This biography is neither brilliantly written, nor well organised. It is often too preachy, and tends to verge on being hagiographical. But since Bakht Singh (1903-2000) was such an extraordinary Christian leader, and as the author clearly had close access to him, this is still a very worthwhile read for anyone interested in Christianity in India in the 20th C. The stage is set by his funeral: 300,000 came. That says it all. This was no part time preacher who had enjoyed some success; this was an Abraham, a father of the faithful, whose death stopped the busy city of Hyderabad. From a devout Sikh background Bakht Sing was first touched by Christ in 1928 at an Anglican service on a ship crossing the Atlantic.
He only went to show that as an Indian he could fit in with all the Europeans. He wanted to leave when the praying started, but was hemmed in by his kneeling neighbours. So he knelt – and felt a presence. He was later given a Bible in Canada where he was studying agricultural engineering and read it from cover to cover. He returned to India a committed Christian. Meeting his ship in Bombay his father does not ask him to give up his new faith – but not to talk about it. Bakht Singh refused and there was a painful parting. He goes to Karachi and begins sharing Christ with the sweepers. Soon he is in demand as an evangelist, and in 1937 after a week of preaching and no response in the nominally Punjab Christian village of Martinpur, revival breaks out. From then on Bakht Sing is a national figure. In 1940, after huge meetings in Madras, jealous church leaders closed their doors to him, so after 21 days of prayer, he started his own. Clearly close to events the author gives you a good feel of the sort of church culture Bakht Sing created. Sunday at his centre, first in Madras, and then Hyderabad was not for the faint hearted. Early in the morning, before it got too hot, there were baptisms, sometimes up to fifty, followed by the laying on of hands, an important ceremony to show the new believers belonged to the body. Then at about nine o’clock there was an exhortation to worship, followed by a lengthy time of praise where all were encouraged to offer their own prayers. This was followed by another long message. Nobody knew the speaker till just before the meeting when Bakht Singh would pray with his associates and ask if someone had a message from the Lord. He refused to pre-plan the speaker as he believed this stopped the Holy Spirit choosing. The preaching always tended to be expository, especially if the speaker was Bakht Singh. The emphasis on the Bible was reinforced by the banners proclaiming Scriptures, or even painted on the walls of all Bakht Singh churches. After the sermon came the breaking of bread and then at about two or three o’clock, there was a ‘love feast’ where all the believers had a simple meal together, usually dhal, bread and water. Later in many fellowships there would then be a march of witness, inviting people to the evening evangelistic service which started about eight and finished at ten. Every year Bakht Singh would hold a ‘Holy Convocation’ when several thousand of his people came together, living in tents, eating simply and spending the long days in prayer and listening to Bible teaching. New churches were often planted after believers returned home, inspired after these convocations. There are now over 1,000 Bakht Singh assemblies, mainly in India, but also in America, Europe, and Australasia. Bakht Singh’s success goes back to at least three constants in his Christian life. One was the hours he spent in prayer, sometimes through the night, and always on his knees. The second was his encyclopaedic knowledge of the Bible. To many listeners it seemed he had memorised all 66 books. And finally there was a keen separation from the world. He wouldn’t even read a newspaper. In between the lines it is clear that all authority went back to ‘Brother’ and this must have caused problems, especially when the organisation grew very large. But the author does not dwell on this. He has a hero, and in his nearly 600 pages he wants us to only see his best.
He only went to show that as an Indian he could fit in with all the Europeans. He wanted to leave when the praying started, but was hemmed in by his kneeling neighbours. So he knelt – and felt a presence. He was later given a Bible in Canada where he was studying agricultural engineering and read it from cover to cover. He returned to India a committed Christian. Meeting his ship in Bombay his father does not ask him to give up his new faith – but not to talk about it. Bakht Singh refused and there was a painful parting. He goes to Karachi and begins sharing Christ with the sweepers. Soon he is in demand as an evangelist, and in 1937 after a week of preaching and no response in the nominally Punjab Christian village of Martinpur, revival breaks out. From then on Bakht Sing is a national figure. In 1940, after huge meetings in Madras, jealous church leaders closed their doors to him, so after 21 days of prayer, he started his own. Clearly close to events the author gives you a good feel of the sort of church culture Bakht Sing created. Sunday at his centre, first in Madras, and then Hyderabad was not for the faint hearted. Early in the morning, before it got too hot, there were baptisms, sometimes up to fifty, followed by the laying on of hands, an important ceremony to show the new believers belonged to the body. Then at about nine o’clock there was an exhortation to worship, followed by a lengthy time of praise where all were encouraged to offer their own prayers. This was followed by another long message. Nobody knew the speaker till just before the meeting when Bakht Singh would pray with his associates and ask if someone had a message from the Lord. He refused to pre-plan the speaker as he believed this stopped the Holy Spirit choosing. The preaching always tended to be expository, especially if the speaker was Bakht Singh. The emphasis on the Bible was reinforced by the banners proclaiming Scriptures, or even painted on the walls of all Bakht Singh churches. After the sermon came the breaking of bread and then at about two or three o’clock, there was a ‘love feast’ where all the believers had a simple meal together, usually dhal, bread and water. Later in many fellowships there would then be a march of witness, inviting people to the evening evangelistic service which started about eight and finished at ten. Every year Bakht Singh would hold a ‘Holy Convocation’ when several thousand of his people came together, living in tents, eating simply and spending the long days in prayer and listening to Bible teaching. New churches were often planted after believers returned home, inspired after these convocations. There are now over 1,000 Bakht Singh assemblies, mainly in India, but also in America, Europe, and Australasia. Bakht Singh’s success goes back to at least three constants in his Christian life. One was the hours he spent in prayer, sometimes through the night, and always on his knees. The second was his encyclopaedic knowledge of the Bible. To many listeners it seemed he had memorised all 66 books. And finally there was a keen separation from the world. He wouldn’t even read a newspaper. In between the lines it is clear that all authority went back to ‘Brother’ and this must have caused problems, especially when the organisation grew very large. But the author does not dwell on this. He has a hero, and in his nearly 600 pages he wants us to only see his best.
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