Indian Christian Art by Brojoe Joseph

Please Note: All posts on this blog are intended for informational purposes only, not as an evaluation or endorsement of any artist, art form, organization or website.  If you have concerns about the accuracy of any information presented please contact the author at hmsarthistorian@gmail.com.

Below are some beautiful examples of Christian artwork by Indian artist Brojoe Joseph (perhaps his student work).  You can find more of his paintings at his blog, Indian Christian Art, which features an Introduction section where he briefly explains inculturation, as well as Christianity in India and various styles of Indian painting.

I Am the Light of the World

Supper

Book Review: Holy Ground: A New Approach to the Mission of the Church in India

I just finished reading Holy Ground: A New Approach to the Mission of the Church in India, a survey of contextualized church architecture in India by Jyoti Sahi. 

Sahi adds his own insights, as well as background information regarding the historical context of the architectural styles.  The text is accompanied by scores of black and white photos.  The first four chapters deal with the historical background of how colonialism has affected the church in India and its image among Hindus.  The other six chapters deal with indigenous architectural styles, as grouped under specific themes: ashrams, prayer rooms, the church as a teaching aid, etc.

The premise for Sahi's survey is that church architecture is an outward expression of the church's theology.  He begins by affirming that inculturation is based on the Incarnation itself, and as a result, church architecture can “[intensify] the senses of the worshipper, so that ultimately God is experienced as incarnated into the life and physical being of the worshipper” (16).  He also stresses that artistic creation is “itself our way of of worshipping God – what in Indian spiritual tradition is called the individual's sadhana (devotional path or search)” (17).  Sadly, however, Sahi concludes that “enthusiasm for an Indian type of Church... has changed a great deal [since its height in the 1960's] and is apparently a spent force.  There seems to have been a growing sense within the Indian church over the past fourteen years that other concerns [poverty, etc.] have a priority” (13).