Though Christianity in India is as outdated because the early Church, it was the trendy missionary motion initiated by William Carey that gave the religion its roots. However colonial rule made Christianity in India related to foreigners, though custom says it originated with the apostle Thomas as early as 52 AD and there’s historic proof that the East India Firm actively opposed missionary exercise.
The expansion of the Indian church, nonetheless, gave the brand new Indian converts not solely a faith but additionally a tradition. Mahatma Gandhi was crucial, saying that these converts had “imbibed the superficialities of European civilization and missed the teachings of Jesus.” He was not alone. Christian missionaries such because the British missionary E. Stanley Jones and the wandering ascetic saint Sundar Singh additionally took challenge with the fusion of Christianity and Western tradition. This ardour emphasised the necessity to “pour the water of life into an Indian cup”.
Though India gained independence from British rule in 1947, many city and semi-urban Indian church buildings continued to undertake the Western traditions they’d inherited. These embrace utilizing pews as an alternative of sitting on the bottom; embracing a liturgy of hymns, creeds and doxologies; development of cathedral-style church buildings; and the apply of carrying “white” bridal robes or sarees. But Western clothes didn’t displace colourful conventional clothes for weekly worship, and church communities remained various of their clothes.
CT spoke to seven feminine Christian leaders from six areas of India, all married or over 30, about their understanding of what “Sunday finest” attire are like in India. Solutions are organized from these favoring western clothes to these preferring conventional clothes:
Avni Wilson Tandel, a volunteer for the Girls’s Fee of the World Evangelical Alliance, who attends a Methodist church in japanese Gujarat:
I solely like western put on. Western put on makes me really feel snug, assured and relaxed, permitting me to specific my type effortlessly. It provides me the liberty to maneuver, sit and stand comfortably, whereas additionally preserving me in tune with present style traits.
Moreover, I discover western costume to be sensible and presentable in varied settings, particularly within the world group. It boosts my confidence, empowers me and offers me knowledgeable look.
It makes me really feel “positively”, which I describe as an acronym:
P – Skilled Character
O — Excellent Thought
S – Robust and environment friendly
I — Dominant
T – Gifted
I — insightful
V — Versatile
E — Embracing Equality
L — Wanting energetic
Y — Youth
My decisions additionally positively have an effect on others, equivalent to:
- Younger single women who wish to put on western garments however really feel pressured by their household, society and custom. As a married lady, I can encourage them to train their freedom of alternative with out succumbing to societal pressures.
- Married girls, who’re oppressed not solely by custom but additionally by age-old patriarchy. I can encourage them to make this alternative with out worry of judgment from their group and their very own households.
- World group, because it depicts adaptability and openness to multiculturalism.
Lalrinmawi Fanai, an elder of a Presbyterian church in Mizoram:
Our English-speaking congregation contains individuals from many various cultures and languages, and due to this fact we’re not restricted by a selected alternative of clothes. I put on several types of garments, be it Mizo puan (conventional costume of varied Mizo communities), western garments or pants. However as soon as after attending the morning service, I hurried to the afternoon service at a close-by church and the skirt I used to be carrying confirmed. Later I heard questions on my garments! So I perceive that many right here count on conservative and conventional clothes.
A couple of years in the past, the Girls’s Wing – a division on the highest synodical stage of the Presbyterian Church – requested all girls to put on their conventional puan to a church service. I’ve solely heard it anecdotally, however I feel that is why Mizo girls adhere to it. Most ladies do not put on their conventional puan for church, weddings or different events. I imagine it has extra to do with selling tradition and custom and nothing to do with issues of religion.
What the synod mentioned is often taken as a well mannered method of claiming “Look, everybody, comply with this.”
Dipti Tarapatla, a theologian and member of the church administration committee of an impartial church in Andhra Pradesh:
I’m snug carrying each kinds of garments, however I desire to put on Indian conventional garments to church in order that I do not stand out from the gang and might slot in. If I lived within the US, I’d put on western garments; However not all the time, as a result of I discover Indian garments extra snug.
Though there are not any tips or restrictions from church authorities in South Indian church buildings about what ought to or shouldn’t be worn, married girls are typically anticipated to put on conventional apparel. Even a standard sleeveless Indian costume will not be acceptable and regarded indecent in church. For me, the factors ought to be that the selection of clothes shouldn’t be a method to entice different individuals’s consideration and distract myself from the Church.
Abhinita Matni, Professor of Epistemology and Intercultural Research, Madhya Pradesh:
For me, the query of clothes relies on the place I’m worshipping. If someplace in India, the place most girls put on Indian garments, I’ll in all probability put on a salwar kameez (an Indian head protecting). Once I stay within the US, there is no such thing as a set customary. Within the Midwest or South, many ladies nonetheless put on attire; In locations like Colorado and California, individuals costume extra extravagantly. Both method, my purpose is to decorate in a fashion that demonstrates modesty and respect.
Whether or not it is the pinnacle protecting in 1 Corinthians 11 or the command to worship in 1 Timothy 2, the secret is not to attract consideration to your self and distract from the center of worship. No matter I put on, it must be primarily based on respect for propriety, taking into consideration any cultural nuances. Having mentioned that, I am not one to guage what one other individual is carrying. If I’m actually in church to worship, Christ welcomes everybody “as you’re,” so I do not wish to stumble attempting to impose my requirements of modesty. We have to look previous costume codes, as a result of we’re not certain by custom when worshiping Jesus Christ.
Seema Linus, a pacesetter of a Wesleyan Church in South Gujarat:
Dressing in accordance with place and event is essential, however in accordance with the Bible, we have to be modest. God created us stunning, and we have to reverently preserve our internal magnificence fairly than beautify the surface. We must always rigorously and sensibly select our garments for church. It isn’t about sarees, salwar kameez or western put on. Church is about worshiping God, talking and listening to Him.
First Timothy 2:9 instructs girls to “adorn themselves in modest clothes, with propriety and self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or pricey clothes” (NKJV). Our alternative of Indian conventional clothes like sari or salwar kameez is primarily rooted in our cultural heritage and is a private alternative. Folks can select what they wish to put on primarily based on consolation or tradition.
Snehaprabha Massey, President of the Girls’s Affiliation of Christian Service for a Methodist Church in Uttar Pradesh:
It’s a biblical commandment for girls to cowl their heads and costume modestly. An Indian saree and salwar swimsuit is ideal for this goal, whereas additionally giving us a modest and stylish look. These choices totally enclose a lady’s physique, leaving no room for males to be seduced or distracted within the church.
The saree is an internationally acclaimed garment that’s even seen as a illustration of timeless magnificence and elegance in world style competitions. Western put on is extra appropriate for single women, which makes them look enticing and good. However as soon as married, husbands and in-laws desire that their wives and daughters-in-law put on conventional garments, particularly modestly in church.
The bride historically will get 5, 11, 12, or 51 units of garments – numbers thought of auspicious in Indian weddings – in her bridal trousseau, which is generally sarees and salwar kameez, leaving her with fewer choices for western put on. (An Indian bride often doesn’t take her outdated garments along with her to the household she marries into.) In any case, there is no such thing as a doubt that Indian conventional garments look good on each physique sort – slim or cumbersome.
Anujit Emerson, trustee of Voice of Fact Ministries and pastor of an impartial church in Punjab:
Though I desire western garments, I put on Indian conventional garments to church. Christians, being a minority group, are being watched very intently by individuals of different faiths who’re in search of causes to insult us. I do not wish to give them an excuse for what I put on. As a priest, if I put on western denims and an off-the-cuff shirt, what instance am I setting in entrance of my Hindu and Punjabi neighbors? Many Indians discover this sort of clothes trendy and unacceptable. And what instance do I set earlier than my congregation? I definitely do not wish to bump into them. As Paul mentioned about consuming in Romans 14:20, I apply the identical to clothes: “Don’t destroy the work of God for meals” – or a garment.
