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

time it gives approval to Hindutva advocates. 76 In Secularism’s Last Sigh, the
authors argue that ‘the Supreme Court erred in concluding that Hindutva
constitutes a “way of life” of the people of the subcontinent, and its deployment
constitutes neither a violation of the prohibition on promoting religious enmity
and hatred,’ and so the Court’s conclusion ‘has effectively vindicated the
profoundly anti-secular vision’ of the nation that the ‘Hindu Right has long been
trying to promote.’ 77
Thus in conclusion, with the help of Sangh Parivar, Hindutva ideology and its
current developments have given a religio-cultural face to nationalism. In reality
this ideology has produced a number of conflicts in India in recent years. Kajsa
Ahlstrand’s observation on the growing religious tension in India shows the
impact of the link between religion and culture. He writes, ‘The celebrated Indian
religious pluralism and religious tolerance is now at risk. Religion is being seen as
a source of identity (linked to culture and ethnicity) excluding “the other.”’ 78
However, such a marriage seems to be a real threat to minority religious groups in
India.
Various incidents reveal that Pentecostals in Rajasthan face the dreadful
consequences of Hindutva ideology. The extremist Hindutva advocates desire to
76 There was a series of highly controversial cases against the elected representatives of the Hindu
nationalist Shiv Sena/BJP alliance government in the western state of Maharastra for the violation
of section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Although the Bombay High Court
had found the culprits guilty, the Supreme Court accepted the arguments of the appellants
concluding Hindutva as ‘a way of life.’ For more details, see Cossman and Kapur. Secularism’s
Last Sigh? 16-25.
77 Cossman and Kapur, Secularism’s Last Sigh? 3.
78 Kajsa Ahlstrand, ‘Toward a Paradigm Shift in Christian Mission: South Asia and North Europe,’
in Theology and the Religions: A Dialogue, ed. Mortensen Viggo (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
2003), 165.
195