Singing of Satnam: Blind Simon Patros, "Dalit" Religious Identity, and "Satnami"-Christian Music in Chhattisgarh, India

Christianity in every context -- whether western or nonwestern, contemporary or ancient -- emerges as a composite entity, combining elements of the religions and cultures that predate it with aspects of the Christian faith, in whatever form it arrives. There is, of course, nothing distinctly Christian about this process, for just as the expansion of Christianity into India involved the Indianization of Christianity, so too did the growth of Hinduism in Bali entail the Balinization of Hinduism. Other religions follow a similar pattern when they cross cultural boundaries.