Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS)

The Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS) is an ecumenical research centre focused on the study of religion and its interaction with public life in India. Its work examines how belief systems, social structures and political processes shape one another, particularly in the areas of caste, democracy, inter-faith relations and marginalised communities. The Institute was founded in 1957 in Bengaluru with support from the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI).

History

CISRS was established in the context of post-Independence India, when several Christian scholars argued for a research institution that could analyse the country’s social and religious changes. The Institute began operations in 1957 at 73, Miller’s Road, Bengaluru, a location it continues to occupy.

The intellectual history of CISRS reaches back further. According to Y. T. Vinayaraj, discussions that contributed to its formation can be traced to the 1938 Tambaram Missionary Conference and to M. M. Thomas’s 1943 paper, “Social Manifesto of the Church”. In 1953, M. M. Thomas, P. D. Devanandan, R. B. Manickam and others established the Christian Institute of the Study of Society (CISS), which developed into CISRS in 1957. P. D. Devanandan became the institution’s inaugural director. This earlier CISS history may also help explain why CISRS’s published list of directors begins with Devanandan in 1953.

Academic sources from the 1960s and 1990s acknowledge CISRS as one of the early organisations working at the intersection of religion and society in India. Some studies describe it as a Protestant initiative aimed at understanding how Christian thought relates to India’s social and political environment.

Individuals involved in the founding included M. M. Thomas, P. D. Devanandan, R. B. Manickam, R. W. Scott, Chandran Devanesan, C. S. Paul, C. T. Kurien, A. K. Thampy, Leonardo Schiff, Winburn T. Thouburn, E. V. Mathew and Russel Chandran. A second unit, the South Asian Study and Research Centre in New Delhi, was later established for programmes and publications.

In its early period CISRS conducted studies on renascent Hindu movements and issues related to religious pluralism. During the 1970s, its work included responses to the political conditions surrounding the Emergency, with a focus on questions of citizenship and the role of the State. From the 1980s onwards, its research expanded to issues involving caste, gender and the experiences of Dalit and Adivasi communities.

Objectives and Ideology

CISRS aims to provide research and analysis on religion and society in India. Its stated objectives include:

Over time, commentators have described the Institute’s work as moving towards what has been called a “secular theology of religions”, an approach that treats religion as a social and political force rather than focusing solely on doctrinal or devotional concerns. This shift allowed CISRS research to engage with caste discrimination, patriarchy, communal tensions and development policy.

The Institute has also described its work in terms of Christian participation in nation-building and responsible theological thinking in response to socio-political issues. Its historical account connects this work with the development of Indian Christian social thought.

Inter-Faith Dialogue

Scholars associated with CISRS, including P. D. Devanandan, examined the development of modern Hindu movements and emerging religious trends in India. The Institute’s work in this area emphasised engagement based on shared civic concerns instead of doctrinal comparisons. This approach influenced what later came to be termed the “dialogue of life”, focusing on everyday coexistence between communities.

CISRS’s interreligious work also contributed to the development of Indian Christian theological approaches. The 2026 anniversary reflection by Y. T. Vinayaraj identifies works by Raimon Panikkar, P. D. Devanandan and M. M. Thomas as examples of this wider engagement with Indian religious and cultural traditions.

Dalit Theology and Caste Studies

CISRS contributed to early research on caste within Christian and non-Christian contexts. Studies by researchers such as A. M. A. Ayrookuzhiel examined folk practices, oral traditions and forms of cultural resistance found among Dalit communities. Independent theological literature identifies CISRS as one of several institutions involved in discussions that eventually shaped Dalit Theology.

The Institute’s own account also identifies P. D. Devanandan and M. M. Thomas with early studies of subaltern and counter-religious movements, and notes Abraham Ayrookuzhiel’s work on popular religions. It further identifies Nirmal Minz’s documentation of tribal awakening and CISRS initiatives connected with Womanist and Dalit movements.

Gender and Women’s Rights

Through programmes such as the Joint Women’s Programme (JWP), CISRS engaged with questions relating to women’s rights, family law and leadership in Christian contexts. Seminars, publications and collaborative research addressed the social and legal issues faced by women across denominations.

Political Theology and Social Transformation

In the 1970s and 1980s CISRS was active in discussions on political theology, notably under the influence of M. M. Thomas. Its research during this period examined themes such as human rights, democratic participation and the ethical responsibilities of the State. Later surveys of Indian Christian thought identify this phase as one that shaped broader debates on the social role of religion.

During the Emergency, CISRS became involved with progressive social movements and developed what its own historical account describes as a shift “from evangelization to social action”. The Institute connected this work with a theology of the responsible state and with solidarity with marginalised communities.

From the 1990s onwards, CISRS continued discussions concerning development policy and the position of marginalised communities. Its recent institutional history describes this work as an effort to question monolithic approaches to development and to support the articulation of marginalised people’s concerns.

Notable Personalities

These names represent only a portion of those associated with the Institute’s work.

Directors

The directors of CISRS, as listed by the Institute, have included:

  1. P. D. Devanandan (1953–1962)
  2. M. M. Thomas (1962–1976)
  3. Prof. Saral K. Chatterji (1976–2002)
  4. Godwin Shiri (2002–2008)
  5. Vincent Rajkumar (2008–2021)
  6. Y. T. Vinayaraj (2021–present)

The dates above are based on the list of directors published by CISRS on its official website.

Publications

CISRS produces books, study papers and reports in the fields of religion and society. Its journal, Religion and Society, dates to the early 1950s and continues to publish articles on religious, social and political developments in India.

The Institute’s publishing work has also included the newsletter The New Guardian. Its publishing programme has been closely connected with its changing intellectual concerns, including interfaith dialogue, social action and engagement with marginalised communities.

CISRS has also preserved and republished older material. In 2022, it republished M. M. Thomas’s writings from the period of the Emergency as Response to Tyranny: Writings Between July 1975 and February 1977, originally published in 1979. The 2026 anniversary article also points to Religion & Society, Vol. 72, No. 2 (April 2026), for discussion of its contemporary theological concerns.

Organisation and Centres

The Institute is registered under the Karnataka Societies Registration Act. Its principal office is located at Miller’s Road, Bengaluru. The South Asian Study and Research Centre in New Delhi serves as an additional office and programme centre.

Strategic Reorientation in 2026

In a reflection published in May 2026 for the Institute’s 70th anniversary, director Y. T. Vinayaraj proposed a further reorientation of CISRS’s theological and social thought. He argued for greater attention to the agency of marginalised communities and to the ecological crisis, and connected these concerns with a movement from liberation theology towards a broader political theology of common belonging.

Vinayaraj also called for renewed engagement with religious traditions as ethical resources and for forms of democratic and political thought responsive to majoritarianism and political exclusion. These proposals represent the contemporary perspective of the Institute’s director and should be distinguished from the historical description of CISRS’s earlier work.

Legacy

Academic surveys over several decades have noted CISRS as one of the institutions engaged in studying religion in relation to Indian society. Its work is referenced in discussions on caste, inter-faith relations, political theology and contextual theology in India.

CISRS’s own history describes the Institute as a research arm of Indian churches and a think tank of Asian churches, while emphasising its continuing role in study, research and theological reflection on social issues.

References

  1. History, Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS), accessed 22 September 2026.
  2. Subaltern Concerns and Studies, Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS), accessed 22 September 2026.
  3. 70th Anniversary of CISRS: A Strategic Reorientation on the Horizon, Parallax CISRS, 17 May 2026, accessed 22 September 2026.
  4. Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS), Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS), accessed 22 September 2026.
  5. H. Coward, “The Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society,” Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies, 1993.
  6. G. Oommen, “The Emerging Dalit Theology: A Historical Appraisal,” Religion Online.

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