Dalit theology is a branch of

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

that emerged among the

Dalit Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the Caste system in India, castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold Varna (Hinduism), varna syste ...

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

in the 1980s. It shares a number of themes with

Latin American liberation theology Latin American liberation theology (, ) is a synthesis of Christian theology and Marxian socio-economic analyses, that emphasizes "social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed peoples". Beginning in the 1960s after the Seco ...

, which arose two decades earlier, including a self-identity as a people undergoing

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

. Dalit theology sees hope in the "Nazareth Manifesto" of , where

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

speaks of preaching "good news to the poor ... freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind" and of releasing "the oppressed."

Development

A major proponent of Dalit theology was Arvind P. Nirmal (1936–95), a

Dalit Christian The term Dalit Christian or Christian Dalit is used to describe those who have converted to Christianity from other forms of religion in India, and are still categorised as Dalits in Hindu, Christian, Muslim, and Sikh societies in South Asia. Hi ...

in the

Church of North India The Church of North India (CNI) is the dominant united Protestant church in northern India. It was established on 29 November 1970 by bringing together the Protestant churches working in northern India. It is a province of the worldwide Anglica ...

. Nirmal criticised

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

ic dominance of Christian theology in India, and believed that the application of liberation theology to India should reflect the struggle of Dalits, who make up about 70% of the Christians in India, as claimed by Poor Christian Liberation Movement (PCLM), and 90% of the Christians in Pakistan. Nirmal also criticised the

Marxist Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

element within

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

n liberation theology. Nirmal drew on the concept of the Suffering Servant in to identify Jesus himself as a Dalit – "a waiter, a ''

dhobi Dhobi known in some places as Dhoba or Rajaka, Madivala is a group of community in India and the greater Indian subcontinent whose traditional occupations are washing and ironing, Cultivator, agricultural workers. They are a large community, ...

'', and '' bhangi''."Anand Rao, p. 233. Evelyn Ruth Bhajan, a deacon in the

Church of Pakistan The Church of Pakistan is a united Protestant Church in Pakistan, which is part of the Anglican Communion and a member of the World Communion of Reformed ChurchesDatabase (9 February 2006)"Sialkot Diocese of the Church of Pakistan" Reformed Onl ...

, stated that Dalit theology is vital in that it aligns the Church's mission with "strategies based on the social, political and economic implications of liberation in Christ." Bhajan stated that this liberation includes that from

persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these term ...

, segregation, and economic depression. Dalit theologians have seen passages in the gospels, such as Jesus' sharing a common drinking vessel with the

Samaritan woman The Samaritan woman at the well is a figure from the Gospel of John. John 4:4–42 relates her conversation with Jesus in Christianity, Jesus at Jacob's Well near the city of Sychar. Biblical account The woman appears in ; here is John 4:4–26 ...

in as indicating his embracing of Dalitness. The

parable of the Good Samaritan The parable of the Good Samaritan is told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. It is about a traveler (implicitly understood to be Jewish) who is stripped of clothing, beaten, and left half dead alongside the road. First, a Jewish priest and then a ...

is also seen as significant, providing a "life-giving message to the marginalized Dalits and a challenging message to the non-Dalits." M. E. Prabhakar expanded on the Dalitness of Jesus, stating that "the God of the Dalits ... does not create others to do servile work, but does servile work Himself."John Parratt, ''An Introduction to Third World Theologies'', Cambridge University Press, 2004, , p. 63. He also suggested that Jesus experienced human, and especially Dalit, brokenness in his

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

. Prabhakar has developed a Dalit

creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...

, which reads in part:

"Our cries for liberation from harsh caste-bondage
Were heard by God, who came to us in Jesus Christ
To live with us and save all people from their sins."Rowena Robinson, ''Christians of India'', SAGE, 2003, , pp. 199–200.

Vedanayagam Devasahayam The Rt. Rev. Vedanayagam Devasahayam was an Indian bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for ...

(b. 1949) of the

Church of South India The Church of South India (CSI) is a united Protestant Church in India. It is the result of union of a number of mainline Protestant denominations in South India after independence. The Church of South India is the successor of a number of Pr ...

followed Nirmal as head of Dalit theology at the

Gurukul Lutheran Theological College Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute is an ecumenical seminary situated in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, South India. It is affiliated to the Senate of Serampore College (University).Indiaedunews.neNepal Christians to renew ties ...

, and further developed Nirmal's ideas, writing a number of books.Hans Schwarz, p. 530. Devasahayam later became bishop of the Church of South India's Madras Diocese. Dalit theology opposes

indigenization Indigenization is the act of making something more native; transformation of some service, idea, etc. to suit a local culture, especially through the use of more indigenous people in public administration, employment and other fields. The term is ...

movements within Indian Christian liturgy, since these are seen as reinforcing traditional caste hierarchies.Charles Stewart and Rosalind Shaw, ''Syncretism/Anti-Syncretism: The Politics of Religious Synthesis'', Routledge, 1994, , pp. 101–102. However, the incorporation of some Indian religious traditions is supported.

Literature

* Arvind P. Nirmal and V. Devasahayam, ''A Reader in Dalit Theology'', Gurukul Lutheran Theological College & Research Institute, 1990, 180 pages. * V. Devasahayam, ''Outside the Camp: Bible Studies in Dalit Perspective'', Gurukul Lutheran Theological College & Research Institute, 1992, 54 pages. * V. Devasahayam, ''Doing Dalit Theology in Biblical Key'', Dept. of Research and Publications, Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, 1997, 75 pages. * V. Devasahayam, ''Frontiers of Dalit Theology'', Gurukul Lutheran Theological College & Research Institute / Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1997, 501 pages. * Masilamani Azariah, ''A Pastor's Search for Dalit Theology'', Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2002, 211 pages. * Peniel Rajkumar, Dalit Theology and Dalit Liberation: Problems, Paradigms and Possibilities, Ashgate, 2010, 218 pages. * Keith Hebden, Dalit Theology and Christian Anarchism, Ashgate, 2011, 186 pages. * Y.T. Vinayaraj, Re-imagining Dalit Theology: Postmodern Readings, CSS, 2010 * Anderson H M Jeremiah, ''Community and worldview among Paraiyars of South India: 'Lived' religion'', Bloomsbury, 2012, 285 pages * Y.T. Vinayaraj,"Dalit Theology after Continental Philosophy," Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.

References

Bibliography

External links

George Oommen, "The Emerging Dalit Theology: A Historical Appraisal," ''Indian Church History Review'', Vol. XXXIV, no. 1, June 2000, pp. 19–37.
* ttp://www.csichurch.com/article/dalit.htm K. P. Kuruvila, DALIT THEOLOGY: AN INDIAN CHRISTIAN ATTEMPT TO GIVE VOICE TO THE VOICELESSbr>Site offering a summary of Dalit history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalit Theology Christianity in India Christianity in Pakistan Liberation theology Christianity and Hinduism World Christianity Dalit

Development

Literature

See also

References

Bibliography

External links