Christian Impact On India

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31097, 28 June 1966, Page 24

Christian Impact On India

Famine assistance through Christian channels and missionary educational and medical work were making an immense impact on India, whose population was only 2 per cent Christian, the very Rev. Dr. W. Stewart and the Rev. Aziz William, of the United Church of North India, said in Christchurch yesterday.

Dr. Stewart and Mr William will hold a one-day “school of mission” in Christchurch today as part of a two-month programme organised by the overseas mission department of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. Dr. Stewart is the principal of Serampore College, near Calcutta, Which is the oldest college in India. Mr William is the principal of a high school and church pastor in Jammu, the capital of Kashmir.

Christianity was making progress in India, although the majority of the population was Hindu, Mr William said.

The personal examples of honesty and a sense of duty given by Christians and efforts to help lepers and ether Classes of people not ordinarily helped, were largely responsible for this. These showed a positive and realistic coming to terms with the world compared with the speculative philosophy of Hinduism.

It was very important to the world that India was officially a secular state in which all religions were free to preach, Dr. Stewart said. This was a tremendous achievement especially when it was remembered that its neighbours had accepted “official” religions Pakistan, Islam; Ceylon and Burma, Buddhism. It would have been very easy for India to declare herself a Hindu country as most of her people were Hindus. The effect of Christianity was much greater than the number of Christians in the population would give cause to believe, Dr. Stewart and Mr William said. The attempts to help people

'better themselves through improved farming and other developments were affecting Hindu philosophy. The caste system was broken down and the principle of non-violence accepted because of Christian teaching. Because of these influences it was important to keep dose contact between the two beliefs.

During the mission school of a day, Dr. Stewart will

speak on the role of the Gospel in today’s world, and Mr William will discuss the evangelistic strategy and opportunity for evangelism in India today. They will conclude with talks on Hinduism and Islam, the two main religions of India. This evening Dr. Stewart will hold a public meeting at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, and Mr William at St. Giles’s.