Abstract
John Rangiah was the first Indian Baptist missionary who came to Natal (today called KwaZulu-Natal). He was born in India in 1866 and died in 1915. He established the first Telugu Baptist Church on the African continent in Kearsney, Natal. In the corpus of South African Baptist mission literature, the contribution of John Rangiah is given very little attention. Although he is referenced by Baptist historians for his work amongst Indian Baptists, the impact of the Bible and Bible themes as well as his theology in South Africa have not been examined. This article provides insight into Rangiah�s early life and faith, and critically examines his understanding of the Bible and its themes, such as the Bible, prayer, salvation and eschatological hope. These themes will be critically examined from a conservative evangelical perspective and thereafter attempts to examine these using elements of post-colonial hermeneutics will be undertaken.
Highlights
Finette Jewett (1898:49) wrote about John Rangiah’s father’s eagerness to receive education at one of the schools established by the American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society
It is regrettable that South African Baptist historiography does not include Rangiah’s theology as it is important to do so because it provides insight into the ideas of other Christian leaders at that time and help us to understand the contributions of the church in the early 20th century in the KwaZulu-Natal region
I have examined Rangiah’s understanding of the Bible and Bible themes and how they impacted his ministry in Natal
Summary
The impact of the Bible and Bible themes on John Rangiah’s Ministry in South Africa. John Rangiah was the first Indian Baptist missionary who came to Natal (today called KwaZuluNatal). Mrs Lyman Jewett (1913:1–6) wrote an article in a journal, entitled “John Rangiah, The First Telugu Foreign Missionary”, in which she records the life of Rangiah whilst in India and his work in South Africa. She provides a background of Rangiah’s parents and their conversion to Christianity. It is regrettable that South African Baptist historiography does not include Rangiah’s theology as it is important to do so because it provides insight into the ideas of other Christian leaders at that time and help us to understand the contributions of the church in the early 20th century in the KwaZulu-Natal region. It helps us to understand the way Christians responded to colonialism and apartheid
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