The implications of ecumenical discussions on mission and theological education in India from 1938 to 1998

Abstract

The relationship between missionary and convert changed as India became a secular democracy in 1947 and Indian Christians began to rethink the mission of the Church in the new Indian setting. The result of this rethinking on the global scenario was evident in the rediscovery at the IMC conference at Willingen 1952 that mission depends first and foremost on God's own activity, i.e. Missio dei. Thus, the strong emphasis on the centrality of the Church in mission was replaced by a larger perspective that included an interpretation of world events as determining factors for mission. It called for a reframing of the nature, purpose, and practice of theological education. In India many denominational colleges merged to form regional seminaries which were identified as the ecumenical theological colleges and were affiliated with and led by the Senate of Serampore College. This thesis discusses the context of complex realities of India that demand a critical self-reflection and evaluation of theological education as a whole, especially its curriculum. It is noteworthy that the Senate of Serampore curricula show evidence of having recognized these conceptual developments. The research spans six decades of discussion and points out the rapid social change in society, the emphasis on contextualization and doing theology in context, the contemporary trends in mission thinking, and the developments in the pursuit of relevant theological education and their immediate effect on theological education in India. The contextual slant and the notion of “integral mission” offers a more inclusive training by equipping all the members of the Church for the ministry and this thesis illustrates these developments through a concise study of a chosen institution.