!

Boyd, Robin H. S. An Introduction to Indian Christian Theology. Madras: The Christian

In his book, An Introduction to Indian Christian Theology, Robin Boyd asks the question, “Is

there a truly Indian expression of theological thought (2)?” The church in India has a long

reputation of appearing and sounding foreign. Often those who join an established church are

taught using foreign resources with terminology and thought patterns originating in the West. To

answer his question about a truly Indian theology, Boyd surveys the work of several Indian

Christian theologians from the last two hundred years. Through this theological survey, Boyd

attempts to show how these Indian theologians sought to work out their apologetic and their

systematic theology using the Hindu terms and thought patterns of their heritage. The goal of this

book is that Indian followers of Christ will further the work begun by these early theologians in

expressing the biblical revelation from the Indian heart. This review will present positive and

negative critiques of Boyd’s argument and assess the book’s overall significance for the study of

Indian Christian theology.

Over a dozen Indian theologians are presented in Boyd’s survey but there are several who

seem to take overall prominence in the book. For the sake of a brief review, the theologians that

will be mentioned in reviewing the theological content of the book are Brahmabandhab

Upadhyaya, Sundar Singh, A.J. Appasamy, P. Chenchiah, V. Chakkarai, N.V. Tilak, and

Dhanjibhai Fakirbhai. These are the men who contributed the most to the uniquely Indian

theological categories that Boyd examines in his book.

The first strength in Boyd’s analysis is his relation of each theologian to particular Indian

philosophical streams of thought. In order to understand the contributions these theologians have
 !2

made to Indian Christian theology, it is helpful to see from which particular Indian stream of

philosophy the theologian operated. At the risk of oversimplification, three major streams of

Indian philosophy emerge from these theologians: advaita (non-dualism), bhakti (loving

devotion), and shakti (power). Brahmabandhab is the strongest proponent of advaita. The bhakti

theologians were Appasamy, Dhanjibhai, and Tilak. Chenchiah taught in relation to the shakti

tradition. Then there were Sundar Singh and Chakkarai who fell somewhere in between. Boyd

does well in showing how each theologian’s philosophical heritage affects their Christian

theological work. Boyd even relates this to how Greek philosophy, linguistics, and geographical

issues influenced the creedal formulations of the early church.

Moving from the broad philosophical schools that influenced each theologian, Boyd excels in

presenting the specifics of each theologian’s uniquely Indian contributions to Christian theology.

The most significant categories include the Trinity, Christology, and the new life in Christ.

Brahmabandhab’s work on the Trinity being expressed as Saccidananda is very insightful. For an

advaitic Hindu, the Trinity can be very difficult. Brahmabandhab’s relation of these aspects of

the Godhead to a familiar idea in this Hindu tradition provides a possible bridge to teaching

biblical truth. In Christology, several of these theologians expressed how the Hindu mind is

perhaps more prepared than most to understand the incarnation of Christ because of the Sanskrit

word avatar. Finally, in the doctrine of the Christian life, Chenchiah and Sundar Singh were

unique in their use of the idea of anubhav (experience) in expressing how the believer is to know

the risen Christ.

All of these Indian terms and styles reveal exciting new insights into how the Hindu mind

can bring fresh theological expressions of biblical truth. However, all of these concepts bring
 !3

difficulties and dangers. The strength of this aspect of the book is how Boyd reveals both the

difficulties and the exciting potential that each theologian presents. Saccidananda verges on the

heresy of a monistic theology. Avatar can wrongly equate the eternal Son and his unique

incarnation with that of Krishna or Ram. Another major difficulty for the Indian mind is the

concept of penal substitution from Christ’s work on the cross. The laws of karma, while it may

be consciously rejected by the new believer, can still influence an Indian believer’s conception of

the work of Christ. In spite of these difficulties, Boyd makes clear that there is exciting potential

in the use of Hindu philosophical thought for developing a truly Indian Christian theology.

A weakness in Boyd’s analysis is that he rarely mentions how each theologian interprets

passages of Scripture to express their theology. While biblical concepts are mentioned in each

theologian’s work, Boyd doesn’t often present a theologian’s interpretation and use of specific

texts of Scripture. This would have been helpful especially when writing on the Indian concept

of Sruti (Scripture) as being the supreme authority in a believer’s life. Also, Boyd seems

ambiguous on how the Indian church should relate to the early church creeds such as the

Apostles and Nicene creeds. Should these be essentially ignored or must they be looked to as

authoritative in accordance with Scripture? A balanced approach seems to be the best solution in

developing an Indian theology.

In conclusion, Boyd is successful in presenting how these Indian theologians contributed

something uniquely Indian to Christian theology. This book also points to an exciting potential

for the church in India to proclaim the biblical message from the Indian heart. Anyone who seeks

to serve Christ among Indian people must not neglect the work of these Indian brothers.