KALI CHARAN BANERJEE
Introduction
Kali Charan Banerjee of Bengal was a lawyer a nationalist, and a prominent Christian figure in
the late 19th century.1 He was the founder of the Calcutta christo Samaj the aim of the Calcutta
christo Samaj i.e., to gather all Indian Christians into one self-supporting and self-governing
church. In this paper an attempt had been made to look at the life and contribution of K. C
Banerjee.
K. C. Banerjee’s Life
He was born in 1845 as the son of a Bengali Kulin Brahmin and around 1858 he entered
Alexander Duff’s college under the influence of the teaching here, but mainly because of a
fellow student he became a Christian in 1864. In 1870 he passed the bachelor of Law
examination taught for some years in the Duff’s college and then became a practicing lawyer. 2
He joined the Indian national Congress soon after its formation took a large part in its activities
and became a member of the legislative council in 1887.3
The Indian Christian Herald
In 1870 K. C. Banerjee started the Bengali Christian Herald later called the Indian Christian
Herald. The very first issue of this paper made an astounding statement: “in having become
Christians, we have not ceased to be Hindus. We are Hindu Christian as thoroughly Hindu as
Christian. We have embraced Christianity but we have not discarded our nationality.” To the
radical native converts the term Hindu implied nationality and not Hindu-religion as often has
been construed.4 This national spirit was proved by several articles which demanded
independence for the church in Bengal or which argued for Hindu customs to be retained or
modified for use in the Christian worship.5
The Bengali Christian Conference
In 1877 K. C. Banerjee and J. G. Shome Organized the Bengali Christian conference and used its
meeting to present their programme they criticized the missionaries for denationalizing Indian
Christians and making them into compound Christians and for having transferred the theological
and ecclesiastical difference of the west to India, thereby dividing the Indian Christians into
numerous denominations. They also demanded indigenous forms of worship.6
The Calcutta Christo Samaj
In 1887 Benerjee and Shome left their churches to form what they called the Calcutta christo
Samaj. As the name suggest it was to be Christian parallel to the Brahmo Samaj and was
organized in a similar way. Its purpose was the propagation of Christian truth and promotion of
Christian union and it was the hope of the founders to gather all Indian Christians within it
1
O. L. Snaitang, A History of Ecumenical Movement (Bangalore: SATHRI, 2007) 224.
2
Kaj Baago, Pioneers of Indigenous Christianity (Bangalore: CISRS, 1969) 3.
3
R. W. Brayan, Great Christians: Commemorated by the Indian church (Delhi: ISPCK, 1997) 17.
4
Chatterjee S. K, “Pioneers of Indigenity in Bengal”, in Christianity is Indian: The Emergence of an Indigenous
Community ed. Roger E. Hedlund. (DelHi: ISPCK, 2000) 192.
5
Kaj Baago, Op. cit., 4.
6
I bid.,
1
thereby eliminating the denominations. Its confession was the apostle’s creed only which they
thought provide the broadest basis possible.
The members met weekly in a private home (usually Banerjee’s) for common worship led by
members in turn both men and women (Banerjea was an ardent supporter of the right for women
to preach and to minister in the churches) no pastor was elected and there was to be no
distinctive between clergy and laity.
Understanding of Christian community
He distinguished between what he termed as substantive and adjective Christianity. 7 The former
had reference to the basic tenets of the Christian faith. That were eternal and the latter included
structural order and confessions. Banerjee gave more importance to the former not just for the
eternal values but mainly for commonality and solidifying power of the Christian community
alike.
The Progress Of Christo Samaj
However, the christo Samaj never became what its founder had hoped it met with opposition
from the missionaries.8 Who feared a split among Indian Christians and that they might lose the
educated members of their different churches to the samaj. Their arguments were that the
problem of the disunity in the church could never be solved by making a new denomination and
that it was impossible to wipe out eighteen hundred years of church history and start over again
from the apostle’s creed. After seven years of existence christo samaj was finally dissolved in
1894. The christo samaj had little or no impact on the vast Hindu population but were confined
in influence to a selected few’.9
Conclusion
We need to appreciate K. C. Banerjee for his leadership both in the secular sphere and his
concern for the self-identity of the Indian church his dream of the indigenous church was
realized in the twentieth century by the formation of CSI and CNI.
Bibliography
Baago, Kaj. Pioneers of Indigenous Christianity. Bangalore: CISRS, 1969.
Brayan, R. W. Great Christians: Commemorated by the Indian church. Delhi: ISPCK, 1997.
Hedlund, Roger E. Christianity is Indian: The Emergence of an Indigenous Community. Delhi:
ISPCK, 2000.
Snaitang, O. L. A History of Ecumenical Movement. Bangalore: SATHRI, 2007.
Sumithra, Sunand. Christian Theologies from an Indian Perspective. Bangalore: TBT, 1985.
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7
O. L. Snaitang, Op. cit., 224-225.
8
Kaj Baago, Op. cit., 6.
9
Sunand Sumithra, Christian Theologies from an Indian Perspective (Bangalore: TBT, 1985) 63.
