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3 - Waters of life and Indian cups: Protestant attempts at theologizing in India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

By
Israel Selvanayagam
Edited by
Sebastian C. H. Kim
Sebastian C. H. Kim
Affiliation:
York St John University
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Summary

INTRODUCTION

The words in the title are deliberately chosen. Those who know the famous phrase ‘the water of life in an Indian cup’ attributed to Sadhu Sundar Singh, one of the most well-known lay theologians of India, would realize the twist. It challenges straight away a few traditional assumptions about the nature of the so-called Indian Christian theology. First, to claim that there is a single theology or even a cluster of theologies produced in India is far from the truth. Partly, such a claim is the result of imitating the western way of naming theology, which is basically a reasoning or talking about God. Although there are particular theological constructions made in the west within defined frameworks of certain philosophies, today we realize the variety of methods and plurality of perspectives from which theology is approached. Second, ‘the water of life in an Indian cup’ suggests that the ‘water of life’ has come from elsewhere and the cup, a single cup, is only a receptacle. If Sundar Singh's other image ‘channels’ is preferred, again it means what India has is nothing more than an instrumental value. Third, in spite of several attempts having been made, India has yet to produce a systematic theology that is constructive, consistent, coherent and relevant.

It is rather modest to say that some Indian Christian thinkers have made serious attempts to reflect the Christian faith in the context of challenges facing their country.

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Christian Theology in Asia , pp. 41 - 70
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

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