{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 133,
  "chapterName": "1892-1893. The Third Decennial Conference, Bombay",
  "pageFrom": 252,
  "pageTo": 259,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 252,
      "ocrText": "252\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nthat the appellant had neither been properly consecrated nor\naccepted by the majority thereof and therefore had no title to the\nDignity and office of Metropolitan; that the Appellant's possession\nof the properties of the Church and its appurtenances and the\nassumption of the office of Metropolitan have been wrongful since\nthe death of Mar Athanasius, the admitted last Metropolitan and\nTrustee that the Appellant should, therefore, surrender the\ninsignia and office of Metropolitan of the Malankarai Syrian\nJacobite Church and give up possession of the properties etc., to be\nadministered with two other Trustees as required by the Endowment\nDeed (Exhibit 111); ...\n133. THE THIRD DECENNIAL\nCONFERENCE, BOMBAY\n(1892-1893 A. D.)\nThe third all-India Decennial Missionary Conference began in\nBombay on 29th December 1892. One notes that the issues discussed\nat this conference were similar to those considered at the earlier confe-\nrences. Papers cited here are found in the Report of the Third Decennial\nMissionary Conference held at Bombay, 1892-93. Vol. I (1) pp. 121-\n127; (2) pp. 247-249; Vol. II (3) pp. 602 ff.\n1. Kali Charan Banurji on the Native Church-Its Organization\nand Self-Support\nThat the Missionaries of India, the majority of whom represent\nForeign Missions, should, in Conference assembled, embody, in\ntheir programme, the conception of The Native Church,' is\nis an\nindication of momentous significance. It signifies, on their part,\na readiness to recognise the ideal that the Native Church in India\nshould be one, not divided; native, not foreign. Nay, it conveys\nthe promise that, henceforth, they shall not impose by rule, upon\nthe converts they are privileged to gather, the accidents of denomi-\nnational Christianity, at once divisive and exotic, with which they\nthemselves happen to be identified.\nLet us attempt an analysis of the conception, 'Native Church'.\nClearly, the Church of England or Church of Scotland, for example,\nnotwithstanding the fact that the membership of each includes\nnatives of India, does not answer to the conception. Neither the\none nor the other is the Church in India; neither to the one nor to\nthe other, is the epithet native applicable. The conception, to be\nrealised, demands that Indian Christians should all belong to one\ntypical organisation, and that the organisation should be native,\nin the sense alike of being worked out by natives of India, and of\nbeing cast in a native mould.",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 253,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n253\nAs regards the first of these factors, that of unity, few would\ngo the length of challenging its desirableness, at least, in view of\nthe belligerent position we were called upon to occupy. The\nbesetting temptation was, rather, to deny its practicability, if not,\nas a tentative and transitory prelude or interlude, at all events as a\ndurable finality. But the prayer of unity is allowed to be the\nprayer of orthodoxy and not of heterodoxy. Besides, the dis-\ncountenancing insinuation is an audacious encroachment of Chris-\ntian scepticism upon ground hallowed by a thrice offered prayer of\nour Lord Himself. At any rate, even supposing that the unity\ncapable of accomplishment were bound to be of brief duration,\nit might, nevertheless, have a mission to discharge during its span\nof existence, which to despise, would be to arrogate judgment on a\npossible plan of Providence.\nAs regards the second factor, indigenousness as to both agency\nand type, it would be important to emphasise the distinction between\nsubstantive and adjective Christianity. Substantive Christianity,\nor the principles of Christianity, its vital facts and doctrines based\nthereon, must ever be above all bending, in consideration of any\npossible environment. This issue of native or foreign, is absolutely\ninadmissible, when it is in the question. But adjective Christianity,\nor the procedure to be adopted with a view to ensure the conser-\nvation of Christian truth, where accepted, and its progression,\nwhere still in abeyance, need not be, had better not be, a hard and\nfast system. The very fact, that so many sects are recognised\nwithin the pale of Christendom, argues ues that orthodoxy does\nrecognise the distinction. Substantive Christianity has been stereo-\ntyped; adjective Christianity has not been. All that is claimed\nfor the Native Church in India, is, adjective Christianity through\nits own agents, and in harmony with its own environment...\nin this view of things, Foreign Churches should simply\nguard the substantive Christianity of their converts, and while\ncommending to them the importance of setting about the develop-\nment of an adjective Christianity, should leave them, in the mean\ntime, free to make their start with a type of adjective Christianity,\nthe simplicity of which was commensurate with their infantine\nstage. The initial condition, then, of the organisation of the Native\nChurch is, that Foreign Churches should, in the exercise of self-\ndenial, refrain from imposing their adjective Christianity, by rule,\non their particular converts. It is clearly the interest of each\nChurch to secure that there might be a chance for Indian Christians\nas a body to grow into its organisation, and where there is faith in\nits excellence, there is no reason why there should not be patient\nwaiting for such a consummation...\nWe come now to the question of self-support. The conception\nof self-support has unfortunately been reduced to a question of",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 254,
      "ocrText": "254\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nrupees. A self-supporting congregation is understood to mean,\na congregation which found the money required for the support\nof its pastor. It were better to include in the conception, the\ncapability of finding, within itself, the pastor, and we would add,\nthe missionaries, to be supported. Before a congregation is\ndeclared self-supporting, it should be possible for it to find, within\nitself, both men qualified to sustain and propagate Church life,\nand money sufficient to provide for their support. This enlarged\nview of self-support has an important bearing on the success of the\nproblem in its more limited acceptation. Let us inquire into the\ncauses which have hitherto frustrated, for the most part, a consum-\nmation so devoutly desired, even that of congregations find adequate\nsupport for properly qualified pastors. Here, as in the matter of\norganization, Foreign Churches have fallen into the error of expect-\ning the goal they have reached for themselves, to be the starting\npoint with congregations in this country. Their language to the\ncongregations founded by them has been you must have a pastor\non the salary we fix for him; so set to work at once, find a pastor,\npay him as we propose, and declare yourselves self-supporting.\nNow, there may be no one in the congregation qualified, by him-\nself, to overtake all the duties and responsibilities of the pastorate.\nThe proper inference to draw from this position of affairs would be,\nthat the congregation was not ripe yet for the economy of the one-\nman ministry. A believer in the divine doctrine of the fullness of\ntime, submissive to the indications of Providence, would await in\npatience for the time when a pastor is raised in the congregation,\nand in the mean time, distribute the pastoral functions among a\nnumber, all within the congregation, who though individually\nunequal to the entire requirement, might collectively be able to\nover-take the whole duty. If, however, whether the one-man\npastor was forthcoming or not, an appointment must be made to\nthe pastorate, the congregation could not very well be expected to\nrealize its responsibility in the direction of self-support. Indian\nChristians are, doubtless, poor, but the real drawback is not their\npoverty so much, as a lurking feeling, which may not always rise\nto consciousness, that they might, to greater purpose, spend their\nsubstance in other channels of Christian activity, than in the mainte-\nnance of a form without the substance, necessitated by the demands\nof a finished machinery, bodily imported into the country. Any\nattempt to force on the man, must fail to force on the money.\nGod's plan of work knows of no anomalous discrepancies...\n2. H. Martyn Clark on the Jesuit Advance\nI have now said enough to show you the nature of work done\nby the Romanists, and the methods by by which it is carried on. The\nweapons of their warfare are carnal, intensely so. They neither",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 255,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\npreach, nor teach, nor do they distribute the Word of God. Popery,\nI found on personal enquiry, had not even penetrated skin deep\ninto the perverts in the Punjab. The liturgical services and glories\nof Mary were neither understood nor appreciated. Thus I found\na Christian who had been inclined to join the Papists, but was\ndisgusted to find they prayed to Mary, 'who had crumbled into\ndust long ago.' Nor is he better pleased with their ritual or their\nway of worship, which he tersely described thus: The father\nstood at a table and a man stood behind holding the shirts of his\nrobe. Then the father rang a bell and poured wine into a cup and\ndrank it all himself and gave nobody else any 'that was all the\nidea the celebration of the Mass conveyed to him.\nThe practical question still remains: how is the Romanist onset\nto be met? A defensive war is usually a losing war. I counsel\nstrongly that we should not wait to be attacked, but, wherever\nRomanists are, should persistently, strenuously, and most unflin-\nchingly carry the war into the enemy's camp.\nGood concise handbooks on Romanism and tracts on it and\nits teaching should be prepared and published, for the use of pastors,\nstudents, teachers and for distribution. Public lectures, popular\nin character, concerning Romanism and its history and its doings\nare very valuable, the more so if they be abundantly illustrated.\nCarry them with the fire of the magic clantern as well as the Sword\nof the Spirit. Much is to be gained by enlightening the heathen\nand Mohammedans concerning Papists and their doings. Thus,\nin the Punjab, when the Romanist tide was at its flood in the\ndistrict, I found the non-Christians were like Gallio caring for none\nof these things, but on the whole they much preferred their old\nfriends the Protestant Missionaries, who did not drink, were kind\nfriends, could understand them and make themselves understood,\nand who never were alone with women or had them confess to\nthem.\nThere are many other ways in which any one with a quantum\nof the wisdom of the serpant can checkmate the Papists without\ncompromising in the slightest the innocency of the dove. Into\nthese I will not here enter in detail.\nAmongst measures defensive the first place must be given to\nthe systematic teaching of the Word of God concerning the princi-\nples of Christian life and faith, and to very definite teaching concern-\ning the evils and errors of Popery. The practice of committing a\nselection of texts on such subjects to memory is highly to be recom-\nmended.\nAs regards further measures, missionaries elsewhere should\ntake a leaf out of the book of their Punjab brethren. In view of",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 256,
      "ocrText": "256\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nthe Romanist invasion, the Church Missionary Society, American\nPresbyterian Mission, U.P. Church of America, Church of Scotland\nand the Baptist Mission, in short every Society at work in Punjab,\nwith the exception of the S.P.G., appointed delegates to confer and\nto take common action concerning this matter.\nThe delegates met and devised a common plan of attack and\ndefence which has been accepted by these missions. In the\ncourse of their valuable report they laid down rules for common\nguidance concerning candidates for Baptism, Teaching, Inter-\ncommunion, Inter-Mission Discipline, Work in Common, Social\nAdvancement, Councils, Buildings, etc.\nWe have scarcely a pervert left now in the Punjab. Those who\nleft have almost all come back again. Similar plans in other parts\nof the land would, in likelyhood, give equally blessed results.\nThe Romanist lion came roaring to devour us. Because of his\ncoming, our Punjab Missions were drawn the closer together,\nthus were we enabled not only to rend the devourer, but also to\neat out of him the sweet honey of a closer union and a more living\nand intelligent sympathy with with one another. Why should not\nbrethren elsewhere have the like happy experience?\nLet us be united, have right views on the subject, have a defined\npolicy on preparation and of attack, let us steadily pursue it before\nthe enemy is on us, and let all our teaching be of the law and testi-\nmony-so shall we be ready, and by God's blessing it will be ours\nnot only to bring men out of the darkness of heathenism and\nMohammedanism into the light of God, but it will be ours also\nto keep them in the pure faith, nurture and admonition of our\nLord, who will Himself keep them and us from falling, and will\npresent them and us one day at His coming, blameless and exceeding\njoy. A last word it is only Protestant apathy and disunion that\nmakes Romanism the least bit formidable.\n3. Bishop Thoburn on Missionary Comity\nThe policy of assigning a separate field to each society is perfectly\ndefensible if the object sought is solely that of making a proper\ndivision of labour, and at the same time occupying as much territory\nas possible Many practical objections to such a policy have\nbeen brought to light in the progress of the work, some of which\nmay be briefly stated:\n1. These boundary lines are very apt to create the difficulty\nwhich they are intended to guard against. So, far from keeping\nthe missionaries apart, and thus preventing causes of disagreement,",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 257,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n257\nthe very line itself becomes a fruitful source of contention. At the\nlast Missionary Conference in London one brother with admirable\ncandour admitted that his mission had suffered more trouble from\ndisputes about boundary lines than from any other question. A\nboundary line is often a very shifting quantity, and it is nearly\nimpossible to prevent contentions when dealing with vast regions\nin which there is no actual occupancy, while there is nearly always\na strange, and not very reasonable, eagerness to grasp as wide a\nterritory as possible...\n2. These territorial allotments are unfair to those who come\nlatest to the mission field. We must remember that Missionary\nSocieties are constantly multiplying, that every few years a new\nsociety appears in such a field as India, and that its agents will\nnaturally look around for the most suitable sphere of labour\nwithin their reach. It must puzzle them not a little to be told when\nthey reach Bombay, that very little of India is open to them, that\nall the centres of influence have been occupied and are practically\nclosed against them, and that they must seek a field which thus\nfar has been neglected by their more fortunate brethren who came\nearlier upon the scene...\n3. The custom has been for the agents of each society to\ndecide for themselves the extent of the field which they are to\noccupy. Some of them have made their selection with wisdom,\nwhile others have chosen fields which they had no reasonable\nprospect of fully occupying for years, if not centuries, to come.\nExperience has proved that it that it is nearly impossible to persuade such\nmen that they are grasping at more than they can possibly reach,\nand hence we have inequalities of the most singular kind among\nwhat are called the separate mission districts of India...\n4. In its practical application this rule has tended to shut\nout the Gospel from vast regions where it would otherwise have\npenetrated. It will seem incredible to those in England and\nAmerica, who so earnestly advocate this policy, and yet it is a\nsimple fact with which many of us in India are painfully familiar,\nthat good men often object most strenuously to the advent of\nmissionaries of other socities into regions where they themselves\nare not able to give the Gospel to the people.\n5. The word 'occupy' is used in so flexible a way that it often\nmisrepresents the facts. For instance, a good man, a very good\nman once wrote to a brother missionary that he had occupied a\ndistrict containing a million of people, and hoped the brother\nwould not enter it. The occupation consisted in sending a native\npreacher to live in a small town, and preach in its bazaars and the\nsurrounding villages. Had there been any plan for extension, or\nH.C.I.-17",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 258,
      "ocrText": "258\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nany resources to make extension possible, this might have been\ncalled an occupation in part, but many years have since passed\nwithout any vigorous attempt being made to occupy the field.\nA district is not occupied because a missionary station has been\nestablished within its borders. Missionaries who have lived in\ntheir station for years have been startled to find people living\nwithin a few miles of their doors who had never heard the name\nof Jesus Christ. What, then, shall we say of the million, or perhaps\ntwo millions, who live in other parts of the so-called 'occupied\ndistrict?...\n6. This policy annoys and harasses men who love unity\nand concord, and seek peace and pursue it, and yet who are\nconstantly put in the wrong by accusations of interference with\nthe work of others. Any man with the mind and heart which a\ntrue preacher ought to have, cannot but feel grieved and pained\nwhen accused accused un unjustly of hindering his Master's work by marring\nthe labours of Christian brethren. Charges of this kind are made\nfar too freely, and very often without a shadow of just cause.\n7. This rule ignores the fact that within a given field there\nmay be different races, or castes or languages, and that one society\nmay not be able, or may not choose, to do all the work to be done.\nFor instance, Santhals and Bengali people may live side by side.\nOne missionary may wish to work for the one people and another\nfor the other. If the society in occupancy will do all the work,\nwell, and good; let no one interfere with its agents. But if a tribe\nor a caste, or a separate people of any kind, are wholly neglected,\noutside people should certainly be permitted to go to these neglected\npeople with the Gospel...\n8. The rule ignores the freedom of the converts. As\ngenerally interpreted, it assumes that all natives who become\nChristians within a given area, shall be assigned to the missionary\nworking within the area in question. It is taken for granted that\nthe converts will do as they are told, but as a matter of fact they\nare by no means always willing to obey such directions. Any\none who has observed the course of events in other countries, ought\nto be wiser than to expect that such a policy could be enforced\nin a country like India. In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred,\nsincere converts will wish to follow those who first bring them to\nChrist, and in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred they will do\nbetter under the care of these persons than under any others...\n9. This policy interferes with the normal progress of the\nGospel. We ought to look forward to the time when Christianity\nwill free itself from the narrow limits of the mission house and\nmission agencies, and begins to advance over the country from",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 259,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n259\nheart to heart and from village to village, by a steady process\nnormal growth. Whenever it becomes a living indigenous\nChristianity, it will advance in this way. In some places we see\nindications of such advance for which we ought to be dévoutly\nthankful...\n10. This policy ignores the special call which the Holy Spirit\nso often gives to the Christian preacher. Paul and Silas were\nSpirit-led, and they planted permanent churches where they preached.\nIf India is ever brought to Christ, many succesors to these men\nwill yet appear. Could such men work, in India, as Paul worked ?\nIt is constantly said that Paul never built on other men's foundation,\nbut this policy forbids a man to dig for his own foundation...\nII. Let us in the next place glance briefly at the proposed code\nof intermissional rules. Such a code, if agreed upon with practical\nunanimity by all the Societies interested, would no doubt be of\nvalue as a guide to young missionaries, and it would also greatly\ninfluence public opinion, which in the long run will be found the\nchief factor in settling points in controversy. But it is nearly\ncertain that any attempt to give such rules the force of laws will\nend in failure, and probably aggravate the evils which they are\nintended to prevent...\nIII. If, then, we are to have no code of rules and no mission\nboundaries, can nothing at all be done to promote a proper spirit\nof comity among missionaries? Beyond all doubt something\ncan be done, but not on the old lines.\n1. First of all, there should be a radical change of policy.\nWe should for ever discard the notion that missionaries cannot\ndwell together in love and harmony. Instead of saying, How good\nand how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell apart in comity, let us\nboldly and firmly maintain the ground that it is a good and pleasant\nthing for brethren to dwell and work together in amity. As a\nmatter of fact, we all have reasons to know that brethren of diffe-\nrent societies who live and work side by side have fewer differences\nthan those who live far apart. We ought to be ashamed to pro-\nclaim to the world that we cannot work side by side. I saw Chris-\ntians of two societies last year in a common assembly day after\nday, taking counsel together, and waiting on God together, and it\nwas impossible to distinguish between them. How much better\nthis than to keep them separated as if they belonged to separate\ncastes! We need not plant our stations in the same towns for\nthe mere sake of exhibiting our fraternal love, but let us no longer\nshun one another's presence, and thus ostentatiously proclaim\nto the world that we cannot live together.",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}