Authors: Dr. Christina Grace Danny, Dr. Danny Raj M
Pew research center conducted a comprehensive exploration of religion in India, focusing on gaining understanding about the basic religious beliefs, tolerance, and segregation, and released a report along with topline data. The questions varied from the basic beliefs that one holds, the rituals and practices, the interaction with people of other faith, and the caste system that is pervasive in India. We derived several important insights particularly for Christians from the answers to individual and combination of questions, and are presenting our findings in this report. Pew research survey included only about 1011 Christians, approximately 1 in 20 thousand Christians in India. This would agreeably result in sampling error. However, it is important to note that reliable and exhaustive data from 1011 randomly sampled Christians is available to us. It is wise to examine and draw insights from the study, especially considering that an alternate source of data is non-existent.
Each page of this report focusses on one broad theme and discusses several aspects regarding it. The broad themes include the analysis of 1) Knowledge of basic Christian tenets, 2) Importance and practice of beliefs, 3) Impact of Indian religions and perceived Indian identity on Christianity, 4) Extent of caste based and religious segregation, and 5) Insights about reaching out and reaching within. The intended audience of this report are primarily Church elders who wish to have a broad understanding of the Christian beliefs held by the Indian Christian congregation, and Mission leaders who frame strategies and take decisions on evangelism and discipleship. Secondly, it could be of some interest to Christians involved in mentoring new Christians, or smaller focus groups such as Youth leaders, Sunday school teachers, Marriage counsellors, etc. We also hope that the analysis and the findings of the study motivate Christian statisticians to frame and conduct our own survey for a more exhaustive introspection. At the end of the report, we also provide focus points for the different wings of the church.
Find below the pdf copy of the report.
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