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A Study of Pentecostalism in Rajasthan, India

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A Study of Pentecostalism in Rajasthan, India A CONTEXTUAL MISSIOLOGY OF THE SPIRIT: A STUDY OF PENTECOSTALISM IN RAJASTHAN, INDIA by WESSLY LUKOSE A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion College of Arts and Law The University of Birmingham March 2009 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract This thesis studies the identity, context and features of Pentecostalism in Rajasthan, India as well as the internal and external issues facing Pentecostals. It argues for an indigenous origin of Pentecostalism in Rajasthan, as it is a product of local Spirit revivals in the existing churches and the missionary activities of Indian Pentecostals. It also reveals that both the intra-church as well as extra- church issues place Pentecostals in a ‘missio-ethical dilemma.’ The thesis aims to suggest ‘a contextual missiology of the Spirit,’ as a new model of contextual missiology from a Pentecostal perspective, which has emerged from this study. The inherent theological characteristics of Pentecostalism underline the pneumatological foundation of a contextual Pentecostal missiology. As a contextual missiology of the Spirit it has certain contextual features. By dealing with the global-local tension, it can be considered a glocal missiology. It is capable of promoting ecumenicity at various levels, and so it is an ecumenical missiology. By empowering people to engage in spiritual as well as socio-political issues, it aims to be a transformational missiology. As it is concerned with the well-being of the community, it has the potential to become a public missiology. Dedicated to the Loving Memory of The late Dr. Thomas Mathews, the Apostle of the Desert of Rajasthan Acknowledgements My heart overflows with a deep sense of gratitude to God Almighty, for in Him I live and move and have my being, and He is the prime source behind the completion of this work. I could not have achieved this task without the assistance and support of a number of people and institutions. I am immensely grateful and indebted to Prof. Allan Anderson, my supervisor, for his thorough guidance and valuable insights, and also his pastoral care and concern. I have benefited from his vast knowledge of global Pentecostalism, and his efficient scholarship. I am thankful to Prof. Werner Ustorf for the useful comments on my research proposal in the initial period. I also extend my thanks to Prof. Martin Stringer for the valuable advice given regarding the field research. I acknowledge my gratefulness to both Dr. Richard Burgess and my friend Jerry who read my work carefully, and gave useful suggestions and correction of my writing. I am also grateful for the interaction of the faculty members and fellow post-graduate students of the Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies at the University of Birmingham, which in various ways assisted my work. Studying at the University of Birmingham would not have been possible without the encouragement of the late Dr. Thomas Mathews who was a major source of inspiration for my research, and his untimely demise has made its own impact along the journey. I acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr. Finny Philip, the Principal of Filadelfia Bible College (FBC) and my colleague Rev. Shaibu Abraham, who read my work at various stages or gave me valuable suggestions and encouragement. I also extend my thanks to other faculty members as well as students of FBC for their constant prayers and support. I wish to thank the Pentecostal leaders, pastors as well as congregations who played a major part in this research in one way or the other. I am deeply indebted to the members of both the Birmingham Pentecostal Fellowship and the Leicester Christian Prayer Fellowship, two south Indian Pentecostal churches, who were a constant support by providing me and my wife with a sense of belonging in a foreign land, and their sacrificial financial help became a major resource for the completion of this study. I am also grateful to Emmanuel Church, Durham, one of my sponsors, and without their help this study would not have been possible. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Mylne Trust, Farnham, who also provided a financial grant towards this study. I also want to express my gratitude to my family, and in particular my parents Pastor G. Lukose and Aleyamma Lukose, for their love and constant prayers, and to my brother and sisters and other family members as well as my in-laws for their support. This work would not have been completed without the love, care and prayers of my beloved wife Joyce. She has been like a mother, friend and a counsellor to me and a constant source of encouragement and inspiration, even when we went through some of the most difficult times of our life during this study. Abbreviation AICC All India Christian Council AIT Asian Institute of Theology AJPS Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies ATA Asia Theological Association BJP Bharatheeya Janatha Party CHAI Church History Association of India CISRS Centre for Religion and Spciety CLS Christian Literature Society CMS The Church Missionary Society CNI Church of North India CSS Christhava Sahithya Samithy CUP Cambridge University Press Dharma Deepika Dharma Deepika: A Journal of South Indian Missiological Research FBC Filadelfia Bible College FFCI Filadelfia Fellowship Church of India GLS Gospel Literature Service Good News Good News: The First Pentecostal News Weekly in Malayalam IBMR International Bulletin of Missionary Research ICHR Indian Church History Review IPCoG Indian Pentecostal Church of God ISPCK Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge IVP Inter-Varsity Press JAM Journal of Asian Mission JPT Journal of Pentecostal Theology JPTS Journal of Pentecostal Theology Supplement LMS The London Missionary Society MIIS Mylapore Institute for Indigenous Studies Mission Studies Mission Studies, Journal of the International Association for Mission Studies NGO Non-Governmental Organization NIDPCM New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (eds. Burgess and van der Mass) NMM Native Missionary Movement OUP Oxford University Press Pneuma Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies RPC Rajasthan Pentecostal Church RSS Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh SAIACS South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies SAP Sheffield Academic Press SPCK Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge TCWSI Tribal Christian Welfare Society of India UCNI United Church of Northern India VHP Vishwa Hindu Parishad WCC World Council of Churches Table of Contents CHAPTER 1............................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 1.1. The Background.......................................................................................................................2 1.2. Objectives and Significance of the Study ...............................................................................8 1.3. Initial Consideration of Sources............................................................................................11 1.3.1. Indian Pentecostalism.......................................................................................................11 1.3.2. Pentecostalism in Rajasthan .............................................................................................15 1.4. Key Definitions and Limitations ...........................................................................................17 1.4.1. Definition of Terms ..........................................................................................................17 1.4.2. Geographical Locations....................................................................................................24 1.4.3. Other Limitations..............................................................................................................25 1.5. Methodology and Procedure .................................................................................................27 CHAPTER 2............................................................................................. 43 HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND IDENTITY............................................... 43 2.1. The Identity Quest..................................................................................................................43 2.1.1. A Socio-Religious Issue ...................................................................................................45 2.1.2. A Missiological Issue .......................................................................................................48 2.1.3. A Pentecostal Research Issue ...........................................................................................50 2.2. Pre-Pentecostal Christianity in India ...................................................................................54 2.2.1. Early Christian Traditions ................................................................................................54
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