Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889 - 1929), born in Patiala State, India, became an Indian Christian missionary whose life and message had a far ranging impact. Born into a Sikh family, Sundar grew up a faithful Sikh. When a boy, he converted to Christianity, incurring the rejection by his father. Sundar withdrew from a Christian seminary after refusing to cast off his Sikh clothing and wear Western clothing. That set the direction of his ministry, seeking to wear the clothing and speak the terminology of the Sikh while conveying the Christian message. Sundar's impact went far and wide, influencing important spiritual leaders, such as Mahatma Ghandi and C.S. Lewis. He is believed to have died in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929, although his body was never found.
The international Christian missionary press focused upon Sundar Singh's Christian message, even giving some attention to the Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist terminology. His universalism message though received little or no attention from the missionary Christian community. His writings were widely published, revealing his view that so-called heathen Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs will go to heaven as surely as a faithful Christian. Sundar, reflecting on an international trip he made to the West during the 1920s, shared his view that many more Indian and Asian people have profound faith than those in the West.
During Sundar's lifetime, Great Britain ruled India, but he paid little attention to that political situation. He focused his mission on reaching Indian and Tibetan people with the life example and message of Jesus Christ. Reflecting on his way of life, the thought presents that if Jesus Christ could have sent his disciples to India during Jesus' lifetime, they would have lived and worked as Sadhu Sundar Singh had. His life displayed how the lifestyle and message of the New Testament can integrate seamlessly into the life style of a Sikh, Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist holy person. (newworldencyclopedia.org)
