Andhra Christian Theological College

Andhra Christian Theological College
ఆంధ్ర క్రైస్తవ వేదాంత కళాశాల
Motto AD CONSUMMATIONEM SANCTORUM IN OPUS MINISTERII...
Motto in English For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry...
Established July 1,[1] 1964
Type Seminary
Academic affiliation Senate of Serampore College (University), Serampore 712 201, Hooghly District, West Bengal
Location Lower Tank Bund Road, Gandhinagar Post, Hyderabad 500 080, Andhra Pradesh. Telephone: 91 040 2761 3892, Telangana, India
17°25′36″N 78°27′10″E / 17.42667°N 78.45278°E / 17.42667; 78.45278
Director Bishop K. Frederick Paradesi Babu, AELC (Chairperson)[2]
Principal The Rev. T. Mathews Emmanuel, CBCNC
Academic staff 15+[3]
Website http://www.actchyd.com

Andhra Christian Theological College {Telugu: ఆంధ్ర క్రైస్తవ వేదాంత కళాశాల} is a special purpose entity - an ecumenical enterprise[4] of some of the Ecclesiastical societies in Andhra Pradesh/Telangana in India founded in 1964[5] and affiliated to the Senate of Serampore College, Serampore, West Bengal, the nation's first University.[6] ACTC is situated on the banks of Hussain Sagar excess water canal (north) in Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Telangana.

Participating Protestant Ecclesiastical Societies
(in reverse alphabetical order)

History of the College

Old Testament and Hebrew Language Faculty Succession

Founding societies

The College was first founded in 1964 in the campus of the Lutheran Theological College in Rajahmundry. From the inception of the College, the founding Church societies included,

In 1967,[17] the Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches Society ran its B.D. classes within the premises of ACTC and in 1972[18] the B.D. section of the Ramayapatnam Baptist Theological Seminary was fully integrated into the College Society. After the College was shifted to Hyderabad, the Methodist Church in India joined the College Society. During the Principalship of M. Victor Paul, the Good Samaritan Evangelical Lutheran Church Society joined the College Society.

Missionaries in Andhra Pradesh were involved in spreading[19] the Word of God. With a sizeable converts at hand the need for ministering them was possible only with Priests. With this, they started to open seminaries - in Gooty (Union Theological Seminary),[20] Dornakal (Andhra Union Theological College [21]) to cater to the Church of South India, Ramayapatnam (Baptist Theological Seminary) for the American Baptists, Luthergiri.[22] (Lutheran Theological College) for the Lutherans, in Kakinada (Baptist Theological Seminary) for the Canadian Baptists, and Shamshabad (Mennonite Brethren Bible College) for the Mennonite Brethren.

There was exchange of Professors between the Seminaries. However, for higher education (Bachelor of Divinity), they had to send their students to West Bengal where Serampore College is located.

Kretzmann Commission

In 1969, the College Society constituted the Kretzmann Commission[23] comprising,

The Kretzmann Commission Report which was tabled before the Board of Governors suggested increasing the curriculum content leading to Bachelor of Divinity and doing away with the erstwhile Licentiate in Theology programme.

Merger of entities

In 1964, the College was set up in Luthergiri in the river town of Rajahmundry in East Godavari District with the coming together of the following three[24] theological colleges,[25] viz.,

On formation of the College with W. D. Coleman as its first Principal, the College was inaugurated on July 1,[1] 1964 by R. M. Clark[1] of the BTESSC[27] while the inaugural address was delivered by the Registrar of the Senate of Serampore College (University), C. Devasahayam in Rajahmundry.[28]

Later on, in July[1] 1967,[17] the Ramayapatnam Baptist Theological Seminary, Ramayapatnam functioned within the premises of the College in Rajahmundry as a separate entity until it merged fully in 1972[18] in the presence of Louis F. Knoll and W. P. Peery.

The College relocated from Rajahmundry to Secunderabad due to pollution from nearby Paper Mills. By 1973[29] the college in its entirety was moved from Rajahmundry to Secunderabad. By virtue of postal re-classification in the 1990s, its location fell under Hyderabad (now in Telangana).

Governance and administration

Board of Governors

The College Society is administered by the Board of Governors composed of representatives of the participating Protestant Ecclesiastical Societies hailing from,

Motto

The College motto is derived from Ephesians 4:12, which in the Latin Vulgate reads "Ad consummationem sanctorum in opus ministerii..."[30] which translates into "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry..." in the King James Version.

The Hall System

W. D. Coleman, the first Principal of the College explains the Hall System as:[31]

Each of the participating denominations has its own 'hall'. There are two hours of instruction each week about the liturgy, history, and policy of each denomination.

The Ecclesiastical societies commonly associated with Protestantism in southern India include those from the Church of South India, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists among others. Each Church has a tradition of its own. In ACTC, apart from teaching of theological subjects, students are also taught their respective Church doctrine.[32] This is of course extra curricular and does not part form part of the syllabi prescribed by the University.

Principalship

Principalship is for a term of four years. Each participating Ecclesiastical society gets a chance on rotation. Currently, the four-year cycle of Principalship is with the Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars. T. Matthews Emmanuel is the present Principal.

Serampore University affiliation

The College was affiliated since its founding in 1964 to the Senate of Serampore College (University) and continues to be an important affiliated College.[33]

University degrees

The College is empowered by the University to admit candidates into the following courses,

Residential courses for Pastors

As the nature[34] of the degrees offered by the University is to empower the Pastors, it offers two degrees based on the entry level requirements,

Non-residential courses for Christians and non-Christians

The College admits Protestant, Orthodox and Catholics to the non-residential course, the Bachelor of Christian Studies (B.C.S.) which is awarded by the University,

The College also admits people of other faiths to the Diploma in Christian Studies (Dip. C.S.) awarded by the University.

Registrar's Visitations

When the College was founded in 1964, the Registrar of the University, C. Devasahayam, CBCNC delivered the inaugural address.[28] As the years' progressed, D. S. Satyaranjan as Registrar of the University visited the College almost every year. At one point of time, the Registrar D. S. Satyaranjan deputed a Commission comprising J. W. Gladstone, O. V. Jathanna and others to evaluate the College and submit its report to the University.

During the present times, S. K. Patro, the Registrar of the University first visited the College a year ago to evaluate the College and other affiliated institutions of the University in Hyderabad to look into the prospects of upgrading the College to a postgraduate level.[35]

University Convocations

1979

In February 1979,[36] the Convocation of the Senate of Serampore College (University) was hosted by the College during the period of the Old Testament Scholars, Victor Premasagar, CSI and G. Babu Rao, CBCNC.

The 1979 Convocation of the University held at the College was attended by D. S. Satyaranjan, the Registrar of the University and A. D. Khan, the Master of the University. Incidentally, the President of the Senate happened to be Victor Premasagar.[37] The Commemoration Mass was led by G. Babu Rao, CBCNC at the St. Gregorious Orthodox Syrian Cathedral in the neighbourhood of the College.[38] while the convocation address was delivered by Father Samuel Rayan,[36] S.J..[37]

2016

The College hosted[35] the 2016 convocation of the Senate of Serampore College (University) during the present incumbency of the two Old Testament Scholars, T. Matthews Emmanuel,[35] CBCNC and Ch. Vasantha Rao, CSI. The University was represented by John Sadananda,[35] the Master of the University, Issac Mar Philoxenos,[35] the President[37] of the Senate, P. G. George,[35] the Dean of SATHRI and S. K. Patro, the Registrar of the University. The Convocation address was delivered by Klaus Schäfer.[37]

At the 2016 convocation of the University, the honorary doctorate degree by honoris causa was conferred upon D. S. Satyaranjan[35] who incidentally led the 1979 convocation of the University held at the College and also Klaus Schäfer,[35] a former faculty of the College who taught New Testament during 1988[39]-1993.[40]

ATA affiliation

The college has also embarked on an initiative to admit candidates to the Master of Divinity programme for the Protestant, Orthodox and Catholics, for which it has sought[3] affiliation from the Asia Theological Association.

Academics

Faculty

The Teachers at ACTC have substantial pastoral experience and theological grounding. The present Teachers include:[3]

Present Faculty at the Andhra Christian Theological College with subjects taught
DisciplineFaculty Name Gen
der		Congre
gation		 Highest
Degree 		Alma MaterUniversity
Old TestamentThe Rev. Ch. Vasantha Rao, CSIMAnglicanDr. Theol. Missions Academy, HamburgHamburg
Old TestamentThe Rev. T. Matthews Emmanuel, CBCNCMBaptistD.Th.SATHRI, BangaloreSerampore
Old TestamentThe Rev. R. Jeeva Kumar, STBCMBaptistM.Th.UTC, BangaloreSerampore
New TestamentThe Rev. V. Manikya Rao, AELCMLutheranD.Th.SATHRI, BangaloreSerampore
New TestamentThe Rev. Ch. Helen Salomy, STBCFBaptistM.Th.UTC, BangaloreSerampore
ReligionsThe Rev. T. Swami Raju, AELCMLutheranD.Th.SATHRI, BangaloreSerampore
ReligionsThe Rev. P. Alexander, SALCMLutheranM.Th.Gurukul, ChennaiSerampore
ReligionsThe Rev. S. Vijaya Kumari, STBCFBaptistM.Th.UTC, BangaloreSerampore
History of ChristianityThe Rev. K. L. Richardson, AELCMLutheranM.Th.UTC, BangaloreSerampore
History of ChristianityThe Rev. G. Moses, STBCMBaptistM.Th.UTC, BangaloreSerampore
MissiologyThe Rev. Ch. J. Ananda Prakash, AELCMLutheranM.Th.UTC, BangaloreSerampore
Social AnalysisThe Rev. P. P. Prabhu Sudheer, CSIMAnglicanPh.D.Madras University, ChennaiMadras
Social AnalysisThe Rev. M. Yonathan, STBCMBaptistM.Th.TTS, MaduraiSerampore
Christian MinistryThe Rev. Y. J. Rajendra Prasad, STBCMBaptistM.Th.UTC, BangaloreSerampore
EthicsThe Rev. B. S. Vara Kumar, CSIMAnglicanD.Th.UTC, BangaloreSerampore
Systematic TheologyThe Rev. S. I. Nirmal Kumar, CBCNCMBaptistM.Th.NIIPGTS, Kolkata/SeramporeSerampore
Systematic TheologyThe Rev. B. N. Ratna Prakash, AELCMLutheranM.Th.TTS, MaduraiSerampore

Admissions

Students are admitted on quota-basis linked to the representation factor of the participating Ecclesiastical societies and taught varied subjects of religion. An entrance test is conducted before admission. Church sponsorship is a must before joining. Integrated Bachelor of Divinity (five years) course is affiliated to the Senate of Serampore College (University).

Library

Logistics

The college has a well-equipped library including reading room facilities with more than 38,000[41] books on its racks besides 35 subscribed periodicals.

Naming

List of Principalships

(Ecclesiastical society, Years, Principal)

Since the founding of the College in 1964, the library was called as the Dunkelberger Memorial Library[1] as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America[42] had transferred certain proceeds[42] to the memory of The Rev. Roy Martin Dunkelberger,[43] AELC, a Lutheran missionary who served in Rajahmundry.[44]

In 2014,[45] the library was renamed as the Gipson Memorial Library in honour of the Baptist Missionary, The Rev. T. G. Gipson, STBC, who had modernized the library during his second stint as a visiting faculty at the College. The renaming ceremony took place during the Principalship of The Rev. T. Matthews Emmanuel, CBCNC in the presence of the Chairperson of the Board of Governors, Bishop K. Frederick Paradesi Babu, AELC, and Bishop V. Prasada Rao, CSI, a member of the Board of Governors.

Student life

Sport

ACTC has several recreational facilities, including a throwball court, a tennis court, a basketball court, a volleyball court, a table tennis room and a large ground that is used for playing football and cricket.

Mass

Every morning, Mass is said in the Chapel for the Students and the Teachers. On Sundays, the Chapel is also used for Mass for the general public too. Many festivals also take place here exclusive to the ACTC community, including Christian Home Festival, Carey Day, CSI Day, Reformation Day, Independence Day.

Notable people

Faculty

Notable faculty over the years' include,

Alumni

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Margaret Eunice Hawkinson née Coleman, That they may be one - The Story of the Andhra Christian Theological College, Published by the Mission Council of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church, and printed at the Lenox Press, Madurai.
  2. ↑ Web site of the College
  3. 1 2 3 Principal's Annual Report 2015-2016 in the 52nd graduation service booklet of the Andhra Christian Theological College, 2016, pp.17-30.
  4. ↑ Roger E. Hedlund, World Christianity: South Asia, Missions Advanced Research and Communication Center, 1980, p.48.
  5. ↑ M. Ezra Sargunam (Edited), Mission Mandate: A compendium of the perspective of missions in India, Mission India, Madras, 1992, p.495.
  6. ↑ Murli Manohar Joshi, Higher Education in India Vision and Action, A paper presented at the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education in the Twenty First Century, Paris, 5–9 October 1998. Internet, accessed 22 August 2008.
  7. ↑ Doctoral Dissertations in History, 1958, p.26
  8. ↑ John C. England, et al. (Edited), Asian Christian Theologies, Volume 2, ISPCK, New Delhi, 2002, pp.275-276.
  9. ↑ Gaddala Solomon, The Concept of Suffering in the Bible and in Hinduism, Eastern University (United States), Pennsylvania, 1957.
  10. ↑ Guide to Indian Periodical Literature, Volume 23, 1989, p.57
  11. ↑ Faith Lutheran Church, Volume 2, Issue 9, September 2015, p.3
  12. ↑ Missionalia, Volume 32, 2004, p.305
  13. ↑ Missionalia, Volume 35, 2007, p.148
  14. ↑ Journal of the Henry Martyn Institute, Volume 18, Issue 1, 1999, p.4.
  15. ↑ Guide to Indian Periodical Literature, Volume 43, 2006, p.133
  16. ↑ Ravela Jeeva Kumar, Struggle for land rights in 1 Kings 21 : a dalit hermeneutic perspective, ISPCK, New Delhi, 2012.
  17. 1 2 Foundations: A Baptist Journal of History and Theology, Volumes 11-12, American Baptist Historical Society, 1968, pp.320-321.
  18. 1 2 Year Book of the American Baptist Convention 1971, 1971, p.183
  19. ↑ Martin Senftleben Influences of Hinduism on Christianity in Andhra Pradesh. Retrieved 23 April 2006.
  20. ↑ Edmund Davies draws attention to Prof. Wilfred Scopes, a Missionary of the London Missionary Society who taught in the seminaries in Gooty and Dornakal. Edmund Davis, The History of Theological Education in Jamaica: The United Theological College of the West Indies and its four antecedent colleges (1841-1966), 1998, page 167.
  21. ↑ Library file
  22. ↑ Winnipeg Free Press United Lutheran Church Advances - The Board sends new missionaries to each of six foreign mission fields. Retrieved 23 April 2006.
  23. ↑ Martin Kretzmann (1906-2000) was a missionary to India and was also instrumental in affiliating the Concordia Theological Seminary, Nagercoil with the Senate of Serampore College (University). Internet, accessed 23 April 2006.
  24. ↑ J. Herbert Kane, A Global View of Christian Missions from Pentecost to the Present, Baker Book House, 1971, p.120.
  25. ↑ Victor Premasagar Interpretive Diary of a Bishop, Chennai, 2001, p.88
  26. 1 2 3 1966 Yearbook of the Lutheran Church in America, United Lutheran publication house, 1965, p.11.
  27. ↑ Board of Theological Education of the National Council of Churches in India as it was called then.
  28. 1 2 The Lutheran, Volume 2, Lutheran Church in America, 1964, p.30
  29. ↑ Minutes of the Biennial Convention, Issue 7, Lutheran Church in America, 1974, p.553.
  30. ↑ Vulgate, Ephesians 4 Retrieved 23 April 2006.
  31. ↑ Edgar R. Trexler, Mission in a New World, Fortress Press, 1977. p. 29.
  32. ↑ The American Lutheran, American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi (town), New York, 1965. p. 12.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 Senate affiliated Colleges 2014
  34. ↑ Nature of Serampore degrees
  35. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Address of the President of the Senate, 2016 Convocation of the University.
  36. 1 2 Religion and Society, Volume 26, Issue 2, Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, Bangalore, 1979, p.77.
  37. 1 2 3 4 Senate Presidents and Speakers at Convocations
  38. ↑ Convocation brochure of the University, 1979, Secunderabad
  39. ↑ The Bulletin of the Henry Martyn Institute of Islamic Studies, Volume 12, 1993, p.2.
  40. ↑ Bangalore Theological Forum, Volumes 25-26, 1993, p.37
  41. ↑ Paul, Luther N.V.L., Principal's Annual Report 2007-2008, for private circulation, pp. 10-24
  42. 1 2 Minutes of the twentieth biennial Convention of the United Lutheran Church in America, Board of Publication of the United Lutheran Church in America, 1956, p.991.
  43. ↑ Martin Luther Dolbeer, The Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church: A Brief History, Department of Religious Education of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1951, p.145.
  44. ↑ Margaret Eunice Hawkinson née Coleman, The Church is Planted - A Biographical Record of the Missionaries in India of the Lutheran Church in America 1842-1987, Florida, 1987.
  45. ↑ Tracy Gipson Memorial LIbrary.

Further reading

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