Aruthuckal Varughese John | South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (original) (raw)
Papers by Aruthuckal Varughese John
Prophet, Priest, and King: Christology in Global Perspective, 2025
The New Cambridge Companion to Jesus , 2025
International Journal of Religious Freedom, 2023
Oxford House Briefing, 2023
International Bulletin of Mission Research
T&T Clark Encyclopaedia of Christian Theology
Journal of Asian Evangelical Theology, 2021
eligious conversion has always been a contentious topic in the Indian context. The issue has take... more eligious conversion has always been a contentious topic in the Indian context. The issue has taken center stage recently with the adoption of anti-conversion legislation by the government of Madhya Pradesh. For what it calls "conversion through marriage or by any other fraudulent means," this statute imposes the penalty of "a prison term of up to ten years and a fine of Rupees one lakh." 1 Earlier, the national government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, had
One Gospel Many Cultures, 2021
There is a popular sentiment that conceives the Semitic religions and Indic religions as polar op... more There is a popular sentiment that conceives the Semitic religions and Indic religions as polar opposites on the matter of truth perception. Unlike Indic religions, the Semitic religions, and Christianity in particular, is identified as possessing theological doctrines that have true/false predicates. There is little contention about Christian doctrinal beliefs also being truth claims. As Bruce Marshall argues, As I am using the term, a belief is an attitude or disposition expressible by holding a sentence true. Thus one cannot have the concept of belief without having the concept of truth. .. . Believing is thus a propositional attitude, that is, an attitude (in this case, holding true) toward a sentence the meaning or interpretation of which the believer understands or has specified; there are many other propositional attitudes, such as hoping, doubting, and wishing. 1 In contrast, it is claimed that in the Hindu context, "truth and falsity do not apply to human traditions." This is not a claim that Hinduism has no conception of truth; in fact, it has a robust idea of truth. The term Satyameva Jayate 2 popularized by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya was derived from the Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.6): "Truth alone triumphs; not falsehood. Through truth the divine path is spread out by which the sages whose desires have been completely fulfilled, reach to where is that supreme treasure of Truth." 3 Further, truth is intertwined with dharma 4 in the Hindu tradition. While "truthtelling, and by implication promise-keeping, were particularly appropriate acts for good Brāhmaṇas," 5 Krishna's discourse in the Mahabharata contends that where truth-telling is purely pursued as following the letter of the law, it can become an immoral act. Kauśika,
Chetana: The Journal of Philosophy, 2020
Following the exploration of Kierkegaard as a kind of moral philosopher in the first part of this... more Following the exploration of Kierkegaard as a kind of moral philosopher in the first part of this essay, I shall turn to a more important question of how to raise the question of ethics in Kierkegaard's work. For Kierkegaard, merely locating the theoretical framework for moral philosophy would be insufficient, if it does not ask the more pivotal question, "what does that mean for an individual today?" This essay explores Kierkegaard as an ethical thinker by addressing the above question using his theological framework.
Doon Theological Journal, 2020
This article explores the ethical requirement as understood in both Christianity and Hinduism wit... more This article explores the ethical requirement as understood in both Christianity and Hinduism with a focus on the Bhagavad-Gita and Paul’s understanding in the book of Romans. Exploration of ethical requirements in the Hindu context is pivotal for understanding the framework for moral thinking in South Asia. Predicated on the idea that one of our theological tasks is to identify bridge concepts for the gospel to be made intelligent for those seeking Christ in the South Asian context, this article examines the comparable parts of ethical requirements in the New Testament and the Gita.
Theological Formation for Christian Missions, 2019
Missionary zeal has always been an essential part of religious faiths. Emperor Ashoka sent Buddhi... more Missionary zeal has always been an essential part of religious faiths. Emperor Ashoka sent Buddhist missionaries not only to nearby places like Sri Lanka but also to far-flung territories such as Greece and Egypt. Few match the missionary zeal of the Rama Krishna Mission and the ISKON movements. Yoga and Buddhism have become the current fads generally in the West and especially in Hollywood. Yet, the Christian mission in the majority world seems to attract an exceptional measure of criticism.
Much of the critique, some justifiable, has led to what is referred to as “Western guilt complex” about Christian missions. This feeling is not restricted to the West alone since what happens in the West finds its way to the rest of the world. Biographical sketches of Christian missionaries reveal that they were well-meaning individuals who sacrificially engaged with cultures and societies far away from the comforts of home, and were, in the least, faithful to the light revealed to them. Yet, as children of their times, they reflected certain attitudes, which from hindsight prove to be problematic.
This paper looks at the connection between Christian missions and missionary guilt.
International Bulletin of Mission Research, 2021
The orthodox Hindu objection to the classical religious freedom legislations instanced in the UN ... more The orthodox Hindu objection to the classical religious freedom legislations instanced in the UN declaration and other charters is with the secular framework's Judeo-Christian origins/bias. It argues that in the application of religious freedom laws, the secular framework erroneously presupposes a similarity between Semitic religions and Hinduism. Consequently, the secular framework applies the Judeo-Christian anthropological assumptions to favour conversionary religions that function against the interests of Asiatic religions.
Journal of Asian Evangelical Theology, 2017
An evangelical theologian is called to be both a faithful exegete of God’s Word for the world and... more An evangelical theologian is called to be both a faithful exegete of God’s Word for the world and a faithful exegete of the world in the light of God’s Word. In pursuit of the former, many have spent years in painstaking study of the biblical languages as well as the discipline of hermeneutics. By way of contrast, relatively few have engaged in serious cultural exegesis in pursuit of the latter.
In this paper, I urge Asian evangelical theologians to consider their calling as cultural exegetes. I begin by proposing a framework for the task of cultural exegesis and follow that with my own attempt at the task with a focus on secularization as a point of reference.
I explore three specific challenges posed by the cultural influence of the metro-secular to the church: 1) Individual autonomy and the demise of transcendence, 2) Authenticity and the demise of virtue, and 3) Expressive individualism and the demise of mimesis.
Christian Inquiry on Polity (IVP India), 2017
Does the principle of secularism, and particularly, the idea of a secular state, presuppose certa... more Does the principle of secularism, and particularly, the idea of a secular state, presuppose certain doctrines, whether in the form of theological beliefs or as worldviews that define cultural reasoning? Is something more than a mere adoption of a secular Constitution necessary for the ideals of the Constitution to become a reality? If secularism itself presupposes certain doctrines, then conflicts within a pluralistic context could be anticipated not only despite secularism but also because of it.
The compatibility between secularism and the comprehensive doctrine in the society demands that we locate the ontology of the secular. I have explored the secular as the prodigal child of Christianity (prodigalized through the calculus of disenchantment, individual autonomy, and authenticity) which wanders into various cultures and finds itself a home (not necessarily a happy one) to become a foster child in the Indian sub-continent.
This creates a cross-pressure, a consequence of two opposing moods being felt simultaneously: a sense of belonging and a sense of alienation. For the very first time, one belongs to this independent nation-state and not subject to either a monarchy or a princely state nor is one governed by a foreign power, whether Moghul or British. By virtue of now being larger than any of its former socio-political avatars, India begins to command an incontestable allegiance from its citizenry. However, the cost of assuming this larger identity means having to subscribe to a doctrine that is alien to its culture. Hence the cross-pressure! In this article, I have tried to explore what such cross-pressure means for Hindu orthodoxy.
The Bible in India: Religion and Ethics (New Delhi: Mountain Peak Publications), 2017
My paper argues that the freedom of conscience is inherent and fundamental to the human noetic st... more My paper argues that the freedom of conscience is inherent and fundamental to the human noetic structure and thus can be conceived as self-evident. Yet, human rights and freedom of conscience primarily take their shape from within specific background cultures, especially shaped by their vision of a good life.
This paper examines two such visions: Cultures that tend to focus on individual autonomy and those that focus on community. Individual autonomy is a Christian heresy and needs to be critiqued just as much as the communitarian calculus in our culture that tramples on the individual freedom. How may we seek a balance? I argue that the unity in diversity within the community of Trinity provides a prototype for a balance between the individual and the community.
Religious Freedom and Conversions in India (Bangalore: SAIACS Press), 2017
Holy Spirit and Christian Mission in a Pluralistic Context (Bangalore: SAIACS Press), 2017
My paper argues that the loss of transcendence from a culture is maximally a loss of the Holy Spi... more My paper argues that the loss of transcendence from a culture is maximally a loss of the Holy Spirit. After all, unlike the Holy Spirit, the other two members of the Trinity have a visible trail—the Father, his created order (natural theology) and the Son his historical presence (Theology of redemption). Whereas, the self-effacing Holy Spirit is “neither seen nor known” by the world (John 14:17) or by the Church that succumbs to the spirit of the age. In short, the cultural influence of naturalism has left the church Spirit-impoverished.
Thus, I explore how we may recover this loss and prioritize the Spirit? If we looked carefully, a Spirit priority seems to follow the structure of function within the economic Trinity. That is, while the Trinitarian order follows the Father sending the Son to complete the work of redemption followed by the sending of the Spirit to sanctify the Church, human encounter seems to always require an inverse Trinitarian order. It is the Spirit who testifies to the Lordship of Christ, for “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3), and it is in Jesus in whom the “whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col 2:9), that we see the face of the Father (John 14:9).
Exploring the epistemic role of the Spirit, I conclude that the Spirit is the epistemic agency as well as the starting point in turning the Christian message into an intelligible account for anyone who hears it.
Given the self-effacing nature of the Spirit who points humans towards Christ, who in turn points us towards the Father, a Spirit priority inherently provides a Trinitarian mould for theological thinking and practice.
Prophet, Priest, and King: Christology in Global Perspective, 2025
The New Cambridge Companion to Jesus , 2025
International Journal of Religious Freedom, 2023
Oxford House Briefing, 2023
International Bulletin of Mission Research
T&T Clark Encyclopaedia of Christian Theology
Journal of Asian Evangelical Theology, 2021
eligious conversion has always been a contentious topic in the Indian context. The issue has take... more eligious conversion has always been a contentious topic in the Indian context. The issue has taken center stage recently with the adoption of anti-conversion legislation by the government of Madhya Pradesh. For what it calls "conversion through marriage or by any other fraudulent means," this statute imposes the penalty of "a prison term of up to ten years and a fine of Rupees one lakh." 1 Earlier, the national government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, had
One Gospel Many Cultures, 2021
There is a popular sentiment that conceives the Semitic religions and Indic religions as polar op... more There is a popular sentiment that conceives the Semitic religions and Indic religions as polar opposites on the matter of truth perception. Unlike Indic religions, the Semitic religions, and Christianity in particular, is identified as possessing theological doctrines that have true/false predicates. There is little contention about Christian doctrinal beliefs also being truth claims. As Bruce Marshall argues, As I am using the term, a belief is an attitude or disposition expressible by holding a sentence true. Thus one cannot have the concept of belief without having the concept of truth. .. . Believing is thus a propositional attitude, that is, an attitude (in this case, holding true) toward a sentence the meaning or interpretation of which the believer understands or has specified; there are many other propositional attitudes, such as hoping, doubting, and wishing. 1 In contrast, it is claimed that in the Hindu context, "truth and falsity do not apply to human traditions." This is not a claim that Hinduism has no conception of truth; in fact, it has a robust idea of truth. The term Satyameva Jayate 2 popularized by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya was derived from the Mundaka Upanishad (3.1.6): "Truth alone triumphs; not falsehood. Through truth the divine path is spread out by which the sages whose desires have been completely fulfilled, reach to where is that supreme treasure of Truth." 3 Further, truth is intertwined with dharma 4 in the Hindu tradition. While "truthtelling, and by implication promise-keeping, were particularly appropriate acts for good Brāhmaṇas," 5 Krishna's discourse in the Mahabharata contends that where truth-telling is purely pursued as following the letter of the law, it can become an immoral act. Kauśika,
Chetana: The Journal of Philosophy, 2020
Following the exploration of Kierkegaard as a kind of moral philosopher in the first part of this... more Following the exploration of Kierkegaard as a kind of moral philosopher in the first part of this essay, I shall turn to a more important question of how to raise the question of ethics in Kierkegaard's work. For Kierkegaard, merely locating the theoretical framework for moral philosophy would be insufficient, if it does not ask the more pivotal question, "what does that mean for an individual today?" This essay explores Kierkegaard as an ethical thinker by addressing the above question using his theological framework.
Doon Theological Journal, 2020
This article explores the ethical requirement as understood in both Christianity and Hinduism wit... more This article explores the ethical requirement as understood in both Christianity and Hinduism with a focus on the Bhagavad-Gita and Paul’s understanding in the book of Romans. Exploration of ethical requirements in the Hindu context is pivotal for understanding the framework for moral thinking in South Asia. Predicated on the idea that one of our theological tasks is to identify bridge concepts for the gospel to be made intelligent for those seeking Christ in the South Asian context, this article examines the comparable parts of ethical requirements in the New Testament and the Gita.
Theological Formation for Christian Missions, 2019
Missionary zeal has always been an essential part of religious faiths. Emperor Ashoka sent Buddhi... more Missionary zeal has always been an essential part of religious faiths. Emperor Ashoka sent Buddhist missionaries not only to nearby places like Sri Lanka but also to far-flung territories such as Greece and Egypt. Few match the missionary zeal of the Rama Krishna Mission and the ISKON movements. Yoga and Buddhism have become the current fads generally in the West and especially in Hollywood. Yet, the Christian mission in the majority world seems to attract an exceptional measure of criticism.
Much of the critique, some justifiable, has led to what is referred to as “Western guilt complex” about Christian missions. This feeling is not restricted to the West alone since what happens in the West finds its way to the rest of the world. Biographical sketches of Christian missionaries reveal that they were well-meaning individuals who sacrificially engaged with cultures and societies far away from the comforts of home, and were, in the least, faithful to the light revealed to them. Yet, as children of their times, they reflected certain attitudes, which from hindsight prove to be problematic.
This paper looks at the connection between Christian missions and missionary guilt.
International Bulletin of Mission Research, 2021
The orthodox Hindu objection to the classical religious freedom legislations instanced in the UN ... more The orthodox Hindu objection to the classical religious freedom legislations instanced in the UN declaration and other charters is with the secular framework's Judeo-Christian origins/bias. It argues that in the application of religious freedom laws, the secular framework erroneously presupposes a similarity between Semitic religions and Hinduism. Consequently, the secular framework applies the Judeo-Christian anthropological assumptions to favour conversionary religions that function against the interests of Asiatic religions.
Journal of Asian Evangelical Theology, 2017
An evangelical theologian is called to be both a faithful exegete of God’s Word for the world and... more An evangelical theologian is called to be both a faithful exegete of God’s Word for the world and a faithful exegete of the world in the light of God’s Word. In pursuit of the former, many have spent years in painstaking study of the biblical languages as well as the discipline of hermeneutics. By way of contrast, relatively few have engaged in serious cultural exegesis in pursuit of the latter.
In this paper, I urge Asian evangelical theologians to consider their calling as cultural exegetes. I begin by proposing a framework for the task of cultural exegesis and follow that with my own attempt at the task with a focus on secularization as a point of reference.
I explore three specific challenges posed by the cultural influence of the metro-secular to the church: 1) Individual autonomy and the demise of transcendence, 2) Authenticity and the demise of virtue, and 3) Expressive individualism and the demise of mimesis.
Christian Inquiry on Polity (IVP India), 2017
Does the principle of secularism, and particularly, the idea of a secular state, presuppose certa... more Does the principle of secularism, and particularly, the idea of a secular state, presuppose certain doctrines, whether in the form of theological beliefs or as worldviews that define cultural reasoning? Is something more than a mere adoption of a secular Constitution necessary for the ideals of the Constitution to become a reality? If secularism itself presupposes certain doctrines, then conflicts within a pluralistic context could be anticipated not only despite secularism but also because of it.
The compatibility between secularism and the comprehensive doctrine in the society demands that we locate the ontology of the secular. I have explored the secular as the prodigal child of Christianity (prodigalized through the calculus of disenchantment, individual autonomy, and authenticity) which wanders into various cultures and finds itself a home (not necessarily a happy one) to become a foster child in the Indian sub-continent.
This creates a cross-pressure, a consequence of two opposing moods being felt simultaneously: a sense of belonging and a sense of alienation. For the very first time, one belongs to this independent nation-state and not subject to either a monarchy or a princely state nor is one governed by a foreign power, whether Moghul or British. By virtue of now being larger than any of its former socio-political avatars, India begins to command an incontestable allegiance from its citizenry. However, the cost of assuming this larger identity means having to subscribe to a doctrine that is alien to its culture. Hence the cross-pressure! In this article, I have tried to explore what such cross-pressure means for Hindu orthodoxy.
The Bible in India: Religion and Ethics (New Delhi: Mountain Peak Publications), 2017
My paper argues that the freedom of conscience is inherent and fundamental to the human noetic st... more My paper argues that the freedom of conscience is inherent and fundamental to the human noetic structure and thus can be conceived as self-evident. Yet, human rights and freedom of conscience primarily take their shape from within specific background cultures, especially shaped by their vision of a good life.
This paper examines two such visions: Cultures that tend to focus on individual autonomy and those that focus on community. Individual autonomy is a Christian heresy and needs to be critiqued just as much as the communitarian calculus in our culture that tramples on the individual freedom. How may we seek a balance? I argue that the unity in diversity within the community of Trinity provides a prototype for a balance between the individual and the community.
Religious Freedom and Conversions in India (Bangalore: SAIACS Press), 2017
Holy Spirit and Christian Mission in a Pluralistic Context (Bangalore: SAIACS Press), 2017
My paper argues that the loss of transcendence from a culture is maximally a loss of the Holy Spi... more My paper argues that the loss of transcendence from a culture is maximally a loss of the Holy Spirit. After all, unlike the Holy Spirit, the other two members of the Trinity have a visible trail—the Father, his created order (natural theology) and the Son his historical presence (Theology of redemption). Whereas, the self-effacing Holy Spirit is “neither seen nor known” by the world (John 14:17) or by the Church that succumbs to the spirit of the age. In short, the cultural influence of naturalism has left the church Spirit-impoverished.
Thus, I explore how we may recover this loss and prioritize the Spirit? If we looked carefully, a Spirit priority seems to follow the structure of function within the economic Trinity. That is, while the Trinitarian order follows the Father sending the Son to complete the work of redemption followed by the sending of the Spirit to sanctify the Church, human encounter seems to always require an inverse Trinitarian order. It is the Spirit who testifies to the Lordship of Christ, for “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3), and it is in Jesus in whom the “whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col 2:9), that we see the face of the Father (John 14:9).
Exploring the epistemic role of the Spirit, I conclude that the Spirit is the epistemic agency as well as the starting point in turning the Christian message into an intelligible account for anyone who hears it.
Given the self-effacing nature of the Spirit who points humans towards Christ, who in turn points us towards the Father, a Spirit priority inherently provides a Trinitarian mould for theological thinking and practice.
Indian Secularism and Religious Freedom: Mapping the Cross-pressures, 2024
This book offers a nuanced exploration of the intricate state of secularity in India, characteriz... more This book offers a nuanced exploration of the intricate state of secularity in India, characterized by the author as an elaborate tapestry of complex social struggles in India that are consequences of the advent of secularism, which brings with it presuppositions not necessarily shared by the traditional Hindu culture. These cross-pressures extend beyond societal realms, permeating legal domains, influencing the implementation of secularism in India. These pressures, the book argues, emanate from the comprehensive doctrines that define the social fabric and culture of the subcontinent. The book particularly explores whether secularism inherently presupposes specific doctrines, whether theological or cultural, affecting the manner in which secularism plays out in the culture. Focusing on religious freedom and its intersection with human rights and human-rights legislation especially as applied to the contentious issue of religious conversions, the book unravels the complexities of these cross-pressures. While the Ghent School attempts to mitigate these cross-pressures by defending a Hindu interpretation of religious freedom, recognizing the presence of truth-claims in all religious belief offers a better way of attempting to mediate between the Constitution and Hindu tradition. The book also describes how Christian converts have practised adaptive mechanisms that combine Christian faith with traditional Hindu culture, perhaps as a way of responding to how they experience these cross-pressures. These hybrid lifestyles may suggest one path forward.
SAIACS Press, 2022
Church, Culture, and Hermeneutics: An Evangelical Engagement is a collection of essays. The 18 pa... more Church, Culture, and Hermeneutics: An Evangelical Engagement is a collection of essays. The 18 papers that are published in this volume were presented at the 6th SAIACS Academic Consultation in August 2019. They have been subsequently revised and edited.
SAIACS Press, 2019
This volume brings together 14 essays from colleagues and friends to honor Ian for his faithful w... more This volume brings together 14 essays from colleagues and friends to honor Ian for his faithful work at SAIACS. We are grateful to God for his life and contribution to building the kingdom of God in India. Titled Theological Formation for Christian Mission, the volume explores Ian’s diverse interests in theology, epistemology, pedagogy, epistemology, and Christian missions.
Papers from the 4th SAIACS Academic Consultation (Bangalore: SAIACS Publication), 2017
This edited volume is a collection of the papers presented at the SAIACS Academic Consultation in... more This edited volume is a collection of the papers presented at the SAIACS Academic Consultation in September 2015 on the theme, Religious Freedom and Conversion. Along with my co-editors, i hope that the book stimulates and provides direction for Christian thinking on the issue.
Papers from the 3rd SAIACS Consultation (Bangalore: SAIACS Publications), 2016
Exclusion and Inclusion in Changing India is a collection of essays, by scholars and practitioner... more Exclusion and Inclusion in Changing India is a collection of essays, by scholars and practitioners, about the struggles of exclusion and inclusion facing human community in the complex Indian context from a Christian perspective. These essays are broadly grouped into two parts. The first part features articles with themes concerning Theology and Philosophy. The second part addresses issues arising from Mission and Culture.
Papers from the 2nd SAIACS Consultation (Bangalore: SAIACS Publications), 2013
Christians in the Public Square is a collection of essays from the 2nd SAIACS Consultation that t... more Christians in the Public Square is a collection of essays from the 2nd SAIACS Consultation that took place during November 2011 at SAIACS, Bangalore. The articles are about Christian engagement in the arena where politics and religion, environment and ethics, leadership and education, all collide. Th e authors of these essays come as scholars and practitioners and they address various issues related to the South Asian context from a Christian point of view. The 11 articles featured here include a wide range of topics such as Business as Mission, Christians in Government, Justice and Law, Public Religion, Education, and Environment.
Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, Sep 25, 2012
What is Truth? Philosophical explorations merely presuppose truth, rather than define it. The ins... more What is Truth? Philosophical explorations merely presuppose truth, rather than define it. The inscrutable nature of truth enables a recognition of human finitude, which is both Socratic (the recognition that one does not know) and non-Socratic (the recognition that truth has to be given from without). This opens the way to locating truth outside the individual, which can be appropriated only when the condition to recognize it is given....This book explores what truth implies for the individual and examines the value of historical research for Christian faith.