MORE CHRISTIANS IN INDIA

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29219, 1 June 1960, Page 8

MORE CHRISTIANS IN INDIA

Now 9,000,000 Adherents

There were 9,000,000 Christians in India and the number of new adherents was showing a steady increase, said the Very Rev, J. L. Gray, who has returned to New Zealand after a three-year term in Punjab. The Indian religions, since the independence of India in 1947, had shown an antipathy to the growth of the Christian religion. The Islamic, Hindu and Bhuddist religions regarded themselves as world religions and in no way inferior to Christianity. Christians in India were only 2j per cent, of the population but there was a growing interest in the religion among educated Indians. Books on Christian doctrine and the teachings of Jesus Christ were sought after, he said.

In the Punjab province where the United Church of Northern India was established there were

450,000 Christians. The church ran three hospitals with more than a 1000 beds and an industrial school which gave trade training to youths from the poorer families.

Emphasis was also placed on social relief work, he said. The Punjab area was particularly prone to flooding and the church had a special relief fund which was used to provide food and clothing for families made homeless by floods. Since 1947 the Indian church had taken over missionary work which had previously been done by the individual churches. A matter of great importance to Christian churches in India was the plan to join all the churches into one united church. The Anglican, Baptist and Methodist churches proposed to join the union, which would be consummated in 1963.

Politics were closely followed in India and the recent aggression by China on the northern frontiers had lost a lot of support for the Communist Party in India, he said. Mr Gray is at present on a three-month lecture tour of New Zealand describing the work of the United Church of Northern India. After the tour he will retire and live in Auckland.