| abstract | The Indian churches in the United States consist of mostly two groups of people, namely, those who migrated directly from India known as the first generation, and those who are born and brought up in the United States, otherwise known as the second generation. The first generation keeps many traditions, practices, and ideologies they brought from their country of origin. They assume that these are superior to most of the other cultures, and hence need to be preserved by future generations. The second generation does not think much about the first generation's cultural and ethnic norms and are not willing to give such prominence to their prerogatives. Since they were born into a different cultural scenario and raised in a postmodern society, these traditions and ideologies of their parents' generation do not seem to have contemporary relevance in their day-to-day lives. Therefore, the silent encounters, otherwise called inter-generational conflicts, occurring between these two groups culminate in the exodus of the younger generation from "their home churches and possibly from the Christian faith" itself. The thesis examines how participation in integrated Christian activities affects inter-generational relationships in the first and second generation of the Indian Pentecostal Churches. The project also identifies the dynamics of inter-generational relationships in order to build healthy families, because such families will be the basic units for the existence of healthy churches and societies. In reference to the aforementioned thesis, the project provided an incredible opportunity for both groups to interact together and bring forth better solutions for healthier inter-generational relationships. It is evident that even though all churches are very much concerned about this phenomenon, many have not been able to do much in addressing the problem with plans for corrective actions. Therefore, the evaluation and research opened the way for greater discussion between both generations. Moreover, the researcher is confident that positively touch the generations to come. |
