Theology of Nation Building
Christian
great contributions in India is in socio-political revolutions. Nation building
efforts preceded by the independence struggle, is perhaps the most influential
secular context (next only to religious pluralism) which has shaped the recent
Indian Christian theologies. A theology of nationalism (in the sense of
nation-building), of liberation and social justice are the key motifs of this
context. The whole question of the secular interpretation of the Christian
message, and the development of relevant Christian ideologies will occupy
several years or decades of future Christian thinkers in India.
K.T Paul
(1876-1931)
He grew up at a
time when the Indian National Congress was actively voicing the growing demand
of educated Indians for representative government. Paul was committed to
political nationalism, seeing in it also a self- awakening of India which would
transform the totality on India’s traditional life. He saw the mission of an
Indian Indigenous Church in this context. He represented the Indian Christian
community at the Round Table Conference in London in 1930 called to resolve the
deadlock in British- India relations. It is he who coined the Phrases
“Christian Nationalism” and “New Dharma of Citizenship”, and many consider him
to be the first Christian statesperson of India. He had a positive approach to
the freedom struggle of India and supported Christian involvement in Freedom
Struggle. He continuously gives a supporting role in nation building.
P. Chenchiah (1886-1959)
Chenchiah was sure that the strong motivating power for the reordering of
society, ‘the spirit of nishkamya karma and self-forgetting love so much
needed for nation-building, could come only from the ministrations of faiths at
the highest level’. The Christian, more than any other, had to enter all areas
of life with this spirit and redeem them for the Kingdom. He deplored the
compartmentalisation of life into religious and non-religious spheres.
Chenchiah outlined a programme of social service and social action by
Christians in India. Among these were suggestions for the organization of
mobile service groups to undertake relief work on occasions of famine, fire,
pestilence and storms; co-operatives; experiments in common farming (advocated
as a national policy by Nehru fifteen years later), housing schemes and
co-operative banks. He encouraged that Christians should first equip themselves
with knowledge, both of their faith and of the possible ways in which social problems
could be tackled, before they could play a significant redemptive role in the
affairs of the nation. The absence of such thinking was a great lack in the
armour of the Indian Christian. Therefore he called upon his educated
fellow-Christians to ‘discuss and formulate after study a Christian scheme or
policy in politics and economics which they shall try to implement whatever
party they may join’. And to stimulate their thinking, he along with close
friends like A.N. Sudarsanam, V. Chakkarai and G.V. Job, started the Indian
Christian Book Club.
Dialogue
with men of other faiths was a spontaneous, almost natural, Christian
self-expression for Chenchiah, at bar association premises, verandah clubs and
many other places of meeting. At a time when Christians in India are taking
their ‘participation’ in nation-building seriously and are concerned with
‘partnership’ with men of other faiths and ‘dialogue’ with them at depth, it is
right and proper that we go back to Chenchiah and draw upon the resources of his
thought. Chenchiah is significant as one who cleared the ground for a mature
‘Indian Christianity’.
Following
from this Devanandan advocates praxis as well as orthodoxy as a must for the
church’s witness. And he earnestly calls upon Christians to participate
actively in the nation building activities and gives a firm basis for this.
This means taking part with other groups or non-Christian organizations for a
combined effort towards social upliftment — even if need be secular or other
ideological groups. Association with non-Christian ideologies and structures
does not deter him from the Christian duty of nation building.
V.
Chakkarai (1880-1958)
He qualified as
a lawyer but later worked with Danish Missionary Society. As early as 1906 he
became part of freedom struggle and in 1920 he joined Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation
campaign. He was a great champion of Gandhi’s peaceful resistance. As a
Christian socialist, he also put his time and energy into the emerging trade
union in Madras. It is no wonder then that he ultimately chose for a political
career, holding a number of important positions: he was mayor of the city of
Madras, a member of the Legislative Assembly of the state of Madras and
chairman of the All India Trade Union Congress. He was sure of his socialist
perspective and he participated in the political field to make his mark.
5.4. S.K.
George (1900-1960)
In 1931 he
joined national freedom movement and stayed in Sabarmati Ashram In 1937 he
helped in organizing the Interreligious Students Fellowship, which tried to
bring together students belonging to different religions for mutual
understanding and cooperation. These facts indicate that he had a radical
concern for the nation-building. S.K. George saw Gandhi practicing the
Christian message of love based on non-violence and thus supported Gandhi’s
movement. He also recognized that the goodwill of India will lead to goodwill
of Indian Christian. Indian Christian will surely have more opportunities in
free India rather than enslaved India under colonial rule. His nationalism
focused on building of a nation on non-violence that leads to establishment of
justice. He realized that truth is part of every faith at the same time all
faiths have its own limitation therefore, we need to respect each other’s faith
and create harmony.
M.M. Thomas(1916-1996) was
another great Indian thinker and have the greatest influence for Indian
Christian Theology. Along with Raymondo Panikkar and Stanley Samartha, M.M.
Thomas makes up the modern trio of Indian theologians, comparable to the
classical trio — Chakkarai, Chenchiah and Devanandan. His understanding of
society, revolution and ideology was stabilized mainly in connection with his
preparation for and contribution for the nation. His book Christian
Participation in Nation Building is another key to unlock the theology of
nation building. His theology is action-oriented. Like the liberation
theologians of Latin America he places praxis before orthodoxy. Responsibility
is the key word here. This is what the WCC calls the action-reflection method.
He finds the basis for this in the New Testament: as “faith working through
love”. It is for this reason that Boyd labels Thomas’ theology as “The Way of
Action”.
Russell Chandran
belongs to that generation of Indian Christians who stand between the colonial
period and the emergence of indigenised Christianity. Four concepts of peace,
justice, freedom and dignity are referred to by Chandran in almost all his
sermons, articles and talks, for him, since love means concrete action — “love
has to be expressed in terms of justice, mercy and peace”. And there is no
justice without political change, and the people of God are always on the move
changing. This means clearly that political involvement is a must for every
Christian, for the Church. Chandran founded the unique organization called the
Christian Union of India. The motto of this union was “to serve India in the
name of Christ”. Two prominent objectives of this union includes to
strengthen and promote secular democracy; to educate the Christian community in
nation-building.
P.D. Devanandan (1901-1962), he
was influenced by the humanistic philosophy, thus he claimed, we as Christians
ought to act as pioneers in radically removing the more important social evils
in India by personal example. Due to the influence of K.T. Paul he was also
involved in the freedom struggles. His nationalistic concerns were by no means
superficial since, he felt, any human efforts to achieve national unity must
reckon with the living God who is the generating power of all true community
being.
Vishal Mangalwadi (b.1952), a young theologian emphasize to reform the society, and strongly believes that the church is the necessary agent for such a social reform. So, he propose a practical proposal as to how farmers’ economic reform movements can be established to droves out poverty in India.