Arvind P. Nirmal

Arvind P. Nirmal, (1936–1995) was a Dalit Christian theologian and a member of the Church of North India. He questioned the Christian conversion of the upper castes, especially the Brahmin. A major proponent of Dalit theology, Nirmal argued that Jesus himself was a Dalit and that Christian theology should therefore reflect Dalit concerns.

Nirmal criticised Brahminic dominance of Christian theology in India, and believed that the application of liberation theology to India should reflect the struggle of Dalits, Nirmal also criticised the Marxist element within South American liberation theology. Nirmal drew on the concept of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53 to identify Jesus himself as a Dalit – "a waiter, a dhobi, and bhangi."

Arvind Paulus Nirmal was born on 9 May 1936 in Jalna, Maharashtra. His father was an ordained priest of the Church of North India, and his mother Sonubai was a teacher. He spent his early years in Jalna, attending school and went to college at Milind Mahavidyalaya in Aurangabad. After studying his BD at UTC Bangalore he was ordained in the Church of North India and he served as a rural pastor for several years in the Jalna area, including at Kharpudi and Dahipuri villages. Before moving to Dahipuri, he would travel the distance on his bicycle. He was again selected to do his M.Th (Masters in Theology) at UTC Bangalore, where he then joined as a faculty, teaching Systematic Theology

Arvind Nirmal obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Milind Mahavidyalaya in Aurangabad, after which he was selected to study at the United Theological College Bangalore, where he earned his Bachelor of Divinity (BD) Degree from Serampore University. He further earned a Diploma in Christian Studies from Montreal, Canada as well as an M.Th degree from the Serampore University again. In 1973 he moved to Oxford to study at Keble College, where he obtained a B. Litt.

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