Religious Authority and Participatory Social Action in Indian Networks

Abstract

Since the late 2000s, the religious landscape in India has witnessed a marked shift with several religious bodies adopting and adapting to an online mode of worship. Digital platforms have allowed churches to not only foster immersive religious participation but also to redefine the notion of “congregating.” Churches have incorporated intensive technocentric modes—such as Zoom call prayers, online Bible studies, virtual confessions, faith tweets, meme ministry, devotional Insta stories, and more—to sustain their sociocultural fabric in a digital India. This chapter explores the negotiations and participations that have emerged in India’s growing digital religious environment. While in the initial days, religious authorities struggled to navigate the digital matrix of religion: today, they seem to be moving toward a symbiotic exchange, a transition that has encouraged more emphatic participation from the Indian Christian networks.