THE GROWTH OF CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA
History of the Christian Church II
May 6, 2013
The growth of Contemporary Christianity in India is a vast and complicated topic. India is a web of culture and religion and oppression. “India has been the home of many and different civilizations.” It is vast and tangled in adaption and inclusion of cultures. “India is a huge, sprawling, chaotic, colorful and energetic country. With more than 1.2 billion people, it is the world’s second most populace country, and will soon outstrip China as the largest.”
Today, approximately 80% of its people are professing of the Hindu faith; India is also home to the second largest Muslim population, and holds only 30 million Contemporary Christians. This presents a struggle for Contemporary Christianity in the country. This paper will trace the origins of Contemporary Christianity in India all the way up to the present day oppression and struggle.
Early signs of Contemporary Christianity in India can be traced back as far as Marco Polo’s mission journey. But it wasn’t until 1498 when Vasco da Gama brought Catholicism into India that it began to spread like wildfire. Soon it became strong and dominate. It is easy to see that the influence of Contemporary Christianity comes from the roots in Roman Catholicism.
Contemporary Christian missionary work from America to Central India began in 1872 when Rev. Clark, along with some fellow Christians that had learned a village language, began to preach the gospel. Today that work shows for 2.3 percent of the population claiming Christianity as a religion. India, to its credit, in the early 1900’s, took the lead in promoting Christian Unity.
India holds the largest number of poor, and the 4th largest number of millionaires. This makes India the country with the greatest disparity between the rich and the poor. Many Christian Missionaries take this as an open door to help build hospitals and orphan homes.
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