Author Description

Recent immigrant Christians from India are changing the face of American Christianity. They introduce ancient Catholic Oriental rites, St. Thomas orthodoxy, the fruits of modern Protestant missions, and the outpouring of Pentecostal revivals. This book is the first comprehensive study of these Christians, their churches, and their adaptation. Professor Williams describes migration patterns since 1965 and the growth of Indian Christian churches in the United States. The role of Christian nurses in creating immigration opportunities for their families affects gender relations, transition of generations, interpretations of migration, Indian Christian family values, and types of leadership. Contemporary mobility and rapid communication create new transnational religious groups. Williams reveals some of the reverse effects on churches and institutions in India. He notes some successes and failures of mediating institutions in the United States - seminaries, denominational judicatories, ecumenical agencies, and interfaith organizations - in responding to new forms of Christianity brought by immigrants.