Living Water and Indian Bowl - by Swami Dayanand Bharati (Paperback)

About the Book

This is an insightful analysis based on personal experience of Christian work among Hindus and the error and inadequacy of Western Christianity in the Hindu world. Numerous anecdotes are the greatest strength of this important book.

Book Synopsis

An Analysis of Christian Failings in Communicating Christ to Hindus, with Suggestions Towards Improvements

Living Water and Indian Bowl delves into the complex dynamics of Christian evangelism in India, specifically focusing on the communication barriers between Christians and Hindus. Dayanand Bharati offers a thorough analysis of why Christian efforts have often fallen short in effectively conveying the message of Christ to the Hindu population.

The book begins with an exploration of the Hindu worldview, emphasizing the cultural, social, and religious intricacies that shape Hindu beliefs and practices. Bharati critiques the traditional Western approach to evangelism in India, which often neglects the significance of Hindu dharma and cultural identity. He argues that many Christian missionaries fail to understand the fundamental aspects of Hindu life, leading to a disconnect between the message of the Gospel and the lived experiences of Hindus.

This book is a call for a paradigm shift in Christian evangelism in India. It challenges readers to rethink their approach to communicating the Gospel, urging them to develop a deeper understanding of Hindu culture and to demonstrate the love and teachings of Christ through practical spirituality. This revised edition, tailored for an American audience, aims to foster greater cultural sensitivity and effectiveness in Christian missionary work in India.

Review Quotes

Swami Dayanand Bharati presents a Gospel witness in the cultural clothing of an Indian perspective. He poignantly probes contextually relevant witness of the Good News of Christ in communication modes relevant to non-western people groups in South Asia. He presents the transculural Good News in culturally understandable ways for the India of the 21st century and in doing so, he suggests indigenous contextualization issues for gospel witness with non-western unreached people groups. I commend this Indian scholar's work on Christian witness and missional praxis in India today.

-H. Stanley Wood, Ph.D., Center for New Church Development, Colombia Theological Seminary

About the Author

Swami Dayanand Bharati has been serving Christ for the past 25 years. As a teenager, he was drawn towards the ancient Indian ideal of sannyasa, the renunciation of normal social relations in the quest for the Eternal. In his 20's, as a salesman for a pharmaceutical company, weariness with the ways of the world caused him to talk again about renunciation. He decided to treat into the jungle, and a customer and friend unbeknownst to him was a follower of Christ, gave him the names and addresses of some friends of his, who were pioneers Indian missionaries working among a remote tribal people. From that encounter, Swami began his pilgrimage to and in Christ.