Bible women:model leaders as agents of change

Assignment
Subject: Women in religion and in society
Topic: BIBLE WOMEN: MODEL LEADERS AS AGENTS OF CHANGE
Submitted by: B.Thiophilos, BD I
Submitted to: Ms. Dong Ring
Submitted on: 6th Feb 2008
Summery
This article explains about the role of Bible women in India specifically South India. This article explains about how the Bible women bring the change in the society by their ministry in the later part of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. the author tries to find out their methodology of approach and impact on the society. From that analysis she brings some of th leadership principles useful for our present context.
The author's logical sequence started at the missing idea of the feminist scholar Jane Haggis. Haggis fails to see the Bible women's contribution to the society so the author tries to deal with that part. Most of the missions reports about women's ministries related to the work of the Bible women. In this article, the author's referred sources are from the CMS Telugu mission in Andhra, other mission reports like the American Marathi mission, and LMS has also been consulted. though the pattern of the ministry of the Bible women is same in the missions, it had slight differences depending on the context they were working. Throughout this article, the author does not underestimate the role of the missionaries but focus on the Bible women's work in changing the society.
Missionaries establish the schools, orphanages, inquirer's homes, converts' homes for girls and women. those people who studied there were mostly the widows,and elderly women converts became the Bible women. For some, mission paid and some worked voluntarily. these women were form both the high castes and the out castes. in 1909, woman's missionary movement had 441 bible women. Lat5er the ministry spread and the mission work was emphasized on the Church. So now the Bible women work is limited and it is continued in some rural congregations. But in those days, these women workers leadership and methodology is very useful for the postmodern leadership.
the Bible women were given basic education to read and trained in crafts like knitting, sewing etc. the main purpose of the Bible women's work was to reach the women in the houses with the gospel. this process involved in literacy work, vocational training to reach the women. They gave the basic guidelines to women at home regarding cleanliness and medicine. They involved in visiting the sick, bring the sick to hospital etc.
In Indian context, if any body converted to Christianity, they lost their old customs and had new social identity. thus, these Bible women had the very different identity in the society thus they impact the society with changes. When they reach the society with their new faith and education, the actually passing on their ideology and beliefs to the next generations at the risk of their own lives. they were beaten and misunderstood in some cases. These Bible women reach the society and contextualize the Christian message. In villages, they retold the Bible stories again and again by visiting the homes in mornings. In the nights, they approach the people with Burrakath, Harikatha, Suddulu and Bhajana. Many Christian songs were composed by the women.
Bible women had very easy entrance into the high cast homes, Marwadis homes etc. So thus they reach Brajhmans, Mohammedans, Goldsmiths, Weavers and all kinds of artisans. Since these Bible women were teaching the education, they had the respect of 'guru' in Indian context. They were available to the people at any time. Some women converted thus homes and villages came to Christ. Many women were living as secret Christians. Bible women were became the instrumental in bringing into being the whole new breed of Christian elite.
In the last part of the article, the author drawn the some of the leadership principles useful today like their behavior, their identity in society, their attitude in the work and their relationship with the other Bible women workers.

Evolution
The total dealing with the given topic is very good. But much references to the subject is needed since in Andhra, she took some part only. The coastal part of Andhra still have these Bible women work, but no references made referring to it. the CBCNC mission had lot of history material about this. If the author consider these also then more light is shown on the topic since the entire part of Coastal Andhra is now mostly Christianized because of Bible women and this work still continuing there.
The author's deliberate use of some statements without references made carelessly. For example, under the reference number 21, the author writes that now no single song composed by women is in the Telugu hymnal. In Telugu, there is only one hymnol book is there. In that some songs written by the women specifically by the Bible women were there for example the hymn number 121 was written by Kommu Krupa.
The author's approach to the Bible women's contribution to the society is very logical and very appropriate. Form the origin to the now, dealing with the purpose of the mission on one side and leadership recognition on other side, the author fulfills the aim of the article appropriately.