How would you like to be called “other backward caste?”  Insulting?  Degrading?  Worthy of a slander lawsuit?  And yet that is exactly what over half a billion (that is 600,000,000) people are called for their whole life.  How would you like to be referred to as “backward.”  Today’s post is written by Sunil Sardar, who leads Truthseekers International, an organization seeking to speak truth into the volatile caste environment of India.

There are many names in this country for the thousands of castes that collectively make up India’s Other Backward Castes (OBCs).  In the brahminical stories, they are the strong, brainless monkeys (Hanuman) who are in service to the wily brahman king Rama. The brahman priests themselves call OBCs Shudras, meaning slaves. Most people refer to them merely by their occupation. The government designates them as backward.  However, no matter which name is used, OBCs have for 3000 years been portrayed in pictures as black, ugly humans deservedly killed by white, beautiful goddesses.

Who are the OBCs, really? The OBCs are the toiling majority of India, the working poor upon whose backs India’s upper castes and upwardly mobile people are establishing global fame and amazing economic growth.

Not only are OBCs the poor of India, though. They are also people made in the image of the Most High God, but no one has ever told them this wonderful news. Rather, they have been trapped in the caste system, and falsely divided into thousands of castes for over 3000 years. For the sake of maintaining their own political, social, and economic power in this nation, India’s upper castes have misrepresented who the OBCs are to the world, and to you, too. However, the good news is that despite their oppressed status and being misrepresented, they are NOT without hope.

Did you know that OBCs are historically monotheistic? Most OBCs follow the One True God for Whom There is no Idol, and they call Him Mahadeva.  If you were to engage the rural OBCs in a discussion about their religious practices, you would find that only two or three generations ago most of the people in OBC villages were monotheists, and that they have only relatively recently been persuaded by brahman priests that they should follow the brahminical gods and traditions. You would find that old OBC traditions and religious practices often point clearly to belief in a god who is very similar to the God of the Bible.

Here is something else you probably don’t know: OBCs are looking, not for the return of King Rama, who has a discriminatory kingdom, but for Baliraja, the good King. This is most obvious during the celebration of Diwali. While Brahminical households make a pastry figure of Bali and crush him under their feet, cursing him and his kingdom, OBCs light a lamp and implore, “Let the Kingdom of Bali come and let the misery be gone!” In other words, OBCs are looking for a Messiah to rescue them, but the high castes are cursing the OBC’s longed-for king.

OBC beliefs and culture are not what you’ve been taught. If Jesus is to be followed by the majority population of India, it is very important that all of us who follow Jesus understand India’s OBCs are not the people we’ve been led to believe they are. I believe India’s OBCs are, in fact, the other sheep Jesus spoke of in John 10:16. Their god is actually very much like ours. They also believe that God works with His hands, wipes away tears, and gives eternal life.

From what I have learned in my travels and conversations, India’s OBCs are very close to the Kingdom. We’ve got to understand who they are and speak to their heart’s longing for respect, dignity and love. They long for a Messiah, just like we long for our Messiah to come again. May India’s OBCs, “the other sheep,” discover their true Shepherd!

Summer Interns at Grace are a very special groupNot only to they contribute mightily during their summer here, but they go on to do amazing things.  Of the 110 interns since 2001, More than 1/3 are in vocational ministry…the rest are still college students, are in graduate school, are staff here at Grace, are overseas missionaries, or are committed volunteers working in the world.   All of them are part of our legacy here at Grace.

Welcome to our four Interns who recently started with us this summer.

Amber, Kendra, Trey & Janelle

Here is a story that comes from a former Summer Intern, Joe Reed. Joe and his family are serving in South Africa and recently participated in a conversation called Amahoro.  (It is interesting to note that Nairobi Chapel, one of our three strategic partners, sent two representatives to participate in this conversation.  And Remember, South Africa is where our strategic partner Loving South Africa is focusing their efforts).

Here is an excerpt from a recent blog post of Joe’s.  What an amazing story of reconciliation!  We are so proud of Joe and all our interns! Enjoy:

This past week, we attended a continent wide conference called “Amahoro”.  It’s a word that holds the same meaning as “Shalom”.  In parts of Africa, you would greet someone with this word repeatedly until you feel the connection with them.  It’s quite a beautiful thing to read, but to experience amahoro… I may begin using this word in my speech more often.  I’ve been quite overtaken by the significance of it.

Once upon a time, a man named Adriaan Vlok (pronounced Flok) was the minister of the police in South Africa.  In his brigade was a fiery young officer named Sean.  Mr. Flok instituted a great number of raids against black people.  There were bombs set off in buildings, raids on people’s homes, people hunted down by the police (of which the young Sean was part of).  At the end of Apartheid, Sean found himself dealing with serious post-traumatic stress disorder.  The counselors told him he needed to stop carrying the weight of what happened solely on his shoulders and find someone to place that blame on.  He blamed Mr. Vlok.

“Whenever I would swear, I would never use a swear word, Mr. Vlok.  I would use your name.”

Three years ago, Mr. Vlok met Jesus.  Things changed.

I believe that Jesus changed the heart of this once cold heartless man because he sought reconciliation. He went to find people he had hurt and not only asked for forgiveness for what he had done, but asked if they would be willing to let him wash their feet (literally).  He has made a life of reconciling his past.  Confessing his sins to those whom he sinned against.  Many would say that’s not necessary if Jesus forgave him of his sins.  I think the way of Mr. Vlok’s journey is a much deeper experience of salvation though.  He is bringing healing to countless others in his experience of the resurrection power of Jesus.

“I’m so sorry that I caused you this pain.  I think this pain you’ve been experiencing for the last 15 years needs to end now.  Sean, first, can you forgive me?  Second, can I please please wash your feet?”

With tears in his eyes, Sean responded.  The sins of the generation were broken… right in front of my eyes.  Countless Afrikaaners in the room were in tears as they were given words for pain they had been feeling as well.  Hope was extended for a wholistic reconciliation of South Africa.  It wasn’t just racial reconciliation.  It’s generational reconciliation, gender reconciliation, economic reconciliation… it’s the reconciliation of all things that MUST happen in South Africa.  It’s the wholistic reconciliation that I believe is precisely what God has in mind for ALL of his creation… Americans, Congolise, Kenyans, British, etc…

Let’s imagine that you’re driving on one of the beautifully paved roads in the rolling hills around Durban, South Africa.  Really, the roads are so much better than the pot-hole encrusted things we call roads in Indiana.  You’ve got your handy dandy GPS to guide you.  Turn right, stay in the left lane, 2.4 more miles to the T.  You’re on your way to find a small orphanage in the Valley of 1000 Hills just West of Durban.

Imagine your complete surprise when all of the sudden your GPS turns black.  Zippo, nada, blank screen.  The road is still there ahead of you.  But which way do you turn?  Why is it not working?  What happened?

Oh, I forgot to tell you.  GPS doesn’t work in the townships in South Africa.  Apparently they still don’t officially exist.  100,000 people may live there, or more.  Roads, schools, houses, businesses.  But the people don’t matter enough to be mapped, at least not for the kind of people who use GPS.

South African Township

Townships are the unofficial “suburbs” outside of large metro cities in South Africa where the minority white South African government moved the vast majority of the black population during apartheid.  Apartheid may be history, but the townships still exist.  Well, not officially according to GPS.

We were in several of the townships on our trip with Loving South Africa September, 2008.  And we did find the orphanage.  I’ll tell you about Russell, the remarkable young man we met in my next post.