9 December 2008, 3:25 p.m., Chennai
My arrival in Chennai was met with a cheerful Indian minister, Roy Knight, and three of the local congregation’s elders. The photo shows me with Roy, wearing the welcome lei that was made by his brothers and sister. This family lives together in a comfortable largish home that is something like a small condominium, Indian style – simple with marble floors and a central living area. I was given the missionary’s room, for guests who come to visit or help with the churches here. It is comfortable, very clean, and humid. Mosquitoes are amidst, but I have a room air conditioner should I decide to give in to customary American habits. Roy is a second generation Christian, born in 1979. His parents were baptized by J.C. Bailey, famous Canadian missionary to India from the 1960s or so. Roy became the evangelist here, with a congregation that now has two services on Sundays – one in Tamil (the regional language) for about 140, and one in English for about 70. Roy also evangelizes throughout the area, and has established or helped to establish congregations from Chennai to Delhi. He goes out often, on week-long trips, to encourage and help the congregations. On some of his travels, he himself is persecuted often, and he showed me the marks of beatings, burnings, and a nailing in his leg, all by Hindu priests who are not happy with an Indian trying to convert people to Christianity. He assured me that the area around Chennai is safe, and in fact the local authorities protect the church. So I will be with the Knight family for three nights, looking around at some of the Christian ministries, as well as exploring more Indian religion and culture.
I hesitate to mention Hindu persecution of Christians, for it reinforces the stereotypes that are all too common, that “all of the pagans” and “unbelievers” are out to get Christians, and (though not synonymous) Americans. In fact, there are radical Muslims and radical Hindus, radical Buddhists and yes radical Christians. Extremists in every culture and religion use their insecurities to justify plays of power and control, and even persecution and terrorism. But if one thing has become clearer to me on this trip, it is that most Indians – be they Hindus, Buddhist, Sikhs, Jains, Muslims, Christians, or atheists – are just trying to make their way in a complex and sometimes difficult world, and most want the same things that we want – family, health, peace, food, shelter, and joy.
I hope to have more to say on this later. slp