A Bibliographical Introduction to Sadhu Sundar Singh

The story of Sadhu Sundar Singh is one of the most remarkable in Indian church history. Sundar was born in 1889 in a Sikh family with strong Hindu affinities, and he was still in his early teens when he became a follower of Christ. He was baptized on his 16 th birthday, the first day it was legally permissible. Within weeks of that he had renounced the world; for years he wore the black robe of a Franciscan friar under the influence of the enigmatic American Anglican missionary Samuel Stokes. By the time he was 20 years old he was wearing the more traditional orange robe of a Hindu renunciant, and much mystery surrounds those earlier years of his pilgrimage.

Sundar visited south India in 1918 and was warmly received by Christians everywhere who longed for a more deeply Indian _expression of Christian faith. Sundar spoke in parables, and his spiritual insight and clear focus on eternal issues made a deep impact. He was invited to the West and made a number of tours there in the following years. Western Christianity was also desperate for Asian heroes, and Sundar fit the bill.

But a controversy broke out that was never really resolved, and most likely never will be. Sundar came under severe attack from critics who suggested that he was a sham, one who fabricated stories to make himself famous. There were some difficult issues raised by these critics, particularly stories about visits to and ministry in Tibet , but the critics were manifestly bent on trouble and not just seeking after truth. The friends of Sundar Singh reacted in his defense, counseling him to ignore his attackers.

Sundar's health was broken by his travels, and he settled down in the Himalayan foothills where he produced a series of devotional books that are his lasting legacy to the international church. He produced 7 small books, now published together in one volume as The Christian Witness of Sadhu Sundar Singh: A Collection of His Writings. Sundar continued to speak and write of Tibet , and set out in that direction again in 1929. He did not go far on that last pilgrimage before dying an unknown death in an unknown place.

The first biography of Sundar Singh that brought him to the attention of the Christian world was Sadhu Sundar Singh: Called of God by his good friend Rebecca Parker, whom he referred to as his spiritual mother. This has been in print since 1918 and another reprinted edition is expected soon. Also written while Sundar was alive is one of the few theological analyses of his life and work by the noted German theologian Friedrich Heiler, The Gospel of Sadhu Sundar Singh. Heiler defended Sundar against his critics and wrote a number of large books in German in his defense.

A short account of Sundar's visit to Switzerland in 1922 also continues to be reprinted as Sadhu Sundar Singh in Switzerland: His Sojourn as Recorded by Alys Goodwin in Switzerland, March 1922 by Alys Goodwin.

Two friends of Sundar wrote brief biographical accounts of his life. Sadhu Sundar Singh: A Personal Memoir by C. F. Andrews especially tells of the early years when Andrews and Sundar were friends. The Vision and the Call: A Life of Sadhu Sundar Singh by T. E. Riddle is surely the best short introduction to Sundar Singh. Riddle was a New Zealand Presbyterian missionary who translated a number of Sundar's books from Urdu to English.

The definitive biography of Sundar Singh as been A. J. Appasamy's Sundar Singh: A Biography. Appasamy had collaborated with B. H. Streeter on a 1921 study called "The Sadhu: A Study in Mysticism and Practical Religion". He stayed in touch with Sundar and visited him as late as 1928. In 1958 he released his biography, a reverent account of his friend which glossed over some of the complicated problems in interpreting Sundar's person and work.

The Riddle of Sadhu Sundar Singh by Eric J. Sharpe offers the first real attempt to interpret Sundar taking account of all his complexities. The book will no doubt be controversial in some circles, but should help towards a deeper understanding of a complex and fascinating figure.

Sundar has been popularized as a great hero, never moreso than in an early (1950) biography by Cyril J. Davey, The Yellow Robe: The Story of Sadhu Sundar Singh. This has been published in many editions and with various titles over the years. Similar works continue to appear, such as Sadhu Sundar Singh: He Walked with God by Joshua Daniel and Sadhu Sundar Singh: The Apostle of the Bleeding Feet by Dr. Samuel. These accounts tell more about the dreams and expectations of Indian Christians than about Sundar Singh.

Students of Sundar Singh need to note also an important study of one of his closest early co-workers. An American in Khadi: The Definitive Biography of Satyanand Stokes by Asha Sharma tells the fascinating story of Samuel Stokes, including accounts of his time with Sundar Singh. William W. Emilsen has also written a number of striking studies of Stokes that are worth consulting ("Violence and Atonement : The Missionary Experiences of Mohandas Gandhi, Samuel Stokes and Verrier Elwin in India Before 1935 " and The India of My Dreams: Samuel Stokes' Challenge to Christian Mission.

Most highly recommended is a reading of Sundar's writings in the collection mentioned above: The Christian Witness of Sadhu Sundar Singh: A Collection of His Writings.

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Eric J. Sharpe (1933-2000) brings his vast background in interreligious studies, intercultural studies and mission studies to this critical biography of Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889-1929). His esteem for the Sadhu is clear throughout, but his concern for careful historiography is no less evident.

Sundar Singh remains one of the most influential figures in the Indian Christian world. Early studies of his life continue to be reprinted and an edition of his collected writings continues to sell. In the early decades of the twentieth century he became an international symbol for what is now called contextual or inculturated expressions of Christian faith outside the Western world. But symbols are easily manipulated, and one of the values of Sharpe's work lies in exposing the various agendas which were brought to Sundar Singh and the issues of concern in his life.

Who was the real Sundar Singh behind the symbol and the myths and the faith of those he touched? Sharpe does not presume to answer, but seeks to define important aspects of the riddle of Sundar Singh.

To a certain extent, this study will cover fairly familiar ground, and I hope that it will be readable by those encountering the Sadhu for the first time. But it will not be a simple retelling of the Sadhu story. I have seen my special task as being to reexamine the Sundar Singh record, as set down by others, in the attempt (which may or not succeed) to place his career in a slightly fuller historical and missiological context than that found in most of those who have previously written about him. (From Sharpe's preface)

The Riddle of Sadhu Sundar Singh
by Eric Sharpe

	Table of Contents
	Preface
	Acknowledgements
	The Early Years On the Road The World Tour of 1920 Europe 1922 Return to Subathu Apostle or Imposter? Sadhu Sundar Singh and Emanuel Swedenborg "I go bound in the spirit..." The Riddle of Sadhu Sundar Singh
	Appendix One: The Sadhu Sundar Singh Literature
	Appendix Two: Sadhu Sundar Singh in Recent Literature
	Appendix Three: A Letter by Samuel E. Stokes
	Notes
	Bibliography
	Index