---
layout: default
title: "The Dalit Church's Mission — A Dalit Response"
permalink: /amaa/dalit-church-mission-dalit-response/
categories: [A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel, Publications]
description: "A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel's 1996 essay examining the relationship between Christian mission and Dalit liberation, the role of churches in economic, political, and religious empowerment, and debates concerning caste, conversion, Hindu reform, and Dalit dignity."
created: 2026-05-30
---

***The Dalit Church's Mission — A Dalit Response*** is an essay by [A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel](/amaa/), first published in *Indian Missiological Review*, Vol. 18, No. 3, September 1996. The essay examines the historical relationship between Christian missions and Dalit communities in India and reflects on what the mission of the Church should be in the contemporary context. Reviewing the history of missionary activity, the Dalit liberation movement, caste within Christian institutions, and debates surrounding religion and social justice, Ayrookuzhiel argues that Christian mission should extend beyond conversion and institution-building to include participation in the economic, political, and religious empowerment of Dalits. The essay also discusses Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's critique of caste and religious inequality, the limitations of conversion as a complete solution to Dalit marginalisation, and the significance of anti-caste religious movements in the struggle for dignity and liberation.

## Contents

1. [Overview](#overview)
2. [Dalits and the history of Christian mission](#history-of-mission)
3. [Christian missions before and after independence](#before-after-independence)
4. [Economic and political empowerment](#economic-political)
5. [Religious empowerment and Dalit dignity](#religious-empowerment)
6. [Ambedkar, Hinduism, and religious equality](#ambedkar)
7. [Conversion and competing paths to religious empowerment](#religious-paths)
8. [Dalit protest traditions and religious movements](#protest-movements)
9. [Ayrookuzhiel's vision of Christian ministry](#vision-of-ministry)
10. [Concluding perspective](#conclusion)
11. [Full text](#full-text)
12. [Publication](#publication)

## Overview {#overview}

A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel examines Christian mission from the perspective of Dalit experience and liberation. The essay argues that while Christian missions contributed to social change among Dalit communities through education, new religious identities, and occasional support for civil rights, missionary activity often remained focused on church-building rather than participation in a wider process of human liberation.

The essay therefore asks what mission should mean in a society where Dalits continue to experience economic, political, social, and religious discrimination despite constitutional guarantees of equality. Ayrookuzhiel proposes that the churches should participate more actively in struggles for justice and dignity while engaging seriously with questions of religious identity, caste, and social transformation.

## Dalits and the history of Christian mission {#history-of-mission}

Ayrookuzhiel begins by discussing the historical relationship between Christian missions and Dalit communities. He notes that a large proportion of Indian Christians originate from Dalit backgrounds and argues that any reflection on Christian mission in India must therefore take Dalit experience seriously.

According to the essay, early missionary activity provided Dalits with new forms of self-understanding, alternative religious symbols, educational opportunities, and limited social empowerment. Missionaries sometimes supported untouchables in resisting oppressive social practices and asserting civil rights. These developments contributed to large-scale Dalit participation in Christian communities.

At the same time, Ayrookuzhiel argues that the primary concern of many missions was the establishment of churches and Christian institutions rather than participation in a historical process of Dalit liberation. According to the essay, leadership positions within churches increasingly came to be occupied by caste Christian and non-Dalit groups, while institutional resources and opportunities intended for the uplift of Dalits often benefited others. This tension between church-building and liberation becomes one of the central themes of the essay.

## Christian missions before and after independence {#before-after-independence}

The essay examines Christian engagement with Dalit issues during both the colonial and post-independence periods. During the struggle for Indian independence, Ayrookuzhiel contrasts the nationalist movement led by Gandhi and the Congress with the movement associated with Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, which sought freedom not only from colonial rule but also from caste oppression.

Although some Christians supported nationalist causes and individual leaders engaged with Ambedkar, Ayrookuzhiel argues that the churches generally did not make Dalit liberation central to their mission. Competition among religious groups often focused on gaining the loyalty of Dalits rather than addressing the structural causes of their oppression.

The essay is also critical of post-independence church leadership. Ayrookuzhiel argues that caste remained influential within Christian institutions and that many church leaders failed to recognise how caste-based power structures continued to shape both society and religious life. He further suggests that churches often remained detached from the broader struggle for Dalit liberation and therefore misunderstood the mission demands of the contemporary situation.

## Economic and political empowerment {#economic-political}

A central theme of the essay is the continuing struggle of Dalits for economic and political empowerment. Ayrookuzhiel argues that the Dalit liberation movement, especially under the influence of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, sought transformation in economic, political, and religious spheres simultaneously.

The essay discusses continuing violence and discrimination against Dalits despite constitutional protections. Ayrookuzhiel points to recurring atrocities, unequal access to justice, and the persistence of local power structures that disadvantage Dalit communities. These realities are presented as evidence that the struggle for equality remains unfinished.

According to the essay, churches should regard participation in this struggle as an essential part of their mission. Ayrookuzhiel argues that Christian communities should publicly support movements seeking justice, dignity, and equal citizenship for Dalits rather than treating such concerns as separate from religious life.

## Religious empowerment and Dalit dignity {#religious-empowerment}

Ayrookuzhiel argues that economic and political progress alone cannot resolve the condition of Dalits because caste oppression has historically possessed a religious dimension. The essay therefore introduces the idea of religious empowerment as a necessary component of liberation.

The discussion focuses on the historical relationship between Dalit traditions and Brahmanical Hinduism. Ayrookuzhiel argues that many Dalit gods, shrines, myths, and ritual practices were absorbed into wider Hindu traditions while remaining subordinated within hierarchical structures that reflected social inequalities.

According to the essay, the abolition of untouchability and the extension of political rights did not automatically remove the religious stigma historically attached to Dalit communities. Questions of religious authority, dignity, and status therefore remain central concerns.

## Ambedkar, Hinduism, and religious equality {#ambedkar}

A substantial section of the essay examines Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's analysis of caste and religion. Ayrookuzhiel discusses Ambedkar's engagement with Hindu scriptures, social practices, and structures of religious authority, particularly Ambedkar's concern with questions of equality, fraternity, and human dignity.

The essay reproduces Ambedkar's critique of caste hierarchy and discusses his argument that Dalits could not easily secure religious equality within existing structures. Ambedkar's call for Dalits to leave Hinduism and his own conversion to Buddhism are presented as responses to these concerns.

Ayrookuzhiel treats Ambedkar's arguments as a major challenge that must be addressed in any serious discussion of Dalit religious identity and liberation.

## Conversion and competing paths to religious empowerment {#religious-paths}

The essay explores competing responses to the question of Dalit religious identity. Ayrookuzhiel discusses the position of Hindu reformers and leaders associated with Hindu renaissance movements who sought to incorporate Dalits more fully within Hindu society.

At the same time, he questions whether political inclusion necessarily produced genuine religious equality. The essay examines issues such as access to priesthood, temple administration, religious authority, and control over institutional resources.

Ayrookuzhiel also reflects on the limits of conversion as a complete solution. While acknowledging the historical importance of conversion to Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, and Buddhism, he argues that conversion alone did not always eliminate exclusion or resolve questions of collective identity and dignity. The essay therefore presents the issue as more complex than a simple choice between remaining within or leaving a religious tradition.

## Dalit protest traditions and religious movements {#protest-movements}

The essay highlights anti-caste religious traditions and protest movements associated with Dalit and lower-caste communities. Ayrookuzhiel discusses both historical and contemporary movements that challenged Brahmanical authority and sought alternative forms of religious identity.

Examples include saints, reformers, devotional movements, local traditions, and community-based religious practices that emphasised equality and rejected caste hierarchy. The essay notes that many of these traditions and movements developed under the influence of Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, Sikhism, and Christianity, while retaining distinctive local forms and practices.

Ayrookuzhiel argues that such movements deserve greater attention because they represent important expressions of Dalit religio-cultural experience, resistance, and self-assertion. The essay refers to traditions and figures such as Sat-Namis, Mahima Dharma, Narayana Guru, Poikayil Apachan, Ghasi Das, Kabir Panthis, Ravi Dasis, and Nandanar as examples of religious currents that challenged caste hierarchy in different ways.

## Ayrookuzhiel's vision of Christian ministry {#vision-of-ministry}

The concluding argument of the essay proposes a broader understanding of Christian mission. Ayrookuzhiel suggests that churches should participate actively in struggles for economic and political justice while also engaging questions of religious dignity, identity, and equality.

A distinctive feature of the essay is its proposal that dialogue and community-building with anti-caste and protest movements may itself constitute an authentic form of Christian ministry. Ayrookuzhiel argues that churches have often ignored such movements because they lacked the status associated with Brahmanical religion, despite their historical role in challenging caste hierarchy and affirming human dignity.

Rather than focusing exclusively on conversion or institutional expansion, the essay proposes a form of mission that participates in wider processes of social transformation and supports movements seeking justice, equality, and liberation.

## Concluding perspective {#conclusion}

A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel concludes that caste cannot be overcome solely through internal reforms within church institutions or through individual acts of conversion. The problem is rooted in wider social, political, economic, and religious structures that require historical transformation.

The essay therefore calls for a mission that combines commitment to social justice with engagement in questions of religious identity and human dignity. By participating in both the material and cultural dimensions of Dalit liberation, Ayrookuzhiel argues, churches can contribute more effectively to the creation of a more equal and humane society.

## Full text

{% include main-article.html link="/amaa/dalit-church-mission-dalit-response-full-text/" title="Full Text: The Dalit Church's Mission — A Dalit Response" %}

## Publication

This essay first appeared in *Indian Missiological Review*, Vol. 18, No. 3, September 1996.

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