Why Christianity in Kerala survived for 18 centuries but never produce a single missionary ??

Question

Christianity right from its advent has been evangelical and missionary in nature. No matter where message of Jesus went, it always motivated people to go on mission and spread the Good News or Gospel.
Gospel reached Kerala (India) in first century itself, but it never produced a single missionary in all next 18 century. Condition was that Gospel even didnt spilled to the next states of Tamil nadu or Karnataka.
I would like people to send comment, answers, views and research..
Why it never produced a single missionary? Though it survived?

one more thing to add on in all part of world meaasge of Jesus went on it passed persecution, financial problem etc.
I also want to clarify to my friends from other faiths that I am not bothered about conversion but the preching of the message of Jesus. While in India for centuries we welcomed all sorts of teaching and mainly if its relegious we were more open.

Answer 1

For lack of means in everything. like the means on financial . They have no financial capacity or capability to go on further to other countries to preach.
jtm

Answer 2

Pastor billy says: you fail to mention that those first converts in Southern India would have been Catholic Orthodox Christians one wonders why? Never the less I'm not familiar with the missionary progress or lack of from this eparch or diocese of the early Christian Church but I can assume the neighboring Indian states were very hostile to conversion. We know that many more Christian missionaries in the early centuries of the Church were martyrs for the faith. We also see increased violence against Indian Christians today by the Hindu majority.

If you examine Indian history you also discover the Muslim influence which enters Indian and dominates the ruling class during the Middle Ages this I am sure also plays it's part in restricting Christian missionary work.

Hope this helps and if you wish to discuss more email me. I have to ask what is your Christian background? Is it Orthodox? Syrio-Malabar Rite? or of Protestant origin such as Dutch Reform or English Brethren?

Answer 3

Because religion is at best a cultural phenomenon. The Hindu influence on Indian culture is that of an indifference, a malaise if you will based on the knowledge of the endless rotation of the wheel of death and rebirth. They are fatalistic.

Answer 4

Christians are in minority in India. Less than 1% of total population. So they have to sit back quiet.

Answer 5

If it survived someone was passing it on. That is a missionary.

Lover and blessings Don

Answer 6

Christianity survived 18 centuries not because of teachings of christ or bible or anything good in christianity. but because the the hindus do not believed in killing a person from another faith just because they do not follow their faith. that is the truth.

and why they did not produce a single missionary? that you should ask the community itself. they tried it, but failed in all missions miserably. trying to convert hindus into christianity was done almost through coercion during the british rule. after independence of india from british, missionaries tried to lure people by using money. again they failed. these failures will continue to ad nauseum. because when one uses wrong methods, tactics and means for achieving the end, such failures are imminent. And no religion of the semetic world has ever understood or will ever understand the hindu psychology. to convert a hindu into their fold is a herculean task, because there are other things that the converted person will not be able to drop when he joins them. Also many of them who joined christianity found cheated today because promises made were not honored by the missionaries & churches.

As for kerala, it is not one of the richest states like Tamil Nadu or Karnataka by any yardstick. except for the gulf money which pales infront of the resources of neighbouring states like karnataka which attracts immense talent in all fields, missionaries were responsible for the backwardness of kerala inspite of their total presence in fields like health, education and administration of the state. also most corruption in the health, education and administrative sectors of kerala had a hand of missionaries and their followers. so to produce someone with a mission was not a priority but to amass wealth and being corrupt was promoted by the church and its followers.

for a missionary to be successful, he needs to reach to the people. jesus will never appeal to the psyche of india. because when you say jesus said this, the hindu will say these were the teachings of Budha diluted and presented crudely. it might look very soft to the people of west, but to indians jesus is still a crude person with no human touch. because there are many things which jesus spoke were like that of a corrupt politician. those were appropriate to the people of jerusalem and israel, but not here in india. because there is a vast difference in these two cultures. also bible and missionaries were entirely different from Jesus Christ. Hindus understood that at the very first instance. Bible did promote hatred. there is ample proof for it. missionaries themselves are the proof of it. they spoke against other faiths, ridicule other faith. no self respecting hindu will ever accept such a faith whose propogators insult them. During the 1950s Dr.Ambedkar embraced Budhism, for he knew that the semetic religions were the most dangerous to the unity of India. Today those fears were proved 100% true.

now to produce a missionary, is not a difficult thing. you become a missionary when you go out to the world to propogate your faith. places like africa, south america they succeeded because the people embraced christianity first through coersion and brutal force and later because most of their village or town follow the same faith. those priests who worked with them were credited with for increasing the number of the faithfuls. this thing did not happen in india, except in Kerala, Nagaland, Goa and parts of north east, nobody is intersted in Jesus christ and christianity. those who join are the poorest of poor whom the church can always ignore. for example, take Kolkatta...where Mother Teresa worked for decades. those for whom she worked are still in the same condition even today. not one has improved their living conditions even today. Where as you look at the Ramakrishna Mutt whose missions work, they are intersted in teaching people good things on how to live, how to take care of their surroundings and so on which are useful for daily livelihood. Ramakrishna Mutt's monks do not charge a fee for the work they do, where as the church imposes on its faithfuls strict sunday attendance and contributions. Church represents a cultural imbalance for the people of India and lacks human touch.

Reasons are many for not producing a missionary. and again these things have to be approved by vatican and other centres as missionary work. vatican today is convinced that even god cannot help them in converting the masses of india, china or some of the south east asia and japan to Christianity.

Answer 7

every person is either a missionary for Jesus or a missionary field. You dont have to travel the world to be a missionary-although I have Russia Israel etc.

how did these people come to believe-some believed and shared it with others =by acting as a missionary at home!

they are maintaining their beliefs as a minority in a country-that thank God isnt militant in their beliefs-yet protects itself from invaders-so it offered them a buffer to exist.

this is what brought me as a Jew to miracles and happiness-by prayer=yes and I have prayed and seen miracles to deliver me

and i think many people even without prayer know in their heart Jesus rescued them-even point in fact as in the salvation message for heaven too when we believe.

many life saving even from the dead are recorded the bible old testament is written to the Jewish people and an example to the believers in Jesus.

but as in my life too-there is still truth and error-truth from the word of God as Jesus says and yet still get demonic influence too some tell of near death experiences for going into the occult and other things apart from the bible-Look at Jim Jones-throwing down the bible as saying anyone that believes the paper God leave-and then going to the cool aid death deal and moving the followers to South America.

Jesus said if you add to my words you will have plagues=Revelation 22nd last chapter of the Bible

yet in coming to Jesus it has helped me get heavenly insights too to protect my life, yet there are deamons as Jesus says coming as creatures of 'light'=the greatest protection is prayer-and to be forwarned is to be forarmed.

there is a fine line here-if we are talking about the life

this is how I came to know the way=

Jesus said "I am the way the truth and the life, no one cometh unto the father but by me." John 14:6 some believe Jesus and others say they do and reject him.

this is what helped me see the issue clearly and know the Messiah as my best friend=faith/trust "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17

Jesus said heaven and earth will pass away but my word will never pass away. and if you add or take out of my word you will have plagues/your name taken out of the book of life=Revelation 22

God is God and can do anything-even manifest himself in the form of a man-as promised-Isaiah 53 "He will be rejected and lay down his life to make atonment for our sins."

His salvation his death redemption for us-while saying Jesus was without sin born from a virgin to live pure and die for our sins


Like love your enemies as you love yourself

He also said "If you have seen me you have seen the Father."

this is how I as a Jew came to know Jesus too=as promised Jesus is God and gives good peace & gives good advice = Isaiah 9:6
"Unto us a child will be born, a son given and he will be almighty God, the wonderful counselor, and the prince of peace.


this is what helped me to prepare for life and my future, and it works=Romans 1 tells it comes from unthankfulness and worshiping the created instead of the creator. But redemption/salvation to be new in heart with new thoughts is available=

in Jesus amazing grace that saved me=John 3 repented of sins and got born again

He said to us "I love you and knock on your heart door, if you repent and turn quickly to me, I will come into your heart door and be your friend, and you mine if you ask me in. Revelation 3:19&20

so I prayed and it workedHe is my Messiah now savior and best friend= "Jesus come into my heart, I am sorry for my sins (even one lie) help be do better and be my friend, amen.

prayin for you Romans 1:16 unashamed of the truth to care and share the gospel, David and keep lookin up and you will never be let down =
Shalom/Salam in the prince of Peace, help others to think about life and death -and the gospel in Jesus of the story heart to heart

Answer 8

THANKS GOD - ALLAH FOR SPREADING ISLAM IN KERELA STATE. THANKS GOD - ALLAH FOR MAKING THE TAJ MAHAL THE MOST RESPECTED LANDMARK IN INDIA - REMEMBER TAJ MAHAL WAS BUILT BY MUSLIM RULERS.