CASTE AND CHRISTIANITY

During the 19th and 20th centuries the Hindu structure of society was seriously affected by the
rigid caste system. The issue of caste was another serious issue Protestant Christianity
encountered. In 19th and 20th century India, Christianity interacted closely with the caste
system. Missionaries criticized caste discrimination and many lower-caste people converted to
Christianity seeking equality. Despite this, caste divisions often continued within Christian
communities. Over time, some Christian leaders worked to address these issues and promote
social justice. However, caste-based problems persisted, highlighting ongoing challenges in
achieving true equality.

ST. THOMAS CHRISTIANS ATTITUDE TOWARD CASTE

The St. Thomas Christians of Kerala, for several centuries have been living within the caste
system. They were considered as a separate caste, and only lower to the Brahmins, They derive
their status within the caste system from the tradition that they are converted from high caste
Hindus who were evangelized by Thomas the Apostle.It is viewed that they practiced
untouchability, and this practice in fact prevented the St. Thomas Christians from involving in
evangelistic work in the early part of the centuries, because the inclusion of the lower caste
would destroy their respect from the society as higher caste. Therefore, throughout the centuries
the St. Thomas Christians made little effort to Christianize the non-Christian neighbors.In the
later centuries they neither cooperated with the evangelical activities of foreign missionaries nor
did they allow the new Converts to join their community since they were afraid that their noble
position in the society could be endangered,Thus. The Syrian Christians unquestionably
assimilated the caste system.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC ATTITUDE TOWARD CASTE

The attitude of the Roman Catholic Church toward the caste problem was not an issue in the
initial encounter. The Roman Catholic Church regarded the caste system as the cultural
institution and encouraged the people to stay within their own castes. The problem of caste
occurred mainly when a large number of Paravars became Christians between 1535 and 1537.
This large number of Paravars converting to Christianity led to the identification of Christianity
as a religion of the low caste, and they called Christianity a Paranghi religion. This led to the
creation of division within the members of the Roman Catholic Church on caste basis. This was
evident even with the missionary Robert De Nobili, who came to India in 1606 and established
the Madurai mission, adopted his method of accommodation by cutting off all kinds of contact
with his colleagues working among the low-castes. 300 Nobili was challenged by the Roman
Catholics which led to the famous controversy called the "Malabar Rite Controversy," which in
turn brought the papal decrees of 1734 and 1744 denouncing untouchability, was as alien to
Christianity. However, this Strategy of adaptation or accommodation generally accepted and
practiced by the Roman Catholics saying caste was a civil or cultural institution which could be
used for evangelistic purposes and maintained within the Church with only minor modifications,
Thus. caste discrimination was fully accommodated within the Roman Catholic Church.

THE PROTESTANT CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE TOWARD CASTE TILL 1850

THE FIRST PROTESTANT MISSION AND CASTE ISSUE CASTE

The issue was a serious problem within the Church from the very first Protestant Mission in
India. When the New Jerusalem Church was founded in 1707 distinction of caste was allowed,In
the Church, the Sudra men sat on one side of the nave and the others on the other, and likewise
the Sudra women in one of the transepts and the other women on the other; at Holy Communion
all the Sudras, men and women were administered first and the others afterwards. Ziegenbalg
died in February 1719, and after his death, Schultze assumed the leadership in Tranquebar
Mission, with the aim to stop the caste distinction in the Church, which was strongly opposed by
the members. He tried to stop the distinction by order but the result was strong opposition and
discontentment from the members. When Schultze left Tranquebar, the new missionaries, Walter
and Pressier, who arrived in 1725, restored the old practice of caste distinctions, and even today
this caste distinction continues to create tensions among the believers.

THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY ATTITUDE TOWARDS CASTE

From the very beginning the Bengal Baptist Missionaries headed by Willian Carey strongly
opposed the practice of casteism. They considered caste distinction as incompatible with the
Gospel. They wholeheartedly advocated egalitarian ideals among the believing Christians.They
regarded caste system an aspect of idolatry, which needed to be removed from the society. They
considered departure from caste as a dynamic affirmation of conversion, and a defense against
the reversion to Hinduism. The Baptist Missionaries insisted on not intolerance of caste system
among the Christians but to encourage the converts to enter into inter-marriage among the castes.
Hence, in 1803, Mr. Prasad the first Brahmin convert married a Sudra convert in order to break
the rigid caste system.

ANGLICANS ATTITUDE TOWARDS CASTE

However, with Bishop Daniel Wilson of Kolkata it became intolerable with the caste distinction
within the church and thus in 1833 when he visited South India he was saddened and shocked to
see the serious practice of caste within the church, Sudra and Adi Dravida Christians sat
separately in the Church. This caste discrimination forced him to issue a strong letter ordering
that the distinction of caste be abandoned, decidedly, immediately and finally, which
immediately provoked a pandemonium, Serious problems emerged among the Sudra Christians
of Madras, Tanjore and Trichinopoly. This new policy led many members of the old
congregations to join the Leipzig Mission after 1846, as it was willing to let old caste distinctions
be kept. Thus, caste distinctions in the Church was never absent throughout the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries.

TOWARDS THE PROTESTANT CONSENSUS ON CASTE

By the 1850s the majority of the Protestant Christians in India have come to realize that cas00te
system is a serious evil that needed to be rooted out completely from the Church. The Anglican,
Presbyterian, Congregationalist, and other non-Lutheran missions were in fact from the very
beginning, intolerant towards the presence of caste feelings in the Church.1? The Lutherans,
before the Anglicans had taken up the mission, condoned caste. Like Vepery, the Tanjore and the
Irichy churches of Tamil Nadu were full of discord, with large numbers rejoining the Hindus or
the Lutheran or Roman Catholic Churches, where caste was tolerated, at that time. On many
occasions Christians argued that caste is a civil institution, equal with the European class
systems.The American Mission pursued stringent efforts against the observance of Caste among
the Christians. They did not permit caste distinction and converts were mandated to relinquish
their caste in order to join the Christian community.In 1847 they insisted their employees to
demonstrate their rejection of caste by taking part in the 'love-feast', by cating with Christians
from various castes. A resolution of the Madras Missionary Conference in 1848 put forward a
significant attitude of Protestant Christians towards caste, where it states that "only those who
broke caste by eating food prepared by a pariah should be entitled to baptism.And Protestant
consensus on caste was very clear with the resolutions of Madras Missionary Conference in 1850
and 1858 which was supported by the Missionary Conferences of Calcutta and Bombay
Missionary Conferences.

THE PROTESTANT CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE TOWARD CASTE

Post-1850 Post 1850 Christian attitude toward caste and Indian culture has become more
tolerant. This change was due to the influence of the interpretation of the ideologies such as of
and Sir Moneir Williams and the influence of the steadily increasing liberal theology in the west.
The liberal minded missionaries like Farquhar and Lucas, while not denying that caste-system
was incompatible with Christianity, felt the positive side of caste system.317 In the 1860s and
1870s. thousands of people of low caste were converted to Christianity. This also required the
missionaries to reassess their attitude toward caste among the Christians. Lots of Christians
began to allow caste within the church again with the hope that it would positively impact more
Hindus to be attracted toward the Christian gospel. However, in the beginning of the 20th
century the National Council of Churches in India and the World Council of Churches
condemned the concept of untouchability, which is still practiced in India despite being abolished
from India's constitution in 1950. In a joint affirmation of faith, the churches described Casteism
as a sin, apostasy and rebellion against God and a crime against human beings. In spite of all the
oppositions the practice of caste continues to create problems within the Indian Church today.

CONCLUSION

In 19th and 20th century India, Christianity had a profound impact on social dynamics,
particularly regarding caste. The religion offered a vision of equality and attracted many from
marginalized communities seeking a more just society. However, caste issues persisted within
Christian communities, revealing the difficulty of overcoming deeply entrenched social
hierarchies. Despite significant reform efforts and advocacy for social justice, the journey toward
full equality remained a challenging and ongoing process. In the present context we see that
Christianity is actively work for the equality and defending dehumanizing practises.