In the Midst: Autobiography, Ecumenism, and an American Missionary in India

Barbara Beach Alter spent thirty-five years as an American Presbyterian missionary in India, from 1946 to 1981. She never converted anyone — on purpose. Her mission board directed her to “live in the midst” of the Indian people to meet their needs — whatever they might be. Dr. Cathy Corman discusses the cultural and political context that framed Alter's cross-cultural mission. Through interviews with friends, family, and religious historians Dr. Corman also discuses the critical shift in mid-twentieth-century American history concerning Protestant ecumenism. In addition, she has documented Alter’s understanding of her own syncretic theology with roots in the New England Student Christian Movement and Hinduism. Lunch provided.