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

Penthecosthu Sabhakal 30 fall into this category. However, non-Syrians, mainly
Dalit Pentecostals, argue that such attempts are biased and prejudiced. 31
The third category is the history of Dalit Pentecostalism. There are recent
endeavours to explore the contribution of Dalits to the formation of Pentecostal
Christianity in India. The authors can be divided into two categories. The first set
of authors is non-Dalits who discuss the contribution of Dalit Pentecostals to the
Pentecostal Movement in India. T.S. Samuel Kutty’s The Place and Contribution
of Dalits 32 and V.V. Thomas’s thesis, ‘Pentecostalism among the Dalits in
Kerala’, 33 are noteworthy examples. The second category of writers is Dalit
Pentecostals, who question the credibility of the outsider’s view of Dalit
Pentecostalism and present an insider’s perspective. The best example is
Yesunatha Das’ thesis, ‘An Evaluation of the History of Pentecostal Dalits in
Kerala.’ 34 Although this seems to be a reaction to the Syrian Christian approach, it
brings out some important links that are missing in previous approaches.
However, such a ‘reactionary approach’ might also be biased. Therefore, it is
essential to construct an alternative historiography of Indian Pentecostalism which
adopts a more comprehensive and global approach.
The fourth category includes works that adopt a comprehensive approach to
Indian Pentecostal history. This has been the approach adopted by a number of
30
Daniel Ayroor, Keralathele Penthecosthu Sabhakal [Pentecostal Churches in Kerala]
(Mavelikara, India: Beer-Sheeba Bible Institute, 1985).
31 For further discussion of the argument, see Das, ‘Evaluation of the History,’ 56-62.
32
Kutty, Place and Contribution of Dalits.
33
Thomas, ‘Pentecostalism among the Dalits.’
34
Das, ‘Evaluation of the History.’
13