a contextual missiology of the spirit - eTheses Repository ...

Indian Pentecostal missionaries. They lived among the local people and
established many congregations in the state. The FFCI, founded by Mathews, is
currently the largest Pentecostal denomination in Rajasthan. Also there were some
local Spirit revivals in Rajasthan which had no external influence. As a result, a
number of local leaders were produced, who later played a significant role in the
growth of the movement. Today, there are scores of Pentecostal organizations and
thousands of Pentecostal believers scattered all across Rajasthan, and so
Pentecostalism has become a local movement. In addition, there are a number of
completely autonomous Charismatic congregations meeting in private homes,
open spaces, under the shade of trees, house-fronts and the like across the state.
Third, what are the consequences of a false profile of Pentecostals in Rajasthan?
This thesis will explore issues facing Pentecostals, from within and outside the
movement, because of misconceptions regarding their origins in India. There are
several concerns before Pentecostals, especially from the religio-political spheres
of society. Although Pentecostalism in Rajasthan is growing faster than other
sectors of Christianity, it faces a number of external issues, which in turn are
affecting the existence and growth as well as the mission theology and practice of
the movement. Because anti-conversion laws 9 have been introduced in many
states including Rajasthan, mission work has become very difficult in
contemporary India. Many activists from minority religious groups believe that
9 Although the Indian Constitution advocates religious freedom, a few states in India (for example,
Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Orissa) have passed an anticonversion
law. Many other states like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan, have
introduced the law, but have not yet received approval to implement it. Although the laws are
introduced as ‘Freedom of Religion Bill,’ they are generally known in India as ‘Anti-converion
Bill,’ as these laws are to ‘provide for the prohibition of conversion from one religion to another.’
5