Growing up in North India, it was not uncommon to hear that Christianity was a foreign religion. Given India’s colonial past, this was understandable. Even now, it is common to see churches worshiping using the latest Christian contemporary music from the West. Nor is it uncommon to see pictures of a blonde, fair-skinned Jesus.

However, it would be rather simplistic to label Christianity as a foreign religion based only on these surface-level observations. Many urban Indians, regardless of religion, speak Hinglish, watch Hollywood movies, and are up-to-date with all the Western trends.

What I have observed in India is true for much of Asia. Christianity remains a minority and foreign religion in most parts. It is thus not uncommon to ask – What is the relationship of Christian theology and cultural identity in Asia? Or asked differently, what must a truly Christian and Asian theology do and look like?

A Diverse History

Lalsangkima Pachuau addresses such questions in his essay “Cultural Identity and Theology in Asia” in the book Asian Christian Theology: Evangelical Perspectives. Pachuau begins by looking at the history of Christian interaction with Asian cultures. There were those like the early Jesuit missionaries who sought to adapt the Christian message to the cultures they encountered. However, these Jesuits faced opposition from other sections of the church.¹

Even among Asian Christians, there were diverse approaches to culture, like John Sung from China, who took a confrontational approach with a focus on indigenous evangelism. This was in stark contrast to K.H. Ting, who “ministered through political authority and power to make Christianity Chinese” (p. 203).

Evangelical Approaches

Aside from these individual approaches and attitudes toward culture, Pachuau points to the diverse approaches to theological reflection. One such approach is that of progressive theologians who attempted to develop Asian theology “in conversation with Asian social and political movements” (p. 211). Conversely, evangelical Christians have been marked by “a tendency to withdraw from cultural studies” because of their insistence on the primacy of Scripture (p. 212).

However, Pachuau notes changing attitudes among evangelical Christians toward culture marked by the Lausanne Movement, which highlighted “the importance of the relationship between gospel and culture since the late 1970s” (p. 212). He contends that God calls not just individuals to be converted to him but for “entire human communities and their structures of existence” to be converted (p. 213).

A Proposed Way Forward

Acknowledging the diversity of approaches by practitioners and thinkers, Pachuau proposes how Christian theology should interact with culture. He factors in the difference between Asian religions and Christianity, which “believes that God the creator has intervened in human history in the person of Jesus Christ to save and transform the world to his likeness” (p. 214). Thus, even as Christianity finds a home among Asian cultures, it also critiques them and seeks to turn them toward God.

He proposes a method where Christians seek to cooperate, encounter, and communicate in their context. Through this method, Pachuau envisions Christianity fully identifying with Asian cultures while still critiquing them through the gospel of Christ. Central to Pachuau’s approach is the need to communicate “the gospel of transformation” (p. 218) in the cultures that Christianity inhabits. This method seeks to help Christians genuinely identify with their culture while transforming them toward Christ (p. 216).

Thinking Further

Pachuau presents a well-rounded view of Christianity in Asia, allowing for diverse approaches. He addresses an important question that most in Asia grapple with daily. A direction for further thought could be: How can one do theology in situations where the culture continues to grow violently opposed to Christians? This is a scenario many in Asia are encountering, and trends point to increasing communal polarization.

Pachuau’s article shows a way forward for Christian theology to find a home in Asia without losing its transformative character. It can transcend simplistic questions of either belonging fully or being completely foreign in Asia. Christianity can thus be fully at home in Asia without losing its transformative power and being open to transformation itself.

I strongly encourage you to pick up a copy of Asian Christian Theology. It contains many essays like this one, which address issues and questions related to Asian Christianity through Asian voices. There is much to be done, and Pachuau’s essay, like others in the book, is an initial voice in the conversation. The conversation will be immensely enriched with more voices from all corners of Asia.

Check out this interview with Dr. Pachuau for a longer conversation on the chapter and his other work.

Matthias Gergan serves as Program Coordinator for the ThM/PhD in Theological Studies offered by the Asia Graduate School of Theology in collaboration with the International Graduate School of Leadership. He also serves as Project Editor for Non-Commentary Books for Asia Theological Association (ATA) Publications. His current research interests are World Christianity, the church in Asia, and the development of theological studies in Asia. Matthias is from a mixed Ladakhi and Lepcha heritage from the Indian Himalayan region. He currently lives in Dehradun in Uttarakhand with his wife Menguphrenuo, mother, and son. His most recent article is “Faith Seeking Understanding in the Indian Himalayan Region” in Insights Journal.