Pastor Timothy & Divya Shanthi: Christians in India

Unnathamanavarin Prayer House
Originally uploaded by Jane Rubio.

I am the evil empire. I am the American Christian missionary in India. I went eight years ago with 12 other evangelicals to work with Pastor Timothy's church and the Divya Shanthi Christian Association. I went so I could really try to figure out all these issues of Christianity in a non-Western context and Jesus' Great Commission to evangelize the world. Of course, it sits bad with everyone. . .American Christian missionaries in India. Isn't that so 18th century? Aren't thinking, educated, reasonably ethical people past that?

So I went to India as a Christian, ready to give up my religion if I felt like I didn't get good answers and just expeienced things that disgusted me. Ming was like, Give it a try. See what happens. Maybe you'll see God in all this. Ming's really good like that.

Pastor Timothy's church freaked me out at first. Women and men sitting on different sides of the church. Women with their head covered. The undue and even improper respect/adulation given to the pastor. And the way he sort of slapped their heads and fell back as he was exorcising demons. I thought the loud, crazy music with people clapping all off beat was cool, though. I got into their style of worship.

Pastor Timothy is Indian. He was Hindu. At 15? he was diagnosed with liver cancer, because he was a drunk. He had little time left. There were some American Christian missionaries down the street, that he used to persecute (throw rocks, taunt, things of that nature). But at one point, he was in so much pain and so desperate, he allowed them to pray for him. And it was in that prayer session that he felt a warmth in his liver, and he was healed.

Here are pictures of the Timothy's, Unnathamanavarin Prayer House, and Divya Shanthi--Check out the pictures at www.homepage.mac.com/janerubio/PhotoAlbum17.html.