{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 162,
  "chapterName": "1927. The Indian Church Measure",
  "pageFrom": 333,
  "pageTo": 336,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 333,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n333\nlate Principal Rudra and I used often to discuss this evil tendency.\nI well remember how he used to deplore it. I am offering a tribute\nto the memory of a dead friend when I inform the reader that he\nused often to express his grief that it was too late in life for him to\nchange some of the unnecessary European habits to which he\nwas brought up. Is it not truly deplorable that many Christian\nIndians discard their own mothertongue, bring up their children\nonly to speak in English? Do they not thereby completely cut\nthemselves adrift from the nation in whose midst they have to\nlive? But they may answer in self-defence that many Hindus,\nand even Mussalmans have become denationalized. The Tu\nQuoque argument serves no useful purpose. I am writing not\nas a critic but as a friend who has enjoyed the closest intimacy\nwith hundreds of Christian Indians. I want my missionary friends\nand Christian Indians to reciprocate the spirit in which these\nlines are written. I write in the name and for the sake of heart\nunity which I want to see established among the people of\nthis land professing different faiths. In nature, there is a funda-\nmental unity running through all the diversity we see about us.\nReligions are no exception to the natural law. They are given to\nmankind so as to accelerate the process of realization of funda-\nmental unity.\n162. THE INDIAN CHURCH MEASURE (1927 A.D.)\nThrough the Indian Church Measure of 1927, the National\nAssembly of the Church of England severed the legal and jurisdictional\nconnection between the Church of England and the (Anglican) Church\nin India. The independence thus granted the Indian Church of the\nAnglican communion had considerable influence upon Missions\nof other traditions working in India. Cited in C. J. Grimes,\nTowards an Indian Church, pp. 201-205.\nTo provide for the dissolution of the legal union between the\nChurch of England and the Church of England in India, and to\nmake provisions consequential thereon.\nWhereas it is expedient that the legal union between the Church\nof England and the Church of England in India shall be dissolved,\nand that provision should at the same time be made for the last-\nmentioned Church as proposed to be constituted after the dissolu-\ntion of the said union:\nAnd whereas a petition to that effect has been presented to the\nChurch Assembly by the General Council of the Church of England\nin India:\nAnd whereas the Secretary of State in Council of India and\nthe Governor-General of India in Council, and the Archbhishop",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 334,
      "ocrText": "334\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nof Canterbury, and the bishops and duly appointed representatives\nof the clergy and the laity of the Church of England in India in\nCouncil assembled have approved the dissolution of such union :\n1. In this Measure-\nthe expression date of severance' means such day not less\nthan two years or more than three years after the coming into\noperation of this Measure as the Governor-General of India in\nCouncil at the request of the General Council shall fix for the\ndissolution of such union as aforesaid;\nthe expression 'Indian Church' means, in respect of the\nperiod before the date of severance, The Church of England in\nIndia, and in respect of the period commencing on the date of\nseverance, the Church of England in India as severed from the\nChurch of England, notwithstanding the adoption by the said\nChurch of any other name or names;\nthe expression 'rule' includes canon, article, declaration,\nconstitution, and regulation;\nthe expression 'the rules of the Indian Church' means the\necclesiastical law and the articles, canons, doctrines, rite, rules,\ndiscipline and ordinances of the Indian Church existing at the\ndate of the passing of this Measure with and subject to such modifi-\ncation or alteration, if any, as may after the passing of this Measure\nbe duly made therein by the Indian Church;\nthe expression Bishop of Calcutta' means the occupant\nfor the time being of the See of Calcutta, whether or not that\nSee is Constituted an archiepiscopal see;\nthe expression 'General Council' means the body recognised\nas such by the Bishop of Calcutta.\n2. Upon the date of severance the union legally existing between\nthe Church of England and the Church of England in India shall\nbe dissolved, and-\n(i) The enactment mentioned in the first column of the\nschedule to this Measure shall be repealed to the extent mentioned\nin the third column of the said schedule;\n(ii) The Metropolitan Bishop of the Indian Church shall\nnot, in contemplation of the law, be subject to the general superin-\ntendence and revision of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the\nobtaining of the Royal Mandate to consecrate shall not be necessary\nin the case of the consecration of a bishop for a charge in India,\nnor shall the Bishops in Foreign Countries Act, 1841, apply to\nthe consecration of any such bishop, nor shall any bishop of any",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 335,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n335\ndiocese in England have any jurisdiction over the Indian Church\nin India;\n(iii) No ecclesiastical court or official of the Indian Church\nshall have or exercise any coercive jurisdiction;\n(iv) The ecclesiastical law of the Church of England, so\nfar as it exists in India, shall in India cease to exist as law; and no\nproceeding by way of rehearing or appeal from any decision,\njudgment, sentence, decree or other order of any ecclesiastical\ncourt or official of the Indian Church shall be entered, admitted,\nprosecuted, heard or determined in, by or before any of His\nMajesty's Courts of Justice in India or elsewhere, any Court of\nCommissioners delegate in India, or His Majesty in Council;\n(v) The rules of the Indian Church shall be binding on the\nmembers thereof for the time being in the same manner as if they\nhad mutually agreed to be so bound, and shall be capable of being\nenforced in the temporal courts in relation to any property lawfully\nheld on behalf of the said Church or any members thereof in the\nsame manner and to the same extent as if such property had been\nexpressly assured upon trust to be held on behalf of persons who\nshould be bound.\nAs in the respects particularly in this section mentioned, so in\nall other respects the Church of England and the Indian Church\nshall, as from the date of severance, be legally severed, separate\nand distinct, and every law and custom shall, except as in this\nMeasure expressly provided, be interpreted and applied accor-\ndingly.\n3. (i) From and after the coming into operation of this\nMeasure nothing in any Act of Parliament, law or custom, shall\nprevent the General Council from making, amending or repealing\nrules for the general management and good government of the\nIndian Church and the property and affairs thereof, whether in\nrespect of the whole of the said Church, or according to provinces\nor dioceses or other areas, and rules so made may provide for the\nfuture making, amending or repealing of rules for the like purposes\nand prescribe the persons or bodies by whom, or by which, such\nrules may be made, amended or repealed:\nProvided that no rules so made shall come into operation before\nthe date of severance.\n(ii) From and after the date of severance nothing in any\nAct of Parliament, law or custom, shall prevent the bishops, clergy\nand laity of the Indian Church from holding synods, councils or\nassemblies whether general, provincial, diocesan or according\nto other areas, or from electing representatives thereto; or any",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 336,
      "ocrText": "336\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nsuch synod, council or assembly from acting in accordance with\nthe rules of the Indian Church for the time being.\n(iii) Any rule of the Indian Church made by any synod,\ncouncil, assembly or officer thereof shall not, after the date of\nseverance, be subject to any legal limitation in respect to scope\nor effect (whether arising from the operation of an Act of Parlia-\nment or otherwise) other than such as would apply to the like\nrule if made by a voluntary association altogether distinct from\nthe Church of England which should have come into existence\non the date of severance:\nProvided always that nothing in this section shall be deemed\nto confer upon the General Council or enable it to confer upon\nany other person or body of persons any coercive jurisdiction,\nwithout prejudice, however, to the operation of the law relating to\nobligations binding on persons who shall be deemed in accordance\nwith subsection (v) of section 2 of this Measure, to have mutually\nagreed to be bound by any such rule.\n4.\n(i) If for any temporal purpose in connection with this\nMeasure, or if in any proceedings in any temporal court, it shall be\nnecessary to determine whether any person is, n is, or at any past date\nwas, a member of the Indian Church or of any Church in communion\ntherewith, a certificate under the hand of the Bishop of Calcutta\nstating that such person is or is not, or was or was not on a named\npast date, a member of the Indian Church or of a Church in com-\nmunion therewith, shall conclusively determine the fact stated\ntherein.\n(ii) A Certificate purporting to be made and signed by\nthe said Bishop shall be deemed to have been made and signed by\nhim until the contrary be shown.\n5. (i) The recognition of the General Council as such by\nthe Bishop of Calcutta shall be sufficiently proved for all purposes\nby an expression of that recognition in writing under the hand of\nsuch Bishop; and if any question at any future time shall arise\nas to whether any assembly was or was not the General Council\nfor the purpose of this Measure, whether generally, or on a parti-\ncular occasion, or at a particular time, such question shall be\nreferred to the Bishop aforesaid, and by him finally decided.\n(ii) (a) A document purporting to be a writing under this\nsection, and to be signed by the Bishop of Calcutta shall be deemed\nto be such and to have been made and signed by him until the\ncontrary is shown,\n(b) No proceedings of the General Council, in pur-\nsuance of this Measure, shall be invalidated by any vacancy in",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}