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Book Reviews / Pneuma 35 (2013) 87-156
Hedlund, Roger E., Sebastian Kim, and Rajkumar Boaz Johnson, eds. Indian & Christian: The Life and Legacy of Pandita Ramabai (Delhi: ISPCK/MIIS/CMS, 2011). xx + 360 pp., $10; £6; €8.
This book focuses on the important issue of the Christian community in India. It deals with the question of what it means to be Indian and Christian at the same time. No other indi- vidual fits into this category better than Pandita Ramabai.
The book contains fifteen essays enabling the reader to rediscover this important reformer in modern India, the Brahmin widow and Sanskrit scholar Pandita Ramabai. Her many- stages conversion to evangelical Christianity was accompanied by her lifelong efforts to uplift Hindu women, beginning with high-caste widows, and her commitment to train many to become Christian evangelists. She retained her respect for her parent’s Hindu tradition but sharply criticized the low esteem accorded to women in Brahmanical Scriptures. The book is divided in two sections: the first views Ramabai in her historical perspective, and the second celebrates her legacy and contributions.
Kim offers two propositions for understanding the conversion experience of Ramabai: it must be understood as a process of several stages over the years and not a sudden decision, and her conversion experience was the culmination of various influences. He notes a three- fold experience of her conversion: a search of companionship with baptism into the Chris- tian church, the search for integrity — the struggle to be an Indian Christian, and a search of faith experience in Christ — towards charismatic Christianity. David offers an astute por- trayal of Ramabai as the tallest and strongest symbol of women’s liberation in India. By her sheer courage and determination she created a niche for women’s emancipation in the Indian context when it seemed impossible at that time in Indian history. Hedlund unveils Ramabai’s impact on the international mission arena. Her two-fold mission strategy of inter- preting India to the West and introducing West to India is unparalleled in the history of missions. Taking a historian’s perspective, Narasingharja Naidu points out some of those ‘firsts’ attempts in Indian history: she introduced the kindergarten system and Braille for the blind in India; she proposed Hindi as the national language and Devanagari as the national script. She was the first woman to appear and speak before the Indian National Congress in December 1889, and to train indigenous national evangelical missionaries in India. He has no qualms to call her a Mahatma along with Gandhi because of her contribution to the social, religious, gender, and political uplifting of the marginalized. White points to the sub- tle marginalization of Ramabai both in the annals of Indian history and Christianity. He identifies seven reasons for her marginality in (the history of) Western missions. He con- cludes that it is her radical agenda and lifestyle she threatened both the Hindu and Christian ‘gender’ biased outlook. Govinden uses her diasporic colonial past (in South Africa) to reflect on the relevance of Ramabai. Using postcolonial theory she argues that, Ramabai “embodies a diasporic consciousness, influencing women and men far beyond her known and familiar world” (125). Her life and work needs to be ‘translated’ to the ever changing context of church and society. Blumhofer reconstructs the history of revival in 1905 at Mukti Mission, which happened before the much publicized 1906 revival in Los Angeles. Ramabai never became a Pentecostal but she acted as a harbinger of Pentecostal fire in India. Frykenberg shows Ramabai’s nationalism; her refusal to be part of anything Western in her spirituality and theology made her a true forerunner of Indian Christian theology. Johnson traces the very
© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2013 DOI: 10.1163/15700747-12341284
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Book Reviews / Pneuma 35 (2013) 87-156
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important aspect of her being a feminist Biblical theologian whose choice of subaltern hermeneutics paved the way for current subaltern biblical studies.
Swarup looks into the hermeneutical methodology of Ramabai’s approach to the Scrip- ture, and its transformative meaning to millions in India. Hansdak sees Ramabai as a ‘cre- ative’ convert whose dissenting stance against the religious-social-cultural-patriarchal structures made her a figure to be reckoned with by all. Laing points to the very interesting fact concerning Ramabai’s principles and practices in terms of funding her projects; she pushed for ‘native aid’ and for a ‘native church.’ Joshua argues that, Ramabai was one of the pioneers of indigenous Christianity in India. And Anderson demonstrates how the revival that broke out at Mukti is associated with the Pentecostal fire in India. For him, the Mukti revival gave the necessary impetus to the Pentecostal movement both in India and else- where. He rightly points out that “this Indian women-led revival preceded the Azusa street revival in chronology and certainly set a precedent for a widespread and alternative Pente- costalism that did not insist on speaking in tongues as ‘initial evidence’ of Spirit baptism” (325). The book ends with an apt article by Jacob. Using the introspective analysis, he probes the important question: “why does the old image: ‘Christianity is a foreign religion’ persist in the Indian consciousness, and what is the solution for the problem?”
The title reflects correctly the stated purpose of the book. One can be both Indian and Christian and these are not incompatible. Using Ramabai as the perfect example, the book insists that as Christians we live and practice a life that is true to both the Gospel and the nation of India. The editors hope that the “collection will (also) help to rescue Ramabai from obscurity and inspire many to model her quest for all and to experience mukti (liberation) in all its dimensions” (xviii). This I believe it accomplishes effectively.
This book is a great contribution to the study of Indian Christian theology especially womanist studies, subaltern hermeneutics, Pentecostal historiography, and post-colonial studies. It is targeted to both theologically trained and lay audience. A consolidated bibliog- raphy on Ramabai’s work would have added more value to this important work. I highly recommend this book to every serious reader interested in studying the interlocking of Indian and Christian identities.
Reviewed by Samuel George
Editor-in-Chief New Life Theological Journal; Principal, Master’s College of Theology Serampore University, Vizag, India [email protected]
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Troy Day
@followers The book contains fifteen essays enabling the reader to rediscover this important reformer in modern India, the Brahmin widow and Sanskrit scholar Pandita Ramabai. Her many- stages conversion to evangelical Christianity was accompanied by her lifelong efforts to uplift Hindu women, beginning with high-caste widows, and her commitment to train many to become Christian evangelists. She retained her respect for her parent’s Hindu tradition but sharply criticized the low esteem accorded to women in Brahmanical Scriptures. The book is divided in two sections: the first views Ramabai in her historical perspective, and the second celebrates her legacy and contributions.