The Seeker

    Ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you Free

— Jesus Christ (John 8:32)

Happiness and Victory to All Lovers of the Prince of Peace

Khristpanthi Ashram Benares

1. Position: a co-operative non-partisan Fellowship of all who confess Jesus Christ as personal Saviour and God.

2. Objects:

   1. Study of the Bible, of Hinduism, of early Church
   2. Purposeful creative thinking
   3. Adventures in faith under the Holy Spirit
   4. Indigenous expression of Christianity

3. Methods:

   1. Worship
   2. Fellowship
   3. Service
   4. Literature

4. Membership: Open to all Christians without distinct

5. Activities:

   1. Direct and frank evangelism especially among orthodox groups such as Pilgrims and Sanyasis as well as students and educated men.
   2. Retreats and Conferences
   3. Meetings and addresses of special character
   4. Manual labour and service to of the needy.

Gifts will be gratefully acknowledged.

Office — Working centre - Library and Reading room at:

129, Dashashwamedh,
R.C. Das
Benares
India

Printed by B.N. Dutt, at Eureka Printing Works, Benares.

Published by Rev. R.C. Das, 129, Dashashwamedh, Banaras

This little occasional pamphlet will stand for:

1. Review and criticism of important events and opinions.

2. Advocacy of radical and independent thinking.

3. Encouragement of new experiments, progressive movements, ventures of faith and indigenous efforts.

4. Promotion of peace and concord among all men on the basis of truth.

5. Freedom and toleration.

6. Justice for the oppressed, neglected, deprived, weak and helpless.

Brief articles and concise opinions along the above lines will be welcome and published.

129, Dashashwamedh,
R.C. Das
Benares
India

Contributions will be gratefully acknowledged.

Price-Annual 3/-, Single copy -/12/-

Notice

(Study of Hinduism in Banaras)

We had a useful two-week course of study in January with four theological students and two Professors. Another course is scheduled to be held for a fort-night in May from the 2nd to the 14th (inclusive). Father Fallon is expected to give about a dozen lectures on the Vedanta (through the Vedanta to Christ) and Gaudiya Vaishnavism (the Bengal type of the Religion of Bhakti). Mr. Das will present aspects of practical, popular Hinduism and of Hindu orthodoxy as well questions of Christian strategy and methods of approach. After this course those who wish might accompany him to Almora where they could enjoy a cool holiday together with leisurely studies. Intending students will please communicate immediately.

129, Dashashwamedh,
R.C. Das

    असतो मा सद्गमयः
    तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमयः
    मृत्योर्मा अमृतगमय।

— मैत्रेयी

    অসত্য হইতে আমাকে সত্যেতে লইয়া যাও;
    অন্ধকার হইতে আমাকে জ্যোতিতে লইয়া যাও;
    মৃত্যু হইতে আমাকে অমরত্বে লইয়া যাও।

— মৈত্রেয়ী

    From the unreal lead me to the Real
    From the darkness lead me to the Light;
    From the death lead me to the Life.

— Maitreya

    I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
    I am the Light of the world.
    I am the Resurrection, and the Life,
    he that believeth on me, though he dies, yet shall he live.

— Jesus Christ

Neglected Emphasis

Why is it that the Church in India finds its rolls padded with the names of people who have professed to believe, have been baptised and become members of the Church but have never been born again form above. Their faith consists of a mental assent to the Gospel of Christ, but they have never become new creatures in Christ Jesus. Having changed their communal registration they are known as Christians but know nothing of the presence of the living Christ in their hearts and lives.

Can it be that we as leaders are, in a measure at least, responsible for this condition? We have gone forth urging them to believe on Christ and be baptised according to Matthew 28:19 but have we not failed to understand the full commission of Christ? Have we over-looked that “repentance and remission of sins” (Luke 24:4) must be a vital part of our message? Is it not true that in our eagerness to get men to believe we have too often winked at the fact that there have been no evidences of heart repentance, which is necessary if men are to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

John the Baptist, who was sent to prepare the way for the entrance of Christ into the lives of the people of that day, called men to repent. He urged them to bring forth fruits meet for repentance. On the day of Pentecost when Peter preached his great sermon resulting in three thousand souls being saved, his listeners under deep conviction cried out, “What shall we do ?” and in no uncertain terms Peter tells them to repent (Act 2:33). Later in another great sermon (Acts 3:12-19) he called the people to repentance. The Apostle Paul, the advocate of salvation by faith, emphasised the necessity of repentance when he preached to that learned group at Athens saying, “Now God hath commanded all men everywhere to repent.” (Acts 17:30).

The call to repentance in the New Testament is the call of God to turn from the way of sin, self and Satan to God. When such repentance takes place the Holy Spirit enables one to lay a hold of salvation by It is something more than intellectual belief. It is faith springing from the heart, resulting in the new birth. This, says Jesus, (John 3:3-17) is absolutely necessary for entrance into the Kingdom of God.

The message of repentance is not only necessary for the non-Christian, but it is also God’s call to the Christian who is not in victory and fully following the Lord. In Christ’s messages to the seven Churches, recorded in Revelation two and three, we find that He calls five of them to repentance. To the Christian who has lost his first love (Revelations 2:4-5); to those who are have been overcome by the world, (Revelations 2:12-17) and to those who are compromising with sin (Revelations 2:18-29); to those who have a name to live but are dead, (Revelations 3:1-6) and to those who have become self-satisfied and have crowded Christ out, (Revelations 3:14-21) to all of these Christ’s call is to repentance. Failure to repent is followed by serious consequences. Let us come anew to the New Testament and study again this great subject of repentance. Seeing the New Testament emphasis I believe we will be moved to go forth to call men and women to repent.

— From the “Revival”

Where Is the Spontaneous Overflow?

The early Church was on tip-toe to make Christ known. The last command of Christ to his followers, “Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations,” continued to spur them on as evangels of the news which had come to mean everything, more than life itself, to them. Invigorated by the flame of Pentecost she burst in upon men everywhere with the compelling witness of the crucified and risen Christ “Every Christian a witness” was not merely an adopted watchword during that era; it was the spontaneous outflow and overflow of hearts set a flame and lives transformed by a power outside themselves, a power none less than the power of God himself. Evangelistic passion was, therefore, the fruit of this power in their own lives.

Where is that consuming love for Christ in the Church today that sends us out constrained and compelled to pass on the Good News? We somehow seem to content ourselves with a yearly “week of witness.” We are far too ready to excuse ourselves with the thought that after all this is the minister’s task and since he is paid to do the job, let him carry on. Again we soothe our consciences with some such sentiment as this: “After all it is not our words but our lives that count.” Thus, we go on, and the burning witness has become a rarity in most Christian circles.

These are only symptoms revealing a serious spiritual malady so common in our midst today. Evangelistic fervour as experienced by the early church is lost. When and wherever such a state is allowed to continue spiritual death is sure to follow. Institutionalism will take the place of evangelism; formalism and ritualism will become a substitute for a warm and pulsating experience of Christ and professionalism will replace the passionate witness of those whose hearts have been set aflame by the fire of the Holy Spirit. The church then becomes a mere religious centre and the world remains unmoved by what should be the most powerful and effective living organism on earth.

The Tambaram Conference was very definite in its emphasis on the great importance of evangelism and stressed the note that it must be central in all our efforts. Even in our educational and medical programs it must be at the heart. During the years since then conferences and councils have passed motions to the same effect but very little change has been noted. Decisions by committees on evangelism or Christian gatherings are not sufficient to revitalise the Church. There must come to the Christian man or woman, layman or preacher that inner compulsion that comes only when a life is fully surrendered, cleansed and endued with that power that Jesus spoke of in Acts 1:3. Resolutions will net us very little; machinery will only bog us down until Christ touches our innermost beings by His mighty Spirit. Then and only then will we be able to hold ourselves to this message, the message which is a call to salvation from sin, the Gospel of Christ, the only hope of the world.

— From the Revival (Eugene A. Erny, Editor)

The Fear of Words

Independence is normally achieved when, for one thing, we rid ourselves of homophobia, the irrational fear of words. Every epoch in history, every stage of personal development, every school and coterie has its own little dictionary of depreciation, list of words to be used as missiles to terrify, the timid; and hold the loyal in line: bourgeois, old-fashioned, moderate, fascist, heretic, reactionary, unscholarly, superficial, unscientific authoritarian, radical and the rest. The Pilgrim striving towards the Temple of the Spirit, the Seeker after the imponderables, must expect to be pelted with epithets, to be ridiculed or reprobate by men who imagine that calling names is the most pragmatic form of argument.

— Francis Meehan in “The Temple of the Spirit”

Genius

Genius is mainly an affair of energy, and what that energy, which is the life of genius, above everything demands and insists upon, is freedom; entire independence, of all authority, prescription, and routine, — the fullest room to expand as it will.

— MATTHEW ARNOLD.

Tolerance

(Points from a talk given at the Benares Fellowship)

1. What is it ? Readiness to study and understand another standpoint; allowing freedom of conscience and practice: includes reasonable persuasion to one’s own standpoint; not a facile admission of equality but a respectful facing of facts.

2. Tolerance of views, of persons, of customs and institutions, of religion.

3. Tolerance versus Truth and Morality: the latter must have pre-eminence but be soaked through and through with the spirit of the former.

4. A fruit of love rather than a cultivated quality of mind or an expedient of opportunism. Love harmonies intolerance of evil and error (Truth) with appreciation of personal freedom of conscience and practice (Goodness).

— R.C. DAS

The Witness of the Church

(By the Rev. P.K. Adhicary B.A., Minister in charge, Duff Church, Calcutta).

“The final commentary of the Gospel cannot be written until India has been Christianised” remarked someone.

The Indian Church will now make her contribution to the Universal Church. Up until now, Indian Christians have been guided in their spiritual life by the foreigners. They have not tried to interpret or understand Jesus in their own way. Jesus is a friend of all nations, and He is as much of India as of other countries. In India, we shall understand Jesus as our own Up until now we have read the gospel of Jesus in Roman interpretation or of the Anglo-Saxons, the Greeks or the Jews, and lately of Americans. Let us now have our own interpretation of Christ.

India has been a place of great spiritual revivals, and the seat of many religions. Let Jesus come to fulfil, and not to destroy. He himself said, “I came not to destroy but to fulfil”.

The Indian Church must place an Indian garb on Jesus to make Him more natural to our people. The non-Christians in India look upon Jesus as a foreigner. Why? Because He was introduced by the foreigners in foreign costume. Our mode of worship is not of our country, but of foreign imitation. The sitting arrangements in the Church, the method of conducting services, the hymns and the music are all alien to this land. The Bengali translation of the Bible needs to be improved in style and language our prayers and hymns need to be more natural and real and not artificial imitation. In the interpretation of the texts of the Bible, we need more Indian sentiments and comparative knowledge of the current religions of the country. Although some of these are external matters, still a reform in this respect is necessary.

The Indians now must feel proud of the places of worship. Why are the Indians so indifferent to the Churches? Because they do not feel themselves as owners of these places of worship. The foreign Missionaries have so long kept the Church buildings and the Mission properties under them, but now with the change of circumstances, they are in some cases transferring the Church buildings and the residences of the clergy to the trustees of the Church. This is something better than nothing. As soon as the Indian Christians feel that the Churches belong to them, they will take care of these places of worship. It must be admitted that the Indian church is almost deserted today. The Sunday services or the prayer meetings are very thinly attended. The Hindu temples are full of devotees, so also the Mohomedan Mosques, but why is the Church of Christ empty? Because of the wrong system of Church administration on the lines of denominationalism, which is an introduction of the foreigners. Of course, where there are some arrangements for attractions, such as rituals or some aesthetic display as good choir and music etc. etc. there is some attendance. The very small attendance at Sunday Services particularly in the Protestant Churches is to be accounted for. What is the reason? When we ask our members why they do not attend Sunday Services regularly; they blame the arrangements the singing and the preaching. Of course, in many cases, these are lame excuses. Yet we must think out the real cause of this indifference. To my mind it seems that this indifference is due to our imitation in our mode of worship, and the secular administration of the Church. The Church is so overburdened with Committee meetings and council meetings with the temporal things that the people look upon the Church as a human organisation of cliques and parties and a place to be avoided. The Church today is so surrounded with worldly affairs, that God is hardly to be found in her. Christians pass by the Church while the worship goes on, without being affected. This is an abnormal sight in India, where people even halt before a stone which is looked upon as sacred, and make oblation to it. Our Church doors are shut throughout the week, and on Sundays they are opened to be shut again for another seven days. We are known as Sunday Christians. One of the worst experiences we have had during recent years is the desecration of Church buildings when sold off to non-Christians by the Missionaries. Such sacred places of worship are used as family quarters, shops, libraries and even godowns and stables. This has hurt the Indian sentiments very much. Such things should not be made possible in free India.

When Christ comes on the Indian way and all unhealthy foreign influences are withdrawn, our Churches will be full again. This improvement cannot be effected by artificial means. It must be admitted to our great shame that the Churches in India today are almost dead. There is hardly any life anywhere. Of course, we cannot blame the foreigners only, our own spiritual life has greatly been neglected by us also. After all we assemble in the House of God in the faith that where two or three gather together in His name He is there, and we worship God in spirit and in truth. But such is our mental condition or prejudice of the mind that as soon as we enter the Church, we discover the preacher first, and if the preacher happens to be a man not after our liking, we fail to discover God in the assembly. A real devotee goes to a place of worship to meet his or her deity, so a Christian ought to go to Church to meet his or her God. Why is this perversity of the mind? The reason is the same, — foreign training and influence. This neglectfulness of God is unnatural for an Indian, while he is in a temple. For a true Christian, this is unthinkable but still this is the condition of the Church today. The result is that everything becomes hypocrisy - the preacher takes care to please men more than God, and he becomes more a servant of man than a servant of God. The sermon becomes a display of intellectual achievements.

Our Churches need new revivals, a baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit need to be invoked to help us worship God in Spirit and in truth and remove all our lethargy and disbelief. Our Pastors, Elders and Deacons, Bishops and Priests need to rededicate their lives, and serve the Lord and His congregation not to please their superiors or their people but to please God. As they teach the congregation, they should seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and everything else will be added unto them. The people will respect their spiritual leaders, and they in return will serve them better, and thus the relation between the clergy and the laity will improve. In our Churches today the laymen do not respect the ministers. Why? Who is to blame? The clergy or the laity? I would put the blame on the system which is a foreign introduction and is unsuitable for soil. In our country “Purohits” (priests) are never appointed on scales of salaries, but they are always chosen by the people. They are not their paid servants, but their preceptors who receive “Dakshina” gifts of free reverence from them. These gifts are given most willingly and gladly in reverence to the priest for his noble offices. In free India this system of free gifts to the priests should be introduced. This will enhance the prestige of the priests and keep a happy relation with the congregation. How this can be worked out I shall try to explain at a later stage in this article.

One thing I must lay stress upon is that the old Pentecost should come upon the Priests and the congregation and revive the Churches in India. The Churches need the power from above, the spirit of the Lord, which will give us the power to convict sinners and to save them, to heal the diseased to mind and body and to praise the Lord. There is a great future for the Indian Churches, but all should be done in the Spirit and in the power of the Lord. As I have hinted before, that ours is not a religion of human intellect or reason, or a mere consent to certain dogmas-No-unless we have the Spirit of Christ, we are not His. This spirit gives an interpretation of the scripture which edifies men and women, and brings glory of God. When I speak of an Indian interpretation of Jesus, I do not mean that it should not be a revelation of the Holy Spirit, but what I mean is that the interpretation should be in such a tongue that these may be understood by our men. Of course, mystically in Christ Jesus there is neither Jew nor Greek, man or woman, bond or free—we are all one, but this oneness is in the spirit of fellowship at the feet of the Lord where every one is reduced to nothing and so is of equal value. In order to help the sinners come to this knowledge God speaks in divers tongues and at divers times to Christians all over the world, Indian and European, American or Chinese, Japanese and so on, are all struggling to realise the promises of the Lord which He hath made for us and for our children. Here there should not be any unhealthy competition, but let each nation grow in her own way in the fear and the spirit of the Lord maintaining perfect unity of the spirit.

To come to our own problem; we must be born again Christians - Pastors, Elders, Deacons, Bishops, Priests members of the Church Committees and the laymen. We who claim to be leaders of the Church have failed in many cases in real spiritual leadership. Our achievements are more in the temporal matters than in spiritual things. We have specialised at the committee and the council meetings, and our need is only felt there. We are not needed by the people. Why? The reason is that in spiritual matters, we have shown the same ambition as we do in secular things. Some of us, who are known as Church leaders, are only there for certain personal advantages. They might have done better at other situations of life. It must be admitted that we, the Church leaders, were not always mindful of the essential part of our work, namely the spiritual preparation of the Church. We have carried on the show through artificial means. The inevitable result of this neglect is the present lifeless condition of the Church. Who is to blame for this mismanagement? I would hold the foreign influence responsible for this condition of the Church. How? Our Church leaders are influenced by foreign funds and foreign training. In several cases our Padres, and Evangelists care more to please the European Missionaries than God. So also in other departments under the foreign Missions. The foreign Missions soon find out the men and women of their choice to carry on their administration. It is indeed a happy sign to mark that the Indian Church is learning to think and act independently in some places.

By the force of circumstances the foreign missionaries are also changing their policy. But I must sound a note of warning here that in this policy there may be many things superficial, as we find more or less the same leaders of the Church taking permanent parts in the shaping of things. What we need is not only constitution making experts, but true Christian leaders, having the spirit of Christ in them. Now the time has come to give a fair trial to Christianity in India. While we welcome foreign evangelists, still we would request them not to force religion on us, but give us a chance to know Jesus in our own way and practise Christianity without any foreign interference. We are indeed very grateful to the foreign Missions in as much as they have brought the Gospel to us, and for all their noble sacrifices for the good of the country. Now we need a free hand to understand and practise Christianity in our own way. It seems to us that Christianity has been greatly handicapped in India due to foreign control. Now the control is being withdrawn. We must now look to ourselves and set our house in order, and build on the foundation already laid.

Our non-Christian brothers have not learnt to respect our places of worship or to attend our devotional services. Why? The reason is that they can hardly see the glory of God in the House of God, I mean the Church. God is not found there living in His power and glory. We often assemble in the Church on Sundays as if to gossip and exchange mutual greetings. We vie with each other in our display of “self” in dress and style each posing to be the most important personality in the Church. Christian humility is conspicuous by its absence. We come to Church just to kill time and seldom to worship God in awe and reverence. The preacher takes more time in dressing himself than in preparing for the great task of conducting the worship and preaching an edifying sermon. These things should not be in the temple of God. A great reformation is needed to end all kinds of artificiality and hypocrisy from the House of God. It seems to us that with the withdrawal of foreign influence, Indians will grow stronger in faith and in their Church life.

The strength of the Church is the spirit of the Lord. The Churches in India must witness to the resurrected Christ and His power. The Church is the assembly of people who have passed from death into life through Christ, and it is not a graveyard. Life and life alone is the sign of the Church of Christ. But how can this life come? It is by abiding in the Lord and the Lord abiding in us, that we can have life. We must remember that a weak Church or a dead Church is a disgrace to Christ, who claims Himself to be the Way, the Truth and the Life Where Christ is, life is there. How can the Church of Christ be dead when the fountainhead is the life itself the reason is that we are not in Christ, simply tied to him by profession. We need to stand as living witness of the life in Jesus Christ, but this is only possible when every individual member is renewed with the Holy Spirit. The daily family prayer meetings must be renewed in the families, and the regular habit of Bible reading must be cultivated. Constant communion with God in spirit, in prayers and supplication should be practised. His glorious name should be praised at all times. In our prayer and singing we should adopt our own methods, course every such thing should be done in spirit and in truth. Personally, I believe that our devotion to be sincere must be spontaneous and not an imitation-translated prayers and borrowed hymns are good in ideas, but not very helpful in devotional matters. In our country prayers are chanted and recited too and the sacred hymns sung in accompaniment with music, (Khol and Kartal etc.). Kirtons should re-introduced in our Churches. On Sundays our prayers in the Church and preachings should contain more Indian sentiments and should be free from foreign influence. We come to the Church to dedicate ourselves to God through our prayers and hymns and scripture reading. Let this be natural and spontaneous. We do not speak of a wholesale change overnight, but we hold the view that in spiritual matters no interference should come from outside. In condemning foreign influence, we are not showing hatred to the foreigners, but what we are trying to say is that Christianity in India just grow on her soil to be a living vine so that it may bear fruit—no artificial growth will serve the purpose. Christianity in India has so long ad an artificial growth under foreign influence, so it is weak. Now it must row on the Indian soil.

The Inner Life of the Church

Now we come to the inner life of the Church. What do we find there? Self-righteousness. It has blinded our Church leaders. The blind cannot lead the blind. The spirit of God is grieved - the spirit is not in us, as the purity of the spirit is absent. We have become cowards, easily compromising with sin and falsehood. The hero in us is dead. This compromising spirit in us is very deceitful and dangerous in the living Church of Christ which is undefiled. The power of the Church which is the gift of the Spirit comes through vigilance and sanctification. Our family life, social and national life are to be revived. A Christian should not be a double personality. He cannot be a Christian on Sundays and behave like non-believers on week days. He cannot be a Christian in the Church and deny the Lord in the family group, social or political association. A Sunday Christian is not needed in India. A Christian is a Christian at every place. He is a living witness both in words and in action of the glorious Gospel of Christ. A true Christian will not be hated in India. India is waiting to receive Christ as an Indian.

Our Approach to Our Non-Christian Brethren

We Indian Christians must now undertake the work of preaching the gospel of Christ ourselves. This work has hitherto been done by the European Missionaries, but now this responsibility has devolved upon the Indian Church. We must know or learn the best method of approach to our non-Christian brethren. It will be the greatest act of patriotism on our part, if we could give them the salvation message of the glorious Gospel of Christ. In the first place we must love cur own people, and that love alone will lead us to deliver to them the Salvation of the Gospel. This is indeed the best way of loving our countrymen, namely to bring Jesus into their hearts. Let us introduce Jesus as their only friend, sympathiser and Saviour. India as well as the other parts of the world needs a Saviour. Who is He except the only-begotten son of God, Jesus Christ? The Indians are spiritual by nature, and they are really seeking the truth. Everywhere in India, on the streets, under the trees, by the bank of the rivers, in mountain caves, and dense forest are always found people seeking the truth. Who will satisfy the yearnings in their soul? Save Jesus who invites all that “labour and are heavy laden.”

(To be continued)

The U.P.C.C. and Local Branches

I have read with much amazement but not with surprise the “Notes” on Rev. R.C. Das article ‘Reflections on outstanding topics of the Christian World’ by the Editor of the Indian Christian Messenger. Editors of Newspapers have a very high sense of morals, but the Editor of the Indian Christian Messenger seems to have none of his own. Abusive language is never used by Editors in their Editorial but this Rt. Rev. Editor has resorted to abuse. There is a true saying that if you have no case then abuse the other side.

Mr. Das has mentioned many facts in his “Reflections”. I only propose to touch one of them namely the U.P.C.C. and the formation of local branches. The Editor says “We resent Mr. Das” charge that the Christian Councils are “Mission Councils” and further the Editor goes on to say “He (Mr. Das) tells that these Councils leave untouched the great majority of laymen. This is entirely false”. This language is most unbecoming but apart from this, the allegations of Mr. Das are true, and I assert it as being true. The Editor has given a list of names as laymen, but may I ask the Editor how many of these laymen are in or have been in Mission service. I have in my possession the letter head of the U.P.C.C. which gives the names of its office bearers and members of the Executive Committee. The names given there are enough to justify the allegations of Mr. Das. The name of not one independent Indian Christian appears in that list. Amongst the Indian Christians of this province are to be found independent Indian Christians in all walks of life and as good as those who form the Executive Committee. I would like to inform this Rt. Rev. Editor that there is such a thing as “suppressio veri”. I maintain that the U.P.C.C. is a useless body. It has been in existence for some years now. Its proceedings previously were never made public, its doings were known only to the harmed circle. I openly challenge Mr. Ralla Ram to meet me on any platform in any town or city before any audience to convince persons that the U.P.C.C. has been of any practical good to the Indian Christian Community. It is true that he has been to “Conference after conference here he heard heartening addresses” yes, that is so, but it is the be-all and the end-all. Talk, talk, talk, but nothing practical. There are many sings happening in the Community and affecting the life of the Community, as the U.P.C.C. been tackling any one of these problems? I asked a member of the U.P.C.C. whether they had considered these problems, his answer was no, we know nothing about them. I said, you do know why have you not brought it up, to which there was no reply.

Coming now to the question of local branches. I was invited to the first meeting where the question was to consider whether such a branch should or should not be formed. There was difference of opinion, and it was thought proper that a smaller body should consider the question. I have been told that a smaller body was called and considered the question, I take it decided to form a local branch. But I would like Mr. Ralla Ram to let me know the time, date and place and names of persons who attended the meeting where the decision was taken. Was anyone invited to attend the smaller body who was of a different view to him? I have been told no one was asked. Is this an honest way of doing things?

I received a notice saying that a meeting was to be held on 29th January 1949, the notice purported to be from Mr. Ralla Ram, and it contained the following “we wish it to be distinctly understood that the meeting is being held in order to adopt the constitution”. What does this mean? No one is allowed to question the action of Mr. Ralla Ram. I asked the Chairman if he had read the notice he told me he only just seen it. This is the second occasion when Mr. Ralla Ram has published facts of which the chief persons from outside knew nothing about.

The back door tactics adopted by Mr. Ralla Ram in forming a local branch cannot be called honest.

There are not a few important cities of this province who have refused to have local branches formed. The suggested constitution says that it will act through Commissions, I suppose this Rt. Rev. Editor and Convenor is aping the United Nations Organization. Not a bad attempt to mislead people.

I propose on some further date to expose the National Christian Council and to prove that both these two bodies are useless and wasting money and have not done and are incapable of solving the problems confronting the Community.

12 ALBERT ROAD,
ALLAHABAD.
ERNEST V. DAVID

Dear Mr. Das,

This is my reply to Ram Ram on your article. I have asked him to publish it in his paper. He may not. Could you publish it in your paper? I congratulate you on your “Reflections”.

Yours sincerely, E.V. DAVID.

(We do not subscribe to the view that the Christian Councils are useless, though they are probably wasteful. In particular the N.C.C., has done a few good things. But we are definitely against spreading their tentacles in the Churches. We would rather see the spontaneous growth of independent Church bodies with dominant majorities of laymen guiding them. - Editor)

Church Union

As was apprehended by all thoughtful men the Anglican dioceses on entry to the South India Union Scheme have had their fellowship with their mother church snapped by Canterbury. It is like a Brahmin eating in an untouchable home and getting excommunicated. An important mission representative whom we met recently observed that the Union was among the higher ranks in church - among Bishops etc. Among the rest it is just Ex - so-and-so. It must be so because this Union is organisational. Heart-Union already exists amongst those born of the Spirit across the frontiers of denominations and organisations. Integration of the church machinery cannot improve it.

It has been repeated ad nauseam that division is sin. It has taken 30 years to repent of this sin and will take another 30 years to complete the process of the salvation from this sin. Have they truly realised the sinfulness of division? The division is not so much between one church or denomination and another, as between hearts of men. If there were true repentance the division would be healed in thirty hours. That is the gospel.

What people are trying to do is not effecting the union of Churches but of Church machinery chiselling here and rounding off there. The One Church lives like a mighty tree and has many and different branches with foliage, flower and fruit. To deny this is sin. To fail to recognise a brother of another church and deny him fellowship is sin. Unity in organisational machinery is not necessarily an advantage or a strength. Rather an integrated Church by suppressing variety of experience and expression becomes inherently weak. A great Empire or a dictatorship totters in that way.

Indian genius lies in recognising unity in diversity. We think the truth is perfectly Christian and Biblical. Difference in theology, in interpretation of a certain truth, in Church Government or in methods of worship should not lead to estrangement in Christian relations so long as there is sincere loyalty to Christ and scriptures. Intellect always divides, but that is not the destruction of unity which is a moral power based on love.

It is the bigger Churches - the so-called mother Churches that ought to have repented long ago for driving away their young lively children who wanted more spacious ground and freer atmosphere for their self-expression. The old homes were too narrow. The divisions in the Churches have been like branching off from the old joint-family stock and making new homes. These new homes ought to have been, and ought to be now, compassed around by the large canopy of love. Instead, you make a huge one roofed and many roomed house which may be threatened by storm and unwieldy for all practical purposes. Men’s energy and attention and money will be spent on keeping this complex machinery fit So intellectual, spiritual and social life — a more needed a much simpler thing - will suffer.

Church Union at this stage - which is no more than unification of western sects - before Christianity gets fully acclimatised and is related to the heritage of India-Church union of the South India types - dangerous to the very life of the Church It will simply perpetuate within an iron cage the foreign elements in the life of the Church which will therefore remain exotic and ineffective in its witness. The slavery which India has thrown off from the political life will persist in the religious field, and it will ensure the continued domination of missionaries or their brown henchmen.

It is at a time like this that Dr. Jones has again done a great service to the cause of the Kingdom of God and to the growth of the indigenous Church in India by publishing his views on Church union in so clear and emphatic terms and by holding up his scheme of Federal Union. We have supported him before this and say again that this is the kind of union suited to the Indian genius. It is also agreeable to the truth in scriptures and the historic evolution of the universal Church. We are pained to see that such scheme has been criticised by some ecclesiastical authoritarians especially by the Editor of the Indian Christian Messenger. These criticisms seem to us entirely beside the point, childish and lacking from the proper perspective.

There is no getting away from these three facts:

1. Recommissioning is camouflaged re-ordination. The spiritual validity of a particular ordination (because it is of God) extends to the entire field. The limit has been put by man’s pride. Recommissioning is therefore unveiling concealed hypocrisy and insincerity.

2. The unitary nature of the integrated Church will soon reveal its most dominant factor-episcopal autocracy and will successfully swallow up the other elements. Therefore, a breach, sooner or later, is inevitable. It has already had a breach with the worldwide Anglican communion.

3. The united Church instead of being a dominantly spiritual fellowship and a moral force-the communion of saints - has become a strong religious community - a potential danger to the rest of society and to the state. It will retard the growth of indigenous forms and terms in theology, worship and social life more successfully because of its strength derived from unity. In India religion has evolved itself in a simple natural way - social life has been manipulated by man’s ideas and hence today we reap the evil fruits of the caste system. We fear foreign friends and western minded Indian brethren are making the same kind of mistake in regard to the Church.

Let not the South India pattern or something essentially similar to it be tried in the North. Let Dr. Jones Federal Union idea be given a trial here. Then in the course of years of experience one may learn from the other. What is of immediate concern is that a united Church with all its functionaries is financially crushing for poor Indian Christians. Hence, for many years large funds will have to be drawn from the west for the very highly paid officers and their activities. Hence, for an unpredictable period of time the Indian Church will remain a slave Church. Slavery means suppression, weakness, and death.

— R.C. DAS

In the Name of Jesus

(A Short diary)

At Mosul (Iraq). My meetings were crowded by protestant (27-1-1948 to 10-2-1948) and Catholic Christians. A few Arabian Muslims also sought their ways out to meet with me after they had heard about a strange man, dressed in a manner semi-similar to the Jewish priests. They might have been curious and doubtful about my movements, as the fighting between the Jews and Arabs was going on in Palestine, to which Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Transjordan, Egypt etc., had taken part. Many were attracted to see some miracles as I used to tell them many wonderful happenings of my own life in the ‘Name Jesus’. Nearly 200 men, women and children suffering from critical diseases came to me to be healed. Among them there was a youthful wife, who had the frequent attack of hysteric fits which made her unconscious for a few minutes and that 8 to 10 times a day. She had the healing power of the name immediately after the prayer was offered. One of the two blind boys below 8 years of age who were born blind had the sight after a week. Those cases encouraged many others to come to the Indian Fakir to be healed.

Every night males, females and children used to come and talk to me until late hours. One night some of my hearers gave me the information of a Christian Monastery (Ashram) which was founded in the 4th. Century A.D. That is the oldest Ashram (monastery) in the world they said. My interest warranted me to express my desire of visiting it once. The youth of Mosul were all watchful to take opportunity of helping me Next morning (4.2.1948) they tired a very large Motor Bus to take me to the Monastery which was at a distance of 20 miles to the S.E. of Mosul. Forty-one of the youth of both got into the Bus and two of them went to my abode to escort me to the Bus which was standing on the main road (2 kilometres walk).

During the Julian persecution about the year 362 A.D. Christians were ordered to be sacrificed to the gods of ancient Rome under pain of death. A great number of Sadhus (Monks) gained the crown of martyrdom in this persecution, others escaped from the danger, sought safety by crossing the Roman frontiers, settling in the countries under Persian rule such as Assyria and Babylonia. One of these Sadhus (monks) with some brothers found a refuge on a mountain near Nimrud, deserted and inaccessible, called by the Syrians “Al-Faf” and by the Arabs “Jabel Moglub”. This Sadhu’s name was Mattei or Matthew. The name of the Persian ruler of Nimrud was Sennacherib who had one son (Behnam by name) and one daughter (named Sarah). This Sadhu Mar Mattei (Mar means saint) became famous within a very short time and the sick flocked from all parts to be cured. The report of certain astounding cures reached the ears of Sennacherib the Governor of Nimrud. He inquired from certain Christians as to the truth of those reports and to find out from them the place where the Sadhu abode. In order to try him for the cure of his daughter who was afflicted for many years with a malignant form of leprosy. The Christians whom he questioned, fearing some evil would come upon the saint evader exact answer as to the whereabouts of the Sadhu. Behnam accidentally met Mar Mattei in his Ashram and later brought his sister to him challenging that, both of them would accept Christianity if Sarah was healed. The Sadhu asked Sarah whether she believed in the son of God. She moved to the depth of her soul and charmed with a religion of grace and love, opened her pure soul to the light of faith. Then the Sadhu prayed long and later thrust his staff in the Earth which caused a miraculous fountain to spring from the bosom of the desert (the spring still exists and is known as “Ain Sarah” i.e “Sarah’s spring”). The girl was baptised in the flowing water which washed the leprosy as well as her sin. Behnam and his 40 companions were baptised there. Behnam, his sister and those forty men came back to the capital and witnessed for Christ as their saviour. But alas, not long after their return home and preaching the almighty power of the Name of Jesus the Governor as an Idol worshipper guided by Satan began to persecute those men and even his own children. Behnam, Sarah and their 40 companions fled away one night from the house of Sennacherib who getting the news of their absconding next morning went out a legion of men to kill them. The Ashram (Monastery) and the monument stand at the exact spot where those beloved children of Jesus were slain. The monument was erected by the mother of Mar, Behnam and Sarah.

I received unspeakable joy and encouragement to see the old Ashram (Monastery) of the Christian world, which provided me also with the examples of true and ideal Christian lives.

I was brought back to my temporary abode in the city of Mosul in the evening. My escorts to and from the Ashram were forty-one, almost the same number of men as Mar Behnam and his friends who were martyred. All through the Journey the youth - my escorts sang joyful songs in their own mother tongue - Arabic.

I shall not miss the thought of writing fully the story of Mar Behnam in a book later on.

At 11.00 A. M. on the 10th of February 1948 I left Mosul by a Turkish train for Aleppo the capital of Syria.

— J.N. HULDER. (Christian Sanyasi of Bengal)

Notes

1. The National Missionary Society and the Khristpanthi Ashram

It is a matter of gratification that the work of Mr. Das has been affiliated to the N.M.S. It is hoped that this fellowship will be conducive of mutual benefit and redound to the glory of God.

2. More T.B. Cases

In recent months in our travels amongst the Churches we have come across amongst low-paid Christian workers cases of Tuberculosis — some serious and others in incipient stage. There is no doubt that the main cause is under-nourishment and malnutrition. Pastors, evangelists, colporteurs, Church bearers and even some so-called Indian missionaries and school teachers are amongst these unfortunate victims. When will Church-Mission authorities wake up to their senses? By starving its essential services they are seriously injuring the growth of the Church. It is a sad contrast between these unfortunates and the living conditions of the missionaries and a few selected Indian Colleagues on a high plane. This sort of discrimination is not only a false witness to the Founder of Christianity but a most powerful germ breeding Marxian Communism.

3. Shishyashram, Sadarpur (Barisal) and the Bengal Baptist Union

Recently we have been shown some papers and correspondence regarding the conflict between these two parties. Going through these carefully and after consulting people in many places we are reminded of a Bengali proverb - “To set up a gun to kill a mosquito”. The Shishyashram with Sadhu Jitendra Huldar as its leader is as helpless as a mosquito. The mighty Baptist Union is strong enough to crush it to death. That is what they have been trying to do for some time but being unsuccessful they have been led to the desperate measure of excommunicating them. In all conscience there is nothing to deserve excommunication. A member of the Union confessed in our presence that it was a hasty and wrong action. A perusal of the papers and enquiries among people show that things have been pretty bad in the life of the Baptist Churches in Bengal. The little band around the Ashram has been trying to heal up on the moral and spiritual plane. This has hurt the prestige of Mission-Church authority. So they are down on them with their big hammer. But this sort of thing has never succeeded. Missionaries, and Indians who have studied in Serampore some Church history ought to have more sense. Sadhu Jitendra Nath with his simple life of sacrifice and prayer and meditation, and some of the Indian ways and forms he has adopted for himself and for the supporters of the Ashram ideal — remind one of our Divine Guru and how he came in conflict with the Pharisees and the Sadducees. It is useless to stick to forms when the life is gone and instal in authority men who are mere puppets. Nobody respects them. The whole trouble is that shallow men of vain glory but possessing power of the purse and of organisation are jealous of humble good men who have real influence over the people and have won their hearts loyalty and respect. It is a clash bet, the old and the new, the progressive and the reactionary, the living and the dying. We give a warning to those in authority that they must mend their ways if they want to avert a crash. We offer our felicitations to the little band of the followers of the way of the Cross. They must go forward in humility and love serving and healing the Church, edifying and encouraging the brethren, always ready to suffer and to forbear. The Cross will pass through the temporary gloom, rise in the resplendent glory of the Resurrection and in the beneficent power Pentecost.

4. St. Mary’s Church and the Bishop of Calcutta

Here is another instance of the same spirit of strife and bitterness in another Church. We have seen a sort of open letter written by some members of the Church against the Bishop on the subject of the appointment of the Vicar of the Church. The pamphlet has been fairly widely broadcast. We have also seen some correspondence in the daily press against the Bishop. Strong and undignified language has been used in places. It seems both parties have some points in their favour. Whatever the merits of the case, the bursting of a clash like this is most unfortunate. It is unhelpful to the Church and a bad example to the country. While the ardent spirits of youthful reformers tend to go to the extreme, it is really the responsibility of the leaders of the Church who have not acted in conformity to the demands of the times. There is the spirit of liberty at large in the country, but the Churches have been caught napping. We are given to understand that there are other troubles in the same Church, some of them quite serious. These are to our mind mere symptoms of a deep-seated disease in the body of the Church - possession and exercise of temporal authority in a spirit of autocracy and pride. We would like to see Bishops and other Church officials as men of humility and love, of simplicity and sacrifice, men of peace and learning who would inspire confidence, reverence, loyalty - Bhakti, like those apostles of old. We do not care what race they are of. But if our foreign Bishops and missionaries_even some of them-still retained vestiges of the old glory gone by-some remnants of the imperialistic pride and temper - they will have trouble and agony of soul. They are sure to lose the battle. Before the onrush of democracy and liberty, breaks of conservatism will be washed away. We heard a gentleman remark that not a brick could be laid in a small building without the sanction of the highest authority. This jars in our modern ears. Autocracy displayed in called autonomous Churches by their foreign elements will not be tolerated today. Indians who would set the Church on right lines must have unity of purpose, patience and forbearance and be rid of all selfish party spirit.

5. Pilgrim Editor P. Chenchiah

It is with a sense of relief and satisfaction that we welcome the reappearance of the “Pilgrim” under the able editorship of P. Chenchiah Esq., M.L., advocate, Madras. For certain changes and irregularities in the Committee of the “Christian Society for the study of Hinduism” the “Pilgrim” was stopped for about a year. As is known to all this journal is devoted to research in Hindu culture and faith in their various aspects. It is hoped that not only old members but many others interested in the building up of the Church of Christ in free India will write at once to the Editor, at 28, Halls Road, Egmore, Madras for copies and send their subscriptions and donations (minimum Rs 3/-) to the Treasurer, The Rev. C.H. Thoburn, M.A., Leonard Theological College, Jabalpur, C.P.

6. Manipur Church

Mr. Seth W. Howard has sent us a statement on “Mainpuri Church and its elders”. He introduces himself as a Journalist and his wife as the Head Mistress of the local Government Girls High School and complains with surprise that it was some business for them to be accepted as members of the Church though they were well-known as past Anglicans. He has very many unsatisfactory things to say about the relationship between the pastor and the elders. We regret we have no space for such details to be mentioned, and our purpose is not to publish these local troubles and quarrels which are common in the Churches all over India. We would rather deal with principles and the causes of such situations. In the past two years in our contacts with Church life we have been horrified with the revelations that have come to us. It is a serious disease, and we must find out the root causes. These factions, jealousies, rivalries and strikes are primarily due to the fact that most people are not Christian by virtue of their new birth through faith in Christ - the Saviour but because they have professed their loyalty to an organisation and been formally baptised and confirmed, so they are under worldly and fleshly and elemental passions like lust, greed, selfishness, pride, jealousy ruling their life and conduct. There is another cause. It is the western system-political democracy-on which our Church life is based. The “pay master and the slave” ideology is common. Money and organisation and law are the ruling motives. The pastor does not regard himself or is not recognised by the congregation, as the servant of God - the prophet - speaking the word of God without fear of consequences. We need priests and prophets in the pastorate who will be like Rishis, unbought and unswayed by money or public opinion. The Church members also must have the rudiments of Christianity and must not behave only as lawful members of a democratic society always harping on their rights and ignoring their responsibilities. The laity must learn to regard themselves as members of a Brotherhood and Fellowship which a true Church should be rather than members of an organised community - a caste.

The most amusing and significant thing in Mr. Howard’s communication is his reference to a Missionary who called the incident “most unfortunate” Does anybody think that third party mediation will ever end our quarrels ? We must face them ourselves and fight all unrighteous and wrong things on principle and selflessly. We cannot play the Pharisee except to our peril. Mr. Howard will gather, though slowly, all forces of good around him if he sticks to truth, non-violence and forbearance. The good cause will triumph if he continues the struggle.

7. Socalled Autonomous Churches

“Autonomous” is the proud appellation given to certain churches in the latest Directory of missions and Churches. We learn from a reliable source that the “Sangha” or Bengal Baptist Union (the ‘synthetic’ product of the English Baptist Mission and the Bengali Church it founded) is dead. Out of 21 members 14 are Europeans. Four out of five officers are non-Indians. In the whole of E. Pakistan only one Indian. Only three active Indian ministers in the whole field. Comment is needless. Through the policy of integration, or merging as it is sometimes called, missions have entered into the zenana (inner court) of the Indian Church, as we have always warned that they would and are ruling the Indian Church more effectively now than ever before with the help of the votes of Indians themselves (that is the tragic part). This is real nemesis. They fought for freedom — autonomy - they have it — a unique brand of it. This is “Dilli Ka Laddu” which tantalises the man who has not seen it and makes the man, who has eaten of it, repent.

The true remedy is for the Indian Church to throw off the mission incubus in every detail and sense. The missionary - who can do great and noble work without holding any directive position in the Church is spoiling his character, influence and effectiveness by hobnobbing too much with Church affairs which really belong to the natives. The nationals of this country also are demoralising themselves through cheap imitation, dependence on other’s help in matters of money and administration. Real independence of all mission connections is the only way to salvation, strength and greatness.

8. “The Great, Wicked Idolatrous and Needy City”

This is how poor Banaras has been painted in a recent missionary report. On reading this the natural question that arises is whether after nearly two thousand years of experiment in Christian living practically all over the world - whether, any particular country, city or race or nation can be so described. If we are more or less in the same boat as regards virtues and vices, belief or disbelief in God as well as in greatness and need, where is the point in singling out Banaras from hundreds of other cities that are like it or worse? Apart from greatness, wickedness etc., if the true meaning of idolatry were understood London or, New York would not be found less idolatrous than Banaras or the modern Occident less needy than the old orient.

We question the rightness of the missionary attitude expressed in these unhappy words. We consider this mentality unhealthy. They reveal in the missionary mind (also in many an Indian Christian mind) an arrogance, self-righteousness, egotism, and self-complacency that have been really responsible for the barrenness of called evangelism. This spirit is poles apart from what animated our Lord and the apostles-humility, peace, sympathy, understanding, sacrifice, service, brotherhood and love. These later qualities will lead to the Cross-conviction and conversion -fruitfulness. The spirit or conceit and condemnation will drive people far away from us and this is what has happened in India. It is a shame on us. Such spirit must be banished from the Church if it is to live and thrive on the New Testament ideals. Missionaries possessing such irrational attitude and unchristian spirit are misfits and will continue in India to the disgust and unhappiness of themselves and of others.

9. “Sunday School Lesson”

Another instance of this haughtiness and self-righteousness provided in the concluding sentence of an article in the Indian Witness January 13th 1949 in the section of “Sunday School Lesson”. With the greatest reluctance we have to credit our good personal friend, the Rev. C.S. Thoburn, with the remark “He that is least in the Church of Jesus Christ is greater than Mahatma Gandhi”. Firstly, this is a misquotation from the Bible. In Matthew and Luke the phrases “the Kingdom of heaven” and “the Kingdom of God” are used by our Lord and not “the Church of Jesus Christ”. It makes a lot of difference whether you say “Kingdom” or “Church”. Or we suppose Mr. Thoburn equates the Church with the Kingdom. We will content ourselves with the remark that this equation is a dangerous heresy. This heresy has always been most sedulously inculcated by some in the different Churches. It must be combated. Many of the weaknesses of the Church are directly attributable to this heretical belief. Moreover, a blunt expression of a view of Gandhi’s relative spiritual position is most unfortunate and harmful for the young and many Christians will misunderstand it and make a wrong use of it.

What our Lord meant when he compared John the Baptist with “one who is very little in the Kingdom of God” needs deep discernment. We are not sure whether he would not include Gandhi in the Kingdom. Dogmatic assertions in this regard had better remain suspended. We might be held guilty of judgement which belongs to God. Anyway the harm that such expressions help produce in different communities is great. It especially creates in the Christian the spirit of bigotry and fanaticism and dogmatic that make him unfit to live in love and peace with others. We are very sorry that a missionary of the stamp of Mr. Thoburn has fallen into this slip and an undesirable remark was found place in an official Church paper. Maulana Mohammed Ali said the same thing long before partition about Gandhiji in relation to Islam, and we have been reaping the harvest of such folly ever since.

10. The Episcopal Address at the Central Conference of the Methodist Church

This was by Bishop C.D. Rockey has a small paragraph on “New Nationalism” We are sorry the Bishop runs down nationalism in the way he does. He sees nothing good in it. He mentions India, Pakistan and Burma and says “in every land rampant nationalism is more of a foe than a friend.” “Some day each Christian may have to decide whether to maintain his Christian principles and run the risk of being taunted as a traitor to his country, or sacrifice his Christian ideals through political pressure.” One wonders whether the good Bishop is living in India or in a world of his own fearful imagination. Is this not warmongering between communities? One wonders if this kind of attack on nationalism in season and out of season does not indicate a symptom of deep-seated regret and frustration due to the withdrawal of British political power and the waning influence of the westerner over the Indian. Again has not India proved during her very short life within freedom that her nationalism is generous, large, considerate and universal in scope and spirit compared to which the narrow, regimented and racial nationalists of western countries (to which the missionary friends are so devotedly attached) look so petty and futile and jet forebode fearful consequences for the world? Men like the Bishop must be aware of the racial conditions and colour bar produced by European nationalism expanded into colonialism playing havoc on the lives of simple natives and helpless Indians in East and South Africa. Let them read the article by M.J. Seroney on Kenya’s racial discrimination published in the A.B. Patrika in its issue of the 19th March 1949. Such conditions are found more or less all over the world. Let not foreign missionaries, who pretend to do spiritual work, have a fling at our freedom and nationalism of which we are justly proud.

11. Communism, the State and Religion

The state meets communism with powerful repression, the Church criticises its wrong materialistic philosophy and sometimes offers a spiritual one. Marxian communism will not be stemmed by either weapon until the basic needs of the common man are adequately met by the provision of food, clothes, home, security and equal opportunity irrespective of class or caste. Man wants Liberty, Equality, Fraternity — not a fine philosophy. Nor will he be cowed down by superior force of the state. The most dangerous symptom is that neither the Church nor the state are yet sufficiently roused to their senses. Will India attempt at a satisfactory solution of this problem?

12. Atlantic Pact

India will do well and wisely to keep herself free from military and political entanglements of such pacts and alliances and blocs - however peaceful in intention. Psychologically they create certain atmosphere inevitably fostering a clash sooner or later These are also apt to reduce the authority and usefulness of the U.N.O., though loyalty to its charter is loudly proclaimed. While not unmindful of world tendencies and always ready for international cooperation especially in the economic and cultural fields India must hold her head high after a thousand years of enslavement and medievalism conscious of her vast resources and potentialities and her spiritual ideals of peace and liberty. It is in the moral and spiritual sphere that her leadership will be of utmost value. In order to be effective she will have to cultivate a certain amount oi detachment and preserve her independence. The same considerations will hold in the case of her relation to the British Commonwealth. Other links if possible, than the crown, will have to be forged if she is to maintain close cooperation with the rest of the commonwealth. Obviously racial and cultural affinities do not exist. It is plain the connection will have to be largely economic. But India in all this must preserve her own soul.

13. Festivals and Gods

For a long time editors of daily papers and of periodicals have allowed the publication of the teachings and lives of great men - especially the founders of different religions, the explanation of the origins and meanings of religions festivals etc. The motive has been commendable - sympathetic understanding of one another’s culture and fostering of good-will and concord. There is no doubt peace among the nations, religions, communities and races is the dire need of the present hour. The world is too much distressed by suspicion, division, ignorance, superstition and hatred.

Recently we have read with great interest and profit a learned article on the Holi festival that appeared in the A.B. Patrika of the 15th March 1949. Particularly arresting in its approach and daring presentation was a statement “Kali and Siva” published in the “Prabuddba Bharat” of February 1949. We are grateful for the elucidations and explanations by imaginative men. These rest certain assumptions.

1. That all religions are true and more or less equal. Our reaction to this position has always been that the assumption is an unproved, crude, unscientific dogma. Illustrations or symbols or analogies do not prove, the soundness or truth of a position.

2. These interpretations have always been spiritualisations of what are faces or realities in the situation. This is an unscholarly and unscientific approach.

3. That what the common people or uneducated masses do understand or believe is not the truth which lies behind the gross and the apparent which only the sophisticated can unravel.

To say the least this is disbelief of, the natural and acceptance of the artificial. Common people believe and worship Siva or Kali as real personal gods and goddesses. This is a fact. The learned man’s saying that this is only an allegory does not break the fact of millions of men and women believing in and worshipping many gods and goddesses like these. A legitimate question arises which is first - the fact of the god and goddess in the mind of men or their philosophical explanations?

We should like to make two observations in this connection. If the spiritual and philosophical explanations represent the truth namely that reality is one and spiritual; the material, the gross and the many are illusions or aberrations of the truth, then common people should not be allowed to be content with the untruths and the darkness but should be diligently and earnestly weaned away from Sakarbed. Instead, we see that historically Sakarbad has been tolerated and so has been heavily accumulating on the mind, heart and home of crores of people who would have been better, simpler, stronger and cleaner without it. Feeble attempts of a few reformist movements in India have been miserably suppressed. Idealisation only helps not only the lingering but further spreading of the gross and materialistic practices.

Secondly, however fine and exalted the spiritual and philosophical meanings of festivals and gods may be, their actual and immediate suggestions are not very uplifting. It is to this moral aspect of idolatry and symbolism that we would earnestly draw the attention of the religious leaders of our country. All men would be presented with a concrete ideal that is pure, high and uplifting immediately and actually and net through laborious far-fetched interpretations. India badly needs such an Image of God—of truth and love.

What Is This Place?

This question has often been asked in the past during the nineteen years of my stay here by inquisitive people ignorant of Christianity or by interested enquirers of the serious type on asking the Sigo Boards and Bible posters in front of our centre at Dashashwamedh. For the last six months owing to my being alone much of the time I have had less outside contacts at the ghats to. As I have sat in the Library reading, writing or teaching many men of different types from, all over India have come up with the same question, and it has been a royal privilege to tell them something about the beloved Saviour in a quiet and appreciative atmosphere. Much of my time has been spent in interviewing ones and twos-having conversations, or reading from the scriptures, singing and praying. The Library has been greatly used. Ghats or homes have not been neglected; whenever any visitors came I have been out with them armed with plentiful literature. So we have been able to sell a considerable number of Gospels, Testaments and Bibles. How I wish there were half a dozen workers always on the move. But the last six months has shown the typical Hindu way how they find out and resort to a spiritual centre where they expect to meet someone who has experienced and attained something.

The Flood

This short statement should be read along with the one issued during the rainy season and published from the “Seeker” (The Cloudy Messenger 1948). That will give a full picture of the year 1948 to 1949. We were visited with a disastrous flood in August to September which involved considerable loss to some inhabitants and interfered with the normal life of the city for two months. So we had to postpone for the time being our study of Hinduism set for the month of October.

Study of Hinduism

This study was split in two short courses of a fortnight each. One course we already bad in the latter half of January and the other we have planned for the first fort-night of next May. In January, we had four final B, D. Students from Leonard College, Jabalpur together with Dr. and Mrs. Soper who are on the College staff and have come out in their retired stage from America to see something of Hindu India. Dr. Soper has been a scholar of Buddhism and has taken keen interest in Hinduism—its parent stock. We enjoyed this fellowship of life in thinking, study and prayer together for the two weeks.

The Visitors

We had the pleasure of receiving amongst us the following friends for short periods. Rev. M.H. Harper and children (Jabalpur), Rev. and Mrs. C.H. Toburn and children, Miss Loft and an Indian lady (Jabalpur), 11 girls and 5 boys from Allahabad Agricultural Institute and Leonard Theological College, Rev. Canon and Mrs. K.B. Ghosh (Calcutta), Sri M.N. Roy B.L. and S. Biswas Esq. (Calcutta). We did what we could to make them understand Banaras and the bearing of Christian life and work in such a city.

My Visits to Bihar, Calcutta and E. Pakistan

The most educative and interesting experience was gained in my visits to Arrah Methodist Mission and Bhagalpur C.M.S. High Sebool in Bihar, two Methodist and one Presbyterian Churches in Calcutta, one Ashram and several Christian villages in Barisal on the border of the Bay of Bengal in E. Pakistan. These various contacts both personal and in the evangelistic meetings held in Churches revealed to me in an impressive way the basic problems the Church and the Indian Christians are facing today. To put it bluntly, the question is one of independence for the Indian Church. Both the system and control through finance and personal are foreign. They have played out their usefulness and are now resented. There is tension, chaos and a good deal of degeneration. There is psychological disunion and uncertainty. If Christianity as an organised religion is to be preserved in free and new India there must be radical overhaul and reorganisation in conformity with the tradition and spirit of the country and there must be complete withdrawal of all foreign control and influence direct and indirect. Otherwise, there is danger ahead both for Church and Mission. Thoughtful and prayerful Indian leaders must build up the faith of the Christians on the principles of the Bible and the lessons from the tradition of the universal Church.

I was very glad to meet the Rev. Alexander McLeish of the World Dominion press and have a few hours fellowship with him in Calcutta one day in February. He was taking a short tour in India.

We have maintained good health in the family throughout the year. Our eldest son Amarendra who is now posted in Delhi in the Meteorological Department was engaged in January to marry a girl belonging to the family of a former colleague in evangelistic work. Our second daughter, Aruna, who passed her B.A. from the Hindu University last year and distinguished herself by her paintings, has been specialising in the subject and also teaching art in a Girls High School. Her products of art have in recent years and months been exhibited and rewarded with prizes in Delhi, Lucknow, Banaras etc. Some of her works were also shown at Allahabad in the Exhibitions held by the Tract and Bible Societies. At the instance of some interested Christian friends and organisations she is now giving more time to Christian subjects.

As we look back over the past year our hearts are filled with thankfulness to God for his loving are over us and for the happy time with those who have sought the truth. Sant … got a rebuff in the R. Catholic Ashram because of its too much insistence on external discipline, but he is preserving big contacts with me. Of many others I can only pray that God may give them light and courage to follow the truth as they know it.

— R.C. DAS.

Notice #2

(Retreat-Conference under the auspices of the Fellowship of Christian (1) Ashrams (2) Sanyasis (3) Independent workers.)

A Conference of representatives of the Fellowship with a few leaders and kindred spirits will be held in the Duff Church Compound, 27, Maniktala St. Calcutta 6, as from the 23rd to the 30ch April next. Prayerful discussion on (1) the building up of the Church of Christ in new India (2) experiments on new and indigenous methods in Christian life and activity will be followed by witnessing both among Christians and Hindus. It is hoped that a cultural and artistic feature will be added to the Retreat such as music, paintings etc. Prof. M.L. Sircar M.A., Rev. Father M.C. Chakravarty of St. Marys, Dr. N.C. Ghosh M.B. among others are expected to be associated with it. Rev. P.C. Adhicary B.A. Pastor, Duff Church will be the local organiser. The entertainment will be free. Those interested may kindly write at once.

29, Dashashwamedh, Banaras.
R.C. DAS.