B. Suneel Bhanu

B. Suneel Bhanu
The Reverend
Church	Lutheran
Diocese	Synods of East Godavari, West Godavari, East Guntur, West Guntur, Central Guntur
See	Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church (AELC)
In office	2009-2013
Predecessor	V. E. Christopher
Successor	K. Frederick Paradesi Babu
Personal details
Born	Andhra Pradesh, India
Previous post	Professor, Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, Chennai

B. Suneel Bhanu is President Emeritus of the Protestant Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Society who served a term from 2009 through 2013. At present, Suneel Bhanu teaches at the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, Chennai.

In 2015, Suneel Bhanu was elected as the Chairperson^[1] of Church's Auxiliary for Social Action for the quadrennium 2015-2018.

Studies and Academics

B. Suneel Bhanu studied at the Protestant Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad during the period of the Old Testament Scholars, Victor Premasagar and G. Babu Rao. Later, Bhanu undertook postgraduate studies at the South East Asia Graduate School of Theology^[2] from where he was awarded a postgraduate degree of Master of Theology (M.Th.). Suneel Bhanu served as a Pastor of the Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Visakhapatnam.^[3]

Suneel Bhanu taught at the Bishop's College, Kolkata before moving to Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, Chennai where he is currently teaching Theology.^[4] Suneel Bhanu is a member^[5] of the Academic Council of the nation's first University, the Senate of Serampore College (University) in West Bengal.

Contribution

Suneel Bhanu's major contribution was seeing through the publication of the Bibliography of Original Christian Writings in India in Telugu compiled by Ravela Joseph for which Bhanu provided his assistance that ultimately resulted in its publication by the Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College in 1993 under the aegis of the General Editors, Hunter P. Mabry, H. S. Wilson and Zaihmingthanga.^[6]

The compilation by Suneel Bhanu together with Ravela Joseph has been a source referred for original Christian writings in Telugu.^[7]

In addition, Suneel Bhanu has also co-translated^[8] Robin Boyd's Introduction to Indian Christian Theology along with Victor Premasagar and B. J. Christie Kumar, his Professors at the Andhra Christian Theological College.

Writings

• 2006, Glimpses of the Tercentenary Celebrations of the Arrival of Bartholomaus Ziegenbalf - The Father of Modern Protestant Mission,^[9]
• 2009 (with Monodeep Daniel and Indukuri John Mohan Razu)^[10]
  • The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians,
  • The Letter of Paul to the Philippians,
  • The Letter of Paul to the Colossians,
  • The first and second Letters of Paul to the Thessalonians,
  • The Letter to the Hebrews

Other endeavours

In 2011, Suneel Bhanu delivered^[11] the annual Hein Fry Lecture at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.

In 2013, Suneel Bhanu participated^[12] in the Salvation Army's meetings in Nellore in the presence of D. M. Prakasam of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nellore which awarded N. L. Victor, the Order of the Founder by Linda Goodman.

Suneel Bhanu was also a member of the Henry Martyn Institute for Interfaith Reconciliation at Hyderabad.^[13]

References

1. CASA Board 2015-2018. New National Board of CASA
2. Dansalan Quarterly, Volumes 1-4, Dansalan Research Center, Dansalan Junior College, 1979, pp.108 and 111.
3. Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Visakhapatnam
4. Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, Chennai
5. Members of the Academic Council. [senateofseramporecollege.edu.in/docs/125-174.pdf]
6. Ravela Joseph, B. Suneel Bhanu (Compiled), Bibliography of Original Christian Writings in India in Telugu, BTESSC, Bangalore, 1993.
7. see successive articles in Wikipedia containing reference to the book.
8. H. S. Wilson (Edited), The Church on the move: a quest to affirm the biblical faith ; essays in honour of Peddi Victor Premasagar, Bishop in Medak and Moderator of the C.S.I., presented on the occasion of his Shastiabdapoorthi celebrations, Christian Literature Society, Madras, 1988, p.157.
9. B. Suneel Bhanu, Glimpses of the Tercentenary Celebrations of the Arrival of Bartholomaus Ziegenbalf - The Father of Modern Protestant Mission, National Council of Churches Review, Volume 126, p.290.
10. WCC library acquisitions
11. Media at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
12. The General leads spiritual celebrations in India Central Territory
13. Annual Report of the HMI. [www.hmiindia.org/Documents/.../Annual%20Report%202013-2014.pdf]
14. CASA Board 2011-2014. New National Board for the Quadrennium 2011-2014
15. New National Board for the Quadrennium 2015-2018

Further reading

• Kolluri Luther Richardson (2003). "Towards Self-Reliance : A historical survey of the programmes and efforts of Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1927–1969, Published by Christopher and Kanakaiah, Vijayawada".
• Michael Bergunder (1999). "Die südindische Pfingstbewegung im 20. Jahrhundert: eine historische und systematische Untersuchung". 113. of Studien zur interkulturellen Geschichte des Christentums. ISBN 978-3-631-33771-4.
• R. Joseph and B. Suneel Bhanu (1993). "Bibliography of Original Christian Writings in India in Telugu".
• Martin Senftleben (1992). "Influences of Hinduism on Christianity in Andhra Pradesh. Unpublished PhD thesis, Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati" (PDF) I.
• _______________, (1992). "Influences of Hinduism on Christianity in Andhra Pradesh. Unpublished PhD thesis, Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati" (PDF) II.
• M. Victor Paul (1990). "Parish Renewal in Reflections on Theology Today – Papers presented by the ACTC faculty during the academic year 1988–1989 on Theology and Mission and Ministry of the Church".
• B. C. Paul (1984). "The Emergence of a Church in South India: A Study of the Growth and Development of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church: 1905–1927. Unpublished Th. D. thesis submitted to the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.".