Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and the Christian Ethos: A Socio-Theological Exploration

This close examination explores the multi-faceted and multi-dimensional engagement of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar with Christianity, tracing how India's greatest Dalit thinker was fascinated with Christian thinking, theology, and practice throughout his life. While Ambedkar's later conversion to Buddhism in 1956 is well documented, his abundant dialogue with Christianity, for more than thirty years, has been a long critically neglected aspect of his intellectual and spiritual itinerary. By close reading of Ambedkar's previously unpublished writings, private letters to Christian leaders, and public speeches, this article makes it clear how Christian theology and biblical stories influenced his thought on social justice, human dignity, and religious reform. In offering scholarship, Ambedkar's own "Assessment Apparatus" provides a lens for interpretation of his double admiration for Christianity's egalitarian ideals as well as fierce criticism of theological and organizational shortcomings. Special reference is given to his 1938 Sholapur address where he equated Christ with Buddha as great motivations, his voluminous correspondence on biblical interpretation, and his inadequately emphasized Christian applications of baptism. The article also explores how Ambedkar's theological hypotheses regarding Christianity impacted his articulation of Dalit liberation theology and vision of a casteless society. In locating Ambedkar's acceptance of Christianity within the larger intercolonial discussions of religion and social reform during colonial India, this study provides a worthwhile addition to an understanding of the transnational character of his ideas and the international origins of his anti-caste worldview.