Book Description

Indian National independence and Church Union in the Church of South India, both in 1947, demanded a rethinking on the part of the Indian Christians with regard to the 'mission of the Church in India', the 'meaning and methods of ministry' and the 'role of theological education'. This book is a study of the quest for relevance in Indian theological education during the period 1947 to 1987. This book studies concepts of mission such as the traditional 'evangelization' and the modern 'participation in nation building'; ministry as changing from the domination of male-clergy to the participation of the laity and women; theological education as equipment of the whole church for wider involvement in Indian society within the context of poverty and religious pluralism. It deals with the four decades of thought development and indigenous experimentations, simultaneously looking at the effect of the 'evangelical' and 'ecumenical' division of the church's understanding of her mission and ministry in India. While studying several seminaries, Tamilnadu Theological Seminary is used as a case to illustrate the continuing process of the quest for relevance. An extensive bibliography, notes on people referred and a directory of theological colleges are additional resources in this work.