Christ in India

by Bede Griffiths

Book by Griffiths, Bede

Genres: Religion

250 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1984

About the author

Bede Griffiths (1906-1993), born Alan Richard Griffiths and also known as Swami Dayananda (Bliss of Compassion), was a British-born Benedictine monk who lived in ashrams in South India. He was born at Walton-on-Thames, England and studied literature at Magdalen College, Oxford under professor and Christian apologist C. S. Lewis, who became a lifelong friend. Griffiths recounts the story of his conversion in 1931 to Roman Catholicism while a student at Oxford in his autobiography The Golden String.

Although he remained a Catholic monk he adopted the trappings of Hindu monastic life and entered into dialogue with Hinduism.

Griffiths was a proponent of integral thought, which attempts to harmonize scientific and spiritual world views. In a 1983 interview he stated,

"We're now being challenged to create a theology which would use the findings of modern science and eastern mysticism which, as you know, coincide so much, and to evolve from that a new theology which would be much more adequate."

Reviews

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing insights to the contributions of the great religions of the world to an understanding of God. Griffiths' suggestions for a meeting of East and West is one that deserves serious consideration. Only through this meeting of Christianity and the great religions can a new and effective religious approach be found.
Griffiths addresses the reasons behind the failure of Christianity in the East to make any effective inroads due to the fact that it is perceived as an imported Western religion.
Many will find this approach disturbing as it is a departure from the orthodox thinking of the past. This disturbance will pass because, as we will discover, that this approach is still a faithful way but new way of continuing to live out the Gospel.

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do believe that all people who seriously consider Griffith’s thoughts, then all churches would look for the common grounds and together we would make greater progress in understanding Ultimate Reality.