ABSTRACT
This chapter connects the strategic use of Hindi by contemporary Christians to the promotion of English as the language of Christianity by colonial missionaries and administrators. It adds historical depth to the perception of Christianity as inseparable from English, and hence foreign. Based on an analysis of colonial claims to civilize India via English and Christianity, the chapter explains the background for Hindi Christian rejections of these claims. It further describes the benefits to study Hindi Christian literature and identifies areas for further research on Hindi Christian literature. This chapter concludes with two stories from India’s past that identify the fusion of language and religion as a recurring feature of Indian polity. This chapter shows how contemporary attempts to assign languages to religions, as found in Hindi Christian literature, reflect a long tradition of religio-linguistic politics in India.
