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The Arcot Lutheran Church, founded
by the Danish Missionary Society in 1864, was formerly
known as the Danish Mission Church. The name
of the church was changed in 1949. Their first station
was at Melpattambakkam in South Arcot District.
In Madras it came into existence in the last quarter
of the 19th century. The Danish Missionaries registered
their Mission as a society under the Societies Registration
Act of 1860 and it is presently governed by the
Tamilnadu Societies Registration Act of 1975.That
is its legal status. While it has adopted Episcopal
system for church governance, the secular Act provides
a democratic frame-work for its functioning. Thus
the Constitution of this Church is a balanced combination
of Episcopal and democratic principles. This church,
born on the principle of casteless church, has a
history behind it.
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Policy of the DMS towards Casteism
in Church: Mission for All and Casteless Church
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The issue of casteism
in church - caste practices and caste distinctions
- was tormenting the Danish Missionary Society
very much with Danish Missionaries themselves
divided over it. In this situation, the Home
Board of the Danish Missionary Society came
out with a policy statement, revolutionary
in nature, on the avoidance of discrimination
based on caste in Church service. It outlined
three principles:(1) that only one chalice
must be used at the Lord's table, not a separate
one for caste converts;(2) that no special
seats in the Church should be reserved for
them and (3) that no mission worker should
refuse to officiate or do an act of love out
of caste consideration. In fact the DMS held
the view that it was not right to maintain
that the mission should be either an Adi Dravida
mission or a caste mission. It was not a matter
of "either - or " but of "both
- and ". Thus the DMS from the beginning
stood for a policy of 'Mission for All'.
There were however a few missionaries who
doubted the wisdom of prescribing fixed rules
in these matters. They considered that some
of the customs connected with the caste system
were not religious. One of them was Rev.Herman
Jensen (1842-1909) who was working in Ranipet.
He held the view that it was a mistake to
work almost exclusively among the Adi Dravidas
and he wanted to work in bigger towns and
cities where European influence had broken
down some of the caste prejudices and the
idolatrous superstitions.
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The Birth of an ALC Congregation
in Madras
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In 1878 Rev. Herman Jensen learnt
about the immense possibilities for a mission among
the Kammala caste people in Madras. The Kammalars
were mostly craftsmen, goldsmith, coppersmith, masons,
etc. It must be mentioned here that though the congregation
created by the Danish Missionaries mostly consisted
of people belonging to the suppressed classes, they
always had the desire to establish caste congregations.
Rev. Hermen Jensen who dreamt of establishing independent
congregations of caste converts began work in Madras
in 1878.Well versed in Tamil, he had studied Hindu
Scriptures and Tamil proverbs, and used them when
preaching. The Cross and Resurrection of Christ
was the center of his message to the Hindus (while
most others dwelt on sin and grace). To his great
disillusionment, he found that there would not be
any quick way to the building up of caste congregations.
His work among the Kammalars resulted in only few
baptisms. However some people of other castes became
Christians. He was thus able to establish a small
caste congregation in Madras, though that congregation
was not more economically independent than the Adi
Dravida congregations of the Danish Missionary Society.
Jensen continued his work in Madras till 1897.In
1888 he bought a house in Rundall's Road, Vepery,
in a 25 ground plot where today two big hostels
have been erected; one for working women and another
one for girl students.
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Modus of Work and
the Hindu opposition
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The work of the Danish Missionaries
in Madras was mainly done in Black Town (later renamed
George Town in 1906) presently Broadway area. Sunday
service was held in those premises where the Arcot
Lutheran Church stands today. In 1887 street preaching
commenced, but it invited a lot of resentment and
opposition from the local Hindu population. Hindu
Tract Society was established to counter Christian
preachings.
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