Christianity in India: Difference between revisions

The [[Church of North India]] and the [[Church of South India]] are a [[United Protestant]] denomination, that resulted from the evangelism and ecumenism of [[Anglicans in India|Anglicans]], [[Calvinist]]s, [[Methodist]]s and other [[Protestants in India|Indian Protestants]] who flourished in [[colonial India]]. Consequently, these churches are part of the worldwide [[Anglican Communion]], [[World Communion of Reformed Churches]] and [[World Methodist Council]].<ref name="CSI2010">{{cite web |title=History |url=https://www.csisynod.com/aboutus.php |publisher=[[Church of South India]] |access-date=22 August 2020 |language=en |year=2010 |quote=Being the largest Protestant church in India, the CSI celebrates her life with Indian culture and spirituality and she also raises her voice for the voiceless on matters of justice, peace and integrity of creation. |archive-date=11 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811022709/http://csisynod.com/aboutus.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=https://www.csisynod.com/history.php |publisher=[[Church of South India]] |access-date=22 August 2020 |language=English |date=2010 |quote=The Church of South India is the result of the union of churches of varying traditions Anglican, Methodist, Congregational, Presbyterian, and Reformed. It was inaugurated in September 1947, after protracted negotiation among the churches concerned. Organized into 22 dioceses, each under the spiritual supervision of a bishop, the church as a whole is governed by a synod, which elects a moderator (presiding bishop) every 2 years. Episcopacy is thus combined with Synodical government, and the church explicitly recognizes that Episcopal, Presbyterian, and congregational elements are all necessary for the church's life. |archive-date=14 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214005331/https://www.csisynod.com/history.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Watkins">{{cite book |last1=Watkins |first1=Keith |title=The American Church that Might Have Been: A History of the Consultation on Church Union |date=2014 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-63087-744-6 |pages=14–15 |language=English |quote=The Church of South India created a polity that recognized Episcopal, Presbyterian, and Congregational elements and developed a book of worship that bridged the liturgical traditions that came into this new church. It set up a plan by which existing ministries were accepted while including processes which would lead to the time, a generation later, when all ministers would have been ordained by bishops in apostolic succession. The Church of South India was important as a prototype for a new American church because two factors had come together: the cross-confessional nature of its constituent parts and the intention to be, in effect, the Protestant Christian presence in communities all across the southern territories of its nation.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=IDOC International |date=1971 |publisher=IDOC-North America |page=85 |language=English |quote=...churches that would combine the episcopal, presbyterian and congregational forms of church polity, and would accept the historic episcopate without committing the church to any particular theological interpretation of episcopacy. This is essentially what has been done both in the Church of South India and the Church of North India.}}</ref><ref name="WMC2020">{{cite web |title=Church of North India |date=9 November 2019 |url=https://worldmethodistcouncil.org/asia/name/india-church-of-north-india/ |publisher=[[World Methodist Council]] |access-date=25 June 2020 |language=English |quote=The Church of North India is a united church which came into being as the result of a union of six churches on 29th November 1970. The six churches were: The Council of the Baptist Churches in Northern India, The Church of the Brethren in India; The Disciples of Christ; The Church of India (formerly known as the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon); The Methodist Church (British and Australian Conferences); The United Church of Northern India. ... The Church of North India is a full member of the World Council of Churches, the Christian Conference of Asia, the Council for World Mission, the Anglican Consultative Council, the World Methodist Council and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. |archive-date=27 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627112920/https://worldmethodistcouncil.org/asia/name/india-church-of-north-india/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Christianity is the largest religion in parts of [[Northeast India]], specifically in [[Nagaland]], [[Mizoram]], and [[Meghalaya]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zhimomi |first=Kaholi |url=https://doi.org/10.3366/edinburgh/9781474439824.003.0014 |editor1=Kenneth Ross |editor2=Daniel Jeyaraj |editor3=Todd Johnson |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |title=Christianity in South and Central Asia |date=2019 |location=Edinburgh |publication-date=2019 |pages=156–167 |language=en |chapter=Northeast India |doi=10.3366/edinburgh/9781474439824.003.0014 |isbn= 9781474439848|s2cid=242239030 }}</ref> It also is a significant religion in [[Arunachal]], where about 30 percent of the state is Christian.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Center |first=Pew Research |date=2021-09-21 |title=3. Religious demography of Indian states and territories |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/09/21/religious-demography-of-indian-states-and-territories/ |access-date=2024-01-04 |website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project |language=en-US}}</ref>

 

 

== Ancient period ==

St Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata.jpg|[[St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata|St. Paul's CNI Cathedral, Calcutta]] is one of the finest examples of [[Gothic Revival architecture]] in India.<ref>{{cite web |title=The story of the fifth Bishop of Calcutta |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/culture/heritage/the-story-of-the-fifth-bishop-of-calcutta/cid/1689553 |website=The Telegraph |location=Kolkota |language=en |access-date=4 June 2020 |archive-date=25 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925143016/https://www.telegraphindia.com/culture/heritage/the-story-of-the-fifth-bishop-of-calcutta/cid/1689553 |url-status=live }}</ref>

File:Infant Jesus Cathedral Kollam, Mar 2016.jpg|[[Infant Jesus Cathedral]] in [[Kollam]] city is an example of modern church architecture in India.

File:George'sCathedral.jpg|[[St. George's Cathedral, Chennai|Church of South India Cathedral of St. George, Chennai]] is an example of the [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] style .<ref>{{cite web |title=200 Years of the Iconic St George's Cathedral in Chennai |url=https://www.ndtv.com/chennai-news/200-years-of-the-iconic-st-georges-cathedral-in-chennai-1264204 |website=NDTV.com |access-date=4 June 2020 |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604100842/https://www.ndtv.com/chennai-news/200-years-of-the-iconic-st-georges-cathedral-in-chennai-1264204 |url-status=live }}</ref>

File:Medak Cathedral (1).jpg|The [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] style [[Medak Cathedral]] is one of the largest churches in Asia.<ref>{{cite web |title=Medak Cathedral Church {{!}} District Medak, Government of Telangana {{!}} India |url=https://medak.telangana.gov.in/tourist-place/medak-cathedral-church/ |publisher=Govt. of Telangana|access-date=4 June 2020 |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604101030/https://medak.telangana.gov.in/tourist-place/medak-cathedral-church/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== External links ==

{{Commons category}}{{Wikiquote}}

*{{cite web|title=History of Christianity in India|url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-87/christianity-in-india.html|website=[[Christianity Today]]}}