A Promise of Unconditional Acceptance: Conversion to Christianity and the struggle for being in Sinja, Nepal

Abstract

The presence of Christianity in Nepal can be traced back to the eighteenth century. It is only from the 1950s onwards, however, when the country formally opened its borders after about two centuries of self-declared isolation, that Christianity started having a significant impact on Nepali society. Ever since then, Nepali Christian congregationsthe vast majority of which are Pentecostal/charismatic -have grown at an extraordinary rate, flourishing over the last few decades even in remote areas such as the Sinja Valley, in the north-western district of Jumla. 1 The reason for this astounding progression appears to be related to the unprecedented political and social changes that followed the civil war -a climate of widespread instability and uncertainty that

Growing up Christian and Nepali: negotiating belonging through music inside and outside the Church in Nepal

“…In that talk, Whelpton first outlined the early presence of Christianity in Nepal with Jesuits passing through in the 17th century as they went to and from Tibet, then the Capuchin missionary presence in the courts of the Malla rulers in Kathmandu Valley in the 18th century and their subsequent expulsion from Nepal after Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered the valley. But then Whelpton posited that three foreign missions organisations were the primary reason for Christianity's growth in Nepal after 11 Whelpton suggested that foreign missionary activity accounts for the growth of Christianity in Nepal, 11 but other Western scholars have observed that Nepalis from across the social spectrum have converted with very little foreign contact (Fricke 2008: 37-38;Gibson 2017Gibson , 2019Poletti 2021Poletti , 2022. Recent societal changes may have made conversion appealing (Leve 2014;Gibson 2019: 55), but these scholars have noticed that Nepalis convert for existential reasons (Poletti 2021) and to resolve existing relational crises (Gibson 2019).…”

“…But then Whelpton posited that three foreign missions organisations were the primary reason for Christianity's growth in Nepal after 11 Whelpton suggested that foreign missionary activity accounts for the growth of Christianity in Nepal, 11 but other Western scholars have observed that Nepalis from across the social spectrum have converted with very little foreign contact (Fricke 2008: 37-38;Gibson 2017Gibson , 2019Poletti 2021Poletti , 2022. Recent societal changes may have made conversion appealing (Leve 2014;Gibson 2019: 55), but these scholars have noticed that Nepalis convert for existential reasons (Poletti 2021) and to resolve existing relational crises (Gibson 2019). Through their conversion stories, or gavaahi (N witness or testimony), Christian Nepalis highlight themes of inner peace followed by healing and freedom, even if physical manifestations of that healing are not immediate (Gibson 2017a, Poletti 2022 or circumstances are slow to change.…”