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Dalit theology is a branch of
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
that emerged among the
Dalit Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered") is a term used for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. They are also called Harijans. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold var ...
caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...
in the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
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 Sec ...
, 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 (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
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 Arvind P. Nirmal, (1936–1995) was a Dalit Christian theologian and a minister of the Church of North India. He questioned the Christian conversion of the upper castes, especially the Brahmin. A major proponent of Dalit theology, Nirmal argued ...
(1936–1995), 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 the Indian subcontinent, and are still categorised as Dalits in Hindu, Christian, Muslim, and Sikh societ ...
in the
Church of North India The Church of North India (CNI) is the dominant united and uniting churches, united Protestant church in northern India. It was established on 29 November 1970 by bringing together most of the Protestant churches working in northern India. It i ...
. Nirmal criticised
Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
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 political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...
element within
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
n liberation theology. Nirmal drew on the concept of the
Suffering Servant The servant songs (also called the servant poems or the Songs of the Suffering Servant) are four Music in the Bible, songs in the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible, which include Isaiah 42:1–Isaiah 42:4, 4; Isaiah 49; ; and –. The songs are fo ...
in to identify Jesus himself as a Dalit – "a waiter, a ''
dhobi Dhobi known in some places as Dhoba, Rajaka, a Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, scheduled caste in India and the greater Indian subcontinent whose traditional occupations are Clothes washing, washing, ironing, and Farmworker, agricultur ...
'', and ''
bhangi Chuhra, also known as Bhanghi and Balmiki, is a Dalit caste in India and Pakistan. Populated regions include the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, as well as Uttar Pradesh in India, among other parts of the Indian subcontinent such as south ...
''."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 founded in 1970; it holds membership in the Anglican Communion, the World Communion of Reformed Churches,Database (9 February 2006)"Sialkot Diocese of the Church of Pakistan". R ...
, 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 : This episode tak ...
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. A Jewish priest and then a Levite ...
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 condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...
. 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) which summarizes its core tenets. Many Christian denominations use three creeds ...
, 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 member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are n ...
(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 Protestant denominations in South India that occurred after the independence of India. With a membership of over 4.5 million, it ...
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.net Nepal Christians to renew t ...
, 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 indigenous; 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 t ...
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.


See also

*
Caste system among Indian Christians The caste system among South Asian Christians often reflects stratification by sect, location, and the caste of their predecessors.
*
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 the Indian subcontinent, and are still categorised as Dalits in Hindu, Christian, Muslim, and Sikh societ ...


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.
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20010226191903/http://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