Conclusion

The conclusion provides an overview of what the Mar Thoma case teaches us regarding the types of changes globalization is bringing about in Christian immigrant communities in the United States, and in Christian churches in the Global South. It examines the impact of transnationalism on the Mar Thoma American denomination and community, specifically how the Kerala background of the community and the history of the church in Kerala impact the immigrant church. It also looks at how contemporary shifts in the understanding and practice of religion and ethnicity in Western societies impact immigrant communities and churches in the United States, the incorporation of immigrants of Christian backgrounds into American society, and evangelical Christianity in America. Finally, it discusses how large-scale out-migration and the global networks facilitated by international migrants affect Christianity in the Global South. The chapter concludes with an overview of how religious traditions are changed through global movement.

Religion, Social Incorporation, and Civic Engagement among Generations

Chapter 5 shows how negotiations and disagreements between generations shape the civic engagement of Mar Thoma American congregations in the United States and India. Recent studies have demonstrated that participation in religious institutions facilitates the civic incorporation of contemporary immigrants. These studies have focused on either the immigrant generation or on the second generation. In one way or another, these studies indicate that concepts of identity and of religious obligation play an important role in motivating civic participation. Not surprisingly, given the different models of religion of immigrants and their children, definitions of community and their perceived Christian obligations toward this community varied between first- and second-generation Mar Thomites. There are no academic studies that examine how intergenerational differences in the understanding of religious and racial identity affect the civic engagement of multigenerational congregations. This is important to understand, however, as most religious institutions of contemporary immigrants are multigenerational.

Class, Culture, and the Performance of Gendered Christianity

Gender norms were another source of tension. First- and second-generation Mar Thoma Americans had divergent ideas about the obligations and behavior of Christian men and women in church, and the gender norms and behavior of professionally educated immigrants also differed from those of less well-educated members. Changes in gender roles and class position as a result of the migration and settlement often roused gender insecurities that were manifested within the arena of the church. Chapter 4 focuses on how three groups within the Mar Thoma church: immigrant nurses, who were often the primary income earners in their families, and their husbands; professionally educated immigrant men, who were generally the primary income earners, and their wives; and well-employed second-generation women and men influenced by American evangelicalism, performed gender and normative Christian identities in very different ways in church, leading to some tension between the groups.

The Role of the Church in Migration and Settlement

Chapter 2 provides information about the Mar Thoma church in contemporary India and its role in the lives of members. It then moves into a detailed discussion of how church networks facilitated the migration from Kerala to the United States, the settlement of the Mar Thoma members in various parts of the country, and their adaptation to their new contexts. Issues dealing with gender relations and intergenerational relations are analyzed, as well as the dilemmas and issues that developed as Mar Thoma parishes were set up around the country. This chapter examines how being part of the church community shaped the experiences of the second generation at home, in school and college, as well as around marriage. The challenges faced by pastors from India relating to American youth and how the church has tried to make changes in its functioning to respond to the needs of its American-born members are also described.

Coupling versus Decoupling Religion and Ethnicity in the First and Second Generations

First- and second-generation Mar Thoma Americans had very different understandings about the meaning of being Christian. Religion and ethnicity also played different roles in their lives. Chapter 3 focuses particularly on the intergenerational cleavages that developed due to the divergent models of religion that the two generations espouse. The different models of religion meant that immigrants and their children had very different ideas about the role of the church, Christian worship, and evangelism, with the result that the two groups were often at odds both in the church and at home on the subject of religion. This chapter examines some of these differences and their implications for the Mar Thoma church.

Syrian Christian Encounters with Colonial Missionaries and Indian Nationalism

This chapter presents the complex history of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian denomination, which is essential to understanding many of the contemporary features of the church. Early Syrian Christians in Kerala considered themselves to be “Hindu in culture, Christian in religion, and Oriental in worship.” The chapter draws on archival and secondary research to examine how Syrian Christians were viewed and treated very differently by Portuguese Catholic and British Protestant missionaries during the colonial period and how their self-understanding, practices, and communities were fundamentally transformed by these encounters. It discusses the factors that led the leaders of the church to initiate a reformation of the liturgy and practices of the church and break away from Syrian Orthodox leadership and control to form a separate and autonomous Indian denomination in 1889. It also examines the influence of Indian nationalism and the Indian independence struggle on the church.

Introduction

This chapter discusses the differences in the models of Christianity embraced by first- and second-generation Indian Americans, and the influence of American evangelicalism and megachurches on the second generation. It examines the struggles and dilemmas of Mar Thoma Christians in the process of establishing themselves and their church in the North American context. Theoretical frameworks of religion in motion and religion and immigrant incorporation which are used in the book are explained. The chapter also provides a quick background to the Mar Thoma church and its history, as well as the global out-migration from Kerala state in India. The multisited research design is described. It concludes with an overview of the plan of the book and brief chapter summaries.

International Migration and Its Impact on the Mar Thoma Denomination

There is currently little literature on how religious institutions are influenced by the international migration of its members, in other words, how the transnationalization of a religious organization is felt and practiced on the ground. Chapter 6 examines how and why the international migration of Mar Thomites, particularly to the United States, has brought about multifaceted changes in the home church and the home communities in Kerala. Some of these impacts were due to the leadership having to accommodate the needs of its international membership, whereas others were the unintended consequence of the church developing the infrastructure to manage and use the inflow of remittances. Yet other consequences were due to larger transformations in Kerala society caused by migration and rapid social change. The chapter also examines the theoretical and practical implications of these changes.