When St. Thomas (one of the original twelve apostles of Jesus Christ) preached the Gospel in South India, many of those who first believed were the “Dalits,” the outcasts or “untouchables” of India’s caste system. They were attracted of the story of the One who bring good news to the poor, recovery of sight to the blind, set free the oppressed and proclaimed the year of God’s favor.
Thomas was martyred in Madras in 52 AD (now Chennai) but the Gospel Seed that he planted has grown to one of the most vibrant trees of Christianity spreading out its branches all over India and the world. The Malabar Independent Syrian Church, the Syro-Catholic Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Mar Thoma Church and the Church of South India, among others.
My guest for this Podcast is the Rev. Dr. Joshua Samuel from the Church of South India (CSI) who came to the United States to obtain his Ph.D. in Theology at the Union Theological Seminary in New York and who currently serves as priest at the Church of Resurrection in Richmond Hills/Kew Gardens in the Diocese of Long Island. He is descended from the Dalits, became a Dalit Theologian and author of the book “Untouchables Bodies, Resistance and Liberation” published by Brill Publications and is available in Amazon
