Faith in the Age of Empire: Christian Doctrines in a Postcolonial Sensibility

Faith in the Age of Empire: Christian Doctrines in a Postcolonial Sensibility is a 2020 book by Y. T. Vinayaraj, published in New Delhi by the Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (ISPCK) and the Council for World Mission (CWM). It considers how Christian doctrines can be re-examined through a postcolonial sensibility.

Overview

The book examines the imperial dimensions of Christian doctrines and considers how Christian theology might be reshaped in response to colonial legacies. In the book’s introduction, as quoted in a review by Jione Havea, Vinayaraj describes its aim as de-imperialising Christian doctrines and developing a postcolonial spirituality attentive to colonised and displaced communities, relationality, planetary humanity and justice.

The discussion is directed particularly at the history of Christianity in India in relation to British colonial expansion. This summary follows the author’s stated purpose as quoted in the review and does not attempt to reconstruct arguments beyond the available sources.

Themes

A review in NCC Review identifies seven Christian doctrines that the book revisits through a postcolonial perspective:

  1. God
  2. Creation
  3. Humanity
  4. Christology
  5. Church
  6. Mission
  7. Eschatology

The review presents the book as an attempt to reconsider these doctrines in ways that resist colonial legacies and make space for postcolonial spirituality. It also highlights the book’s concern with faith, community, belonging and justice.

Publication details

References

  1. Havea, Jione. “Faith in Spite of Empires.” Book review of Y. T. Vinayaraj, Faith in the Age of Empire. NCC Review, October 2020, pp. 529-530. National Council of Churches in India (PDF).
  2. Vinayaraj, Y. T. Curriculum Vitae. Bibliographic listing of the book.
  3. Council for World Mission. CWM Publications List (PDF). Lists Faith in the Age of Empire by Y. T. Vinayaraj as published by ISPCK.

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