CFA Christ’s Faithful Apostle

I noticed C.F. Andrews, the Anglican missionary, friend of Gandhi, in the film about the great Indian leader. What struck me was his ability to get past the racism of his day and recognize in Gandhi the extraordinary leader he was, even before his world-wide fame began.

There’s a striking scene in the film where Andrews is preaching in South Africa, and several people walk out, but one woman listens with shining eyes to his defense of satyagraha, soul force, civil disobedience.

I’ve now read two biographies The Ordeal of Love by Hugh Tinker (1979) and Charles Freer Andrews by Benarsidas Chaturvedi and Marjorie Sikes (1950).

I’ve hunted down a couple of Andrews’ own works, but I’m going to take a break and finish Anglo-Saxon Spirituality before reading them.

(It’s a severe discipline to finish a book, which is not unlike a death to me.)

What strikes me most about Andrews is how contemporary he is. He was truly multicultural, almost becoming Hindu, certainly becoming Indian. He identified a key issue of his day as racism. So long as the church remained the White Church, its future in India was limited. He likened treatment of blacks in America to the untouchables in India.

Another striking thing was his concern about economics and labor. Without portfolio except his own personality and experience, he became a labor negotiator for Indian people throughout the world.

Through prolific writing he interpreted Gandhi and Christ to the world.

He commanded the respect of Indian nationals as few British, perhaps no other British person, did. This was in no small measure because of his pastoral concern. No one was beneath his compassion. He often emptied his pockets for the beggar in the streets, and lived with few possessions.

Today missionaries are often dismissed as imperialistic. No one who gets to know Andrews will ever be able to make that statement again, without holding him up as an exception.

The Indian friends had two nicknames for him. One is Deenabandhu, friend of the poor. The other, based on his initials CFA, is Christ’s Faithful Apostle.

He’s worth using Interlibrary loan if your local library doesn’t have a biography. I recommend the earlier one Charles Freer Andrews. It’s much more personal and readable, though it may not be quite as willing to expose his few weaknesses.

If you know him, or get to know him, I’d love to hear from you about him.