John Rangiah was the first Indian Baptist missionary who came to Natal (today called KwaZulu-
Natal). He was born in India in 1866 and died in 1915. He established the first Telugu Baptist
Church on the African continent in Kearsney, Natal. In the corpus of South African Baptist
mission literature, the contribution of John Rangiah is given very little attention. Although he
is referenced by Baptist historians for his work amongst Indian Baptists, the impact of the Bible
and Bible themes as well as his theology in South Africa have not been examined. This article
provides insight into Rangiah’s early life and faith, and critically examines his understanding
of the Bible and its themes, such as the Bible, prayer, salvation and eschatological hope. These
themes will be critically examined from a conservative evangelical perspective and thereafter
attempts to examine these using elements of post-colonial hermeneutics will be undertaken.
