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

south Indian Christians are agents of foreign missions. Many Pentecostal leaders
have plainly confessed that they feel insecure and have no assurances of safety for
their lives and properties as the intolerant attitude of Hindu militant groups is
growing ever stronger. They have admitted to being afraid of certain religious
organizations. On the basis of religion, they are forbidden certain concessions they
are supposed to receive as tribal people. The anguish of Pentecostals against such
discrimination has been evident in their speech. In a pastors’ meeting in a village
in Udaipur district, the local pastors from the tribal community asked, ‘why are
we forbidden our reservations and concessions once we become Christians? Don’t
we have the right to get the privileges of Scheduled tribes?’ 53 At the same time,
the frustration of the local tribal pastors in Banaswara was evident when their
rights as tribals were questioned after accepting the Christian faith. One of their
leaders questioned the authority of the people to challenge the validity of the tribal
rights of Christians in Banaswara,
Who can say that we are not adhivasi (tribal)? Who denies our right as adhivasi?
If some missionaries came from abroad long years ago, what should we do, we
have not come from abroad. We are the original inhabitants of this land, and
nobody can deny our tribal rights, nor force us to move from our homeland. Who
can dictate to us to do what we need to do? We have the right to stay in our land
and to believe and practise any faith we decide. 54
All the three most senior Pentecostal leaders from south India have claimed that
religious intolerance in the state has increased in the past two decades. The senior
pastors, Thomas Mathews and K.V. Abraham, said that even though there were
53 This meeting took place at Macadadeo on 07 May 2006.
54 Manu (pseudonym), interview by author, Udaipur, Raj, 23 May 2006.
188