Common Ground: India

Two months ago today I boarded a plane and headed to Hyderabad, India. As a second-year Master of Divinity student at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, I had the great privilege to study world religions in one of the most religiously diverse environments in the world. Having an uncle from New Delhi, I grew up hearing stories about the complexities associated with the Indian caste system, a system that has grown out of Hindu roots and affects almost every aspect of societal and religious life.If you have ever met any Western person who has traveled to India, they will tell you that the best way to get the most out of your experience in India is to be bold. Over and over again, both here in the states and throughout our time in India, the mantra continued: Be bold.My experience in Hyderabad has shown me that Indians are bold. They are bold in extending a level of hospitality that is light years ahead in kindness and graciousness then I've ever experienced in the States. They are bold as they navigate the astounding amount of traffic, carrying a family of five on the back of one motorbike. They are bold in demonstrating their faith, balancing the Islamic call to prayer sounds with the kites flying in the sky for a Hindu festival. In India, the flavors are bold, the smells are bold, and the general pulse of the country has a beat so strong that it sets into your heart and changes the gait of your walk to one of boldness. The fashion is bright, glamorous, unique and bold, with clothing such as Sarees, anarkali suits, Pattu Pavadai, Mekhela Sador, and many more gracing the Indian fashion.Boldness is a gift that is embodied in India and while inspiring and beautiful, can be a catalyst of friction between neighboring faith communities. While I was in Hyderabad, there were several days where police officials installed a curfew because of political unrest - political parties that are intimately linked with one religious community or another. I will never forget the experience of my taxi being pulled over by police officials for random inspection as the cries of a political rally filled the air, drowning out the sounds of an Islamic festival. I will also never forget learning that the same area I was pulled over suffered heinous terrorist attacks merely one month after I returned home, attacks largely assumed to be connected with religious conflict.Living in a pluralistic context requires boldness in order to embrace that creating common ground is not without its complications. Following worship on Sunday, March 10, we will explore together how the Church of South India is creating common ground among various religions by indigenizing their faith practices. We will explore how Christianity in India addresses the affects of the caste and patriarchal system. We will learn how interfaith organizations are healing rifts within communities divided by religion. We will uncover how the CSI is integrating societal customs once rooted in Hindu and Muslim traditions into the Christian faith, while making connections between environmental and societal concerns.I hope that you will join us at St. Luke's on March 10 as we learn more about the beauty and complexity of context that is Hyderabad, India.Wishing you God's peace and Blessings,Tina Heise, Seminarian & Administrative Assistant at St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square