i THE ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK OF HINDU–C HRISTIAN RELATIONS The historical interplay of Hinduism as an ancient Indian religion and Christianity as a reli- gion associated (in India, at least) with foreign power and colonialism, continues to animate Hindu– Christian relations today. On the one hand, The Routledge Handbook of Hindu–C hristian Relations describes a rich history of amicable, productive, even sometimes syncretic Hindu– Christian encounters. On the other, this handbook equally attends to historical and contem- porary moments of tension, conflict, and violence between Hindus and Christians. Comprising thirty- nine chapters by a team of international contributors, this handbook is divided into seven parts: • Theoretical and methodological considerations • Historical interactions • Contemporary exchanges • Sites of bodily and material interactions • Significant figures • Comparative theologies • Responses The handbook explores: how the study of Hindu–C hristian relations has been and ought to be done, the history of Hindu–C hristian relations through key interactions, ethnographic reflections on current dynamics of Hindu–C hristian exchange, important key thinkers, and topics in comparative theology, ultimately providing a framework for further debates in the area. The Routledge Handbook of Hindu–C hristian Relations is essential reading for students and researchers in Hindu– Christian studies, Hindu traditions, Asian religions, and studies in Christianity. This handbook will also be very useful for those in related fields, such as anthro- pology, political science, theology, and history. Chad M. Bauman is Professor of Religion at Butler University, USA and a Research Fellow at the Center for Religion and American Culture. Michelle Voss Roberts is Professor of Theology and Principal at Emmanuel College, a multireligious theological school in the University of Toronto, Canada. ii Routledge Handbooks in Religion The Routledge Handbook of Muslim– Jewish Relations Edited by Josef Meri The Routledge Handbook of Religious Naturalism Edited by Donald A. Crosby and Jerome A. Stone The Routledge Handbook of Death and the Afterlife Edited by Candi K. Cann The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Animal Ethics Edited by Andrew Linzey and Clair Linzey The Routledge Handbook of Mormonism and Gender Edited by Amy Hoyt and Taylor G. Petry The Routledge Handbook of Islam and Gender Edited by Justine Howe The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Journalism Edited by Kerstin Radde- Antweiler and Xenia Zeiler The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Cities Edited by Katie Day and Elise M. Edwards The Routledge Handbook of Hindu– Christian Relations Edited by Chad M. Bauman and Michelle Voss Roberts For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/ Routledge- Handbooks- in- Religion/ book- series/ RHR iii THE ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK OF HINDU– CHRISTIAN RELATIONS Edited by Chad M. Bauman and Michelle Voss Roberts iv First published 2021 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2021 selection and editorial matter, Chad M. Bauman and Michelle Voss Roberts; individual chapters, the contributors The right of Chad M. Bauman and Michelle Voss Roberts to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing- in- Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Names: Bauman, Chad M., editor. | Voss Roberts, Michelle, editor. Title: The Routledge handbook of Hindu–Christian relations/edited by Chad M. Bauman and Michelle Voss Roberts. Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2020037356 | ISBN 9780367000707 (hardback) | ISBN 9781003139843 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Hinduism–Relations–Christianity. | Christianity and other religions–Hinduism. Classification: LCC BR128.H5 R68 2021 | DDC 294.5/152–dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020037356 ISBN: 978-0 - 367- 00070- 7 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1 - 003- 13984- 3 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo by Newgen Publishing UK v CONTENTS List of contributors ix 1 Introduction 1 Chad M. Bauman and Michelle Voss Roberts PART I Theoretical and methodological considerations 15 2 The formation and mutual re-f ormations of “Christianity” and “Hinduism” as “religious” categories 17 Kerry P.C. San Chirico 3 The emergence of modern Hinduism 29 Hugh Nicholson 4 Western philosophy and Christian theology in twentieth- century Hindu thought 41 Martin Ganeri 5 Orientalism and postcolonial theory in Hindu–C hristian encounters 54 Stephanie Corigliano PART II Historical interactions 67 6 Syrian Christians and dominant- caste Hindus 69 Sonja Thomas v vi Contents 7 Hindu– Jesuit encounters 79 Francis X. Clooney, SJ 8 State power in the relations between Catholics and Hindus 90 Jason Keith Fernandes 9 Hindu– Protestant encounters 102 Arun W. Jones 10 The East India Company, Christianity, and Hinduism 114 Penelope Carson 11 Hindu– Christian debates in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries 127 Richard Fox Young 12 Critiques of Christianity from Savarkar to Malhotra 139 Chad M. Bauman PART III Contemporary exchanges: conversion, caste, and the diaspora 153 13 Anti- conversion laws in post- Independence India 155 Ian Richards 14 Hindu– Christian relations through the lens of caste 169 Sunder John Boopalan 15 Race, representation, and Hindu–C hristian encounters in contemporary North America 180 Sailaja Krishnamurti 16 ISKCON–C hristian encounters 193 Claire C. Robison 17 Hindu– Christian relations in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific 206 Pratap Kumar Penumala PART IV Sites of bodily and material interactions 217 18 Popular religious traditions and shared religious spaces 219 James Ponniah vi vii Contents 19 “Religion” and Hindu– Christian relations after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami 230 Kristin C. Bloomer 20 Gender and the social boundaries between “Hindus” and “Christians” 243 Eliza F. Kent 21 Ritual and ritualization in Hindu–C hristian relations 257 Reid B. Locklin 22 Aesthetics, art, and visual culture in Hindu–C hristian relations 268 Patrick M. Beldio 23 Christian and Hindu responses to Christian yoga practice in North America 280 Christopher Patrick Miller PART V Significant figures 295 24 Rammohun Roy 297 Dermot Killingley 25 Swami Vivekananda 307 Robin Rinehart 26 Mohandas K. (“Mahatma”) Gandhi 316 Bradley S. Clough 27 Raimon Panikkar 326 Erik J. Ranstrom 28 Abhishiktananda 334 Catherine Cornille PART VI Comparative theologies 343 29 A theology of Hindu– Christian relations 345 Michelle Voss Roberts 30 Rethinking the One and the many in Advaita 355 Anantanand Rambachan vii viii Contents 31 Creation, cosmos, ecology 369 Daniel Scheid 32 Competing philosophies and theologies of the human person 381 Ankur Barua 33 Divine embodiment in Hinduism and Christianity 392 Jon Paul Sydnor 34 Truth and salvation in Hindu– Christian encounters 404 Peniel Jesudason Rufus Rajkumar 35 Inculturation 417 Michael Amaladoss, SJ 36 Peace and conflict 430 Edward T. Ulrich 37 Contemporary Hindu– Christian dialogue 443 Bob Robinson PART VII Responses 457 38 Response: shared and contested spaces: Hindu– Christian relations through a performing arts lens 459 Vasudha Narayanan 39 Response: the Handbook in light of the past and future of Hindu– Christian relations 476 Francis X. Clooney, SJ Index 485 viii ix CONTRIBUTORS Michael Amaladoss, SJ, from India, has a PhD in Sacramental Theology from Paris. He has been a Professor in the Vidyajyoti Institute of Theological Studies in Delhi and has taught in many centers in Asia, Europe, and North America. He is the Founder- Director of the Institute of Dialogue with Cultures and Religions, Chennai, India. He is the author of 34 books and about 500 articles in many languages. Ankur Barua’s primary research interests are Hindu Studies and the comparative philosophy of religion. He studies various historical, philosophical, and conceptual aspects of the Hindu traditions, and, in particular, works on the traditions of Vedanta. An integral part of his research relates to the question of whether Christian terms such as “grace” have any Hindu analogues and whether Hindu terms such as dharma have any Christian equivalents. Chad M. Bauman is Professor of Religion at Butler University and a Research Fellow at the Center for Religion and American Culture. He is author or co-e ditor of four books: Christian Identity and Dalit Religion in Hindu India, 1868–1 947 (Eerdmans, 2008), Constructing Indian Christianities (Routledge, 2014), Pentecostals, Proselytization, and Anti-C hristian Violence in Contemporary India (Oxford University Press, 2015), and Anti- Christian Violence in India (Cornell, 2020). Patrick M. Beldio is a scholar in theology and religious studies, instructor at Montgomery College, Maryland, professional sculptor, and Catholic who follows a Sufi practice founded by Meher Baba. His current book project, Forming the New Creation: The Integral Yoga of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo in Art and Creativity, is unique in examining the role of the Mother in equal measure to Sri Aurobindo and their teaching in art. Kristin C. Bloomer is Associate Professor of Religion at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. She is the author of Possessed by the Virgin: Hinduism, Roman Catholicism, and Marian Possession in South India (Oxford University Press, 2018). She holds a PhD from the University of Chicago’s Divinity School and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Montana, Missoula. Prior to entering academia, she worked as a journalist. ix