A non-Christian views the history of Catholicism in India.

"The first European missionaries to India in the thirteenth century discovered to their surprise a flourishing community of Christians, isolated between the mountains and the ocean in southwest India. They are known to this day as the Thomas Christians; legend has it that the Apostle Thomas himself founded the church and become its first martyr. The history of the Christian church in India and Pakistan is a fascinating story. The church has had to fight against Hindu and Musli, antagonism, political and social discrimination, and rivalry among its own denominations. Yet the church has made a significant impact on the subcontinent of India. Its major success has been among people from the lower castes; even today the majority of Indian Christians come from those elements of society. An attempt was made, however, to reach people of all castes through education--and it is in this field that the church has made perhaps its greatest contribution to India as a whole. The schools which were founded to provide an opportunity to present the gospel, and this was a source of new converts. Other schools were established to provide theological training for Indian Christians, enabling them to assume places of leadership in the church. Today Christian schools educate 10 percent of all university students, even through Christians make up less than 3 per cent of the total population. Stephen Neill brings the personalities of the missionary pioneers, martyrs, and the enemies of the church vividly alive, portraying not only their successes but also their failures. He reveals the complexities of the changing political situation which so greatly influenced the church in India, and carries his account forward from the early Church of the Thomas Christians until formation of the great United Church of India, which combined the Anglican, Presbyterian, Congregational, and Methodist churches. He concludes with a discussion of the problems of the church in India and Pakistan today." - Publisher

Though proportionally small, India's Christians are a populous and significant minority. Focussing on various Roman Catholic churches and shrines located in Chennai, a large city in South India where activities concerning saintal revival and shrinal development have taken place in the recent past, this book investigates the phenomenon of Catholic renewal in India. The author tracks the changing local significance of St. Thomas the Apostle, who according to local legend, was martyred and buried in Chennai and details the efforts of the Church hierarchy in Chennai to bring about a revival of devotion to St. Thomas. Insodoing, the book considers Indian Catholic identity, Indian Christian indigeneity and Hindu nationalism, as well as the marketing of St. Thomas and Catholicism within South India.

Christians form the third largest religious community in India. How has this come about? There are many studies of separate groups: but there has so far been no major history of the three large groups - Roman Catholic, Protestant and Thomas Christians (Syrians). This work attempts to meet the need for such a history. It goes right back to the beginning and traces the story through the ups and downs of at least fifteen centuries. It includes careful studies of the political and social background and of the non-Christian reactions to the Christian message. The narration is non-technical and should present few difficulties to the thoughtful reader; the more technical matters are dealt with in notes and appendices. This book will be of interest to all students of Church History and will also prove fascinating to many who are concerned with the development of Christianity as a world religion and in the dialogue between different forms of faith.