that might be caused along the way.”

Christian responses
For their part, increasing numbers of Christians, in the spirit of William Carey, are approaching Hindu religion and culture with a renewed seriousness.

Hedlund is managing editor of Dharma Deepika, a twice-a-year Christian journal published from Madras that examines missiological issues in South Asia. Dharma Deepika is directed to Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian religious leaders. Hedlund also teaches at the Centre for South Asian Studies in Los Angeles. The center educates Christians through seminars and workshops, provides specialized seminary and university courses, and offers research opportunities.

“The institute is part of a strategy to put India back on the evangelical map by creating awareness of the Hindu world among Christians, churches, mission agencies, and institutions,” Hedlund said.

Last summer Indian author Vishal Mangalwadi began a weekly Hindi radio program that presents contextualized Christianity to high-caste Hindus. Mangalwadi, author of a book defending the work of Protestant missionaries in his country, Missionary Conspiracy: Letters to aPostmodern Hindu, has also written a series of Hindi booklets. Called “Good News Capsules,” the booklets are available on computer disk and cover topics such as caste, women’s roles, karma, and idolatry.

Over each of the past several years, the Union of Evangelical Students of India (part of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students) has seen at least 5,000 students from Hindu backgrounds profess faith in Christ in Andhra Pradesh. The UESI recently appointed a leader to spearhead outreach in North India.

Sunderaraj advocates a two-pronged approach to evangelizing the country: praying for and encouraging the missionaries in India who work mainly among people of lower status, and supporting Christian professionals to reach out to their non-Christian colleagues.

“We need to pray for the Christian teachers, medical doctors, scientists, and others—the lay people who have access to . . . the influential Hindus,” he said. “Some of them are doing it and being serious about it.”

The many Christian Indian businessmen in other countries are also being urged to use their influence and resources to develop India, support local ministries, and reach out evangelistically. South Asian Concern is encouraging “Non-Resident Indian” investors to help develop “a new generation of creative business people, committed to high standards and biblical principles.”

Westerners also have an open door because of India’s budding commitment to free-market economic reforms. “What the Western church should do is try to send good Christian businessmen,” Sunderaraj suggested. “They have a very critical role to play in India, because they are the ones who would be dealing with the cream of India—the Hindus and Muslims.”

There is a new sense of optimism and momentum in contemporary efforts to present the gospel to Hindus, heretofore one of the world’s least evangelized, and least understood, major blocs of people. It is a start, but only that. Thomson, for one, says the greatest need is for prayer.

“We are just beginning the task of serious communication of the good news of Jesus Christ with Hindus,” he noted. “There is a great foundation of the demonstration of Christ’s love and justice through Christian service over the last 200 years. We now need to share the good news in ways that are sensitive to culture.”

Sunderaraj also urges prayer for India and the Hindu peoples. “I believe that God loves these people,” he said. “That is why he sent his Son into this world."

Copyright © 1997 Evangelism and Missions Information Service (EMIS). All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from EMIS.

Comments are closed.