Globalization and militant Hindu nationalism: The new context for theology in India

This dissertation is an attempt to propose new directions for Christian theology in India in the present context of globalization and militant Hindu nationalism. In recent years, Christians have been the target of violent attacks by militant Hindu nationalists. Critically analyzing the history of Christianity and militant Hindu nationalism in India, this dissertation claims that militant Hindu nationalism originated in the context of Western colonialism, which brought about a crisis of religious, cultural, and national identity among Hindus. It also left India poverty-stricken. The above claim is not made without taking into account contesting rationale for militant Hindu nationalism, especially, caste status quo. It is further claimed that globalization is perceived as recreating "colonization-like" situations, only now at a staggering speed and on a global level, thus representing economic, political, cultural, and social issues formerly associated with colonialism. The contemporary attacks on Christians by militant Hindu nationalists must be understood within the dynamics of globalization.;The Church in India needs to respond to the crisis emerging from globalization and militant Hindu nationalism. It is proposed that a renewed theological initiative can provide the basis of such as a response. The theological initiatives proposed here build upon the method of contextual theology proposed by Robert Schreiter. Building also on the already existing theology in India this dissertation proposes that the three traditional areas of focus of Indian theology---inculturation, interreligious dialogue, and social justice---would be addressed within newer frameworks of interpretation, implementing advances in the field of intercultural communications. The main conclusion of the dissertation is that it is through renewed theological initiatives that the Church in India can become genuinely Indian in a way that re-appropriates the relative cultural and religious integration the Church had achieved in the pre-colonial era.