ABSTRACT
This chapter began as a presentation, during that earlier, caimer period, to a group of Christian and Hindu scholars who made significant contributions to interreligious understanding, albeit quietly on a small scale. Hindu-Christian dialogue in the United States has become a trialogue of American Christians, Indian Hindus and American Hindus, with the latter a silent partner. Religion is becoming more important and taking on a more conservative hue because of the power of religion in providing a transcendent basis for personal and group identity that are so important to new immigrants. Rapidity of both communication and mobility in the new immigration changes the 'world view' of both immigrants and their co-religionist in India. The chapter introduces new Hindu and Christian immigrants and notes the impediments that exist to participation in interreligious dialogue. Some forums of religious dialogue impose older models on participants that new immigrants find strange: denomination, congregation, and world religion.
