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FOCUS April 2015 Vol. 3 No: 2

Repetition and Recollection - Dr. Zac

Varghese, London - Page 14

Cover Photo Jesus and

Samaritan Woman

A Publication of Diaspora FOCUS

Contents

Editorial - Revisiting Culture and the

Gospel - Page 3

Gospel and Culture, Rev. Dr. Valson

Thampu, New Delhi - Page 15

Christ and Culture, Rev. Dr. K. A. Abraham

Metropolitans Message - Page 5

- Page 18

Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby Easter Message - Page 7

Dr. Stanley Jones, Re-collections by

granddaughter, Dr. Anne Mathews-Younes - Page 8

One God and One Creation - Rev. Dr. M.

J. Joseph, Kottayam - Page 11

Impact of Migration on Home Churches,

Yesudas M. Athyal - Page 22

Christ and Culture, Lal Varghese, Esq.,

Dallas - Page 25

Christianity and Kerala Culture Page 28

Dr. Titus Mathews, Calgary

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Editorial
Revisiting Culture and the Gospel
The relationship between culture and the Gospel is a
continually recurring theme. We partially dealt with this
theme in part IV of the series on Everyday Theolgy .
Familiarity with words often prevents us to search for real
insights, and we take things for granted. We draw out
conclusions without proving the premises, and often assert
the premises without examining the terms. Therefore, let us
make sure what exactly we mean by culture and the Gospel.
1

The classical meaning of the word culture was the

cultivation of the soul or mind. Kroeber and Kluckhohn
compiled a list of 162 different definitions for culture. One of
the earliest
definitions of culture was from Edward B.
Taylor. In his work on Primitive Society, he defined culture
as a complex whole including knowledge, belief, art, morals,
laws, customs and any other abilities and habits acquired by
people as members of the society. Culture is not something
genetically inherited, but learnt from the environment one
finds oneself in. Culture of a specific community is valuebased and shared among its members. Culture is often
thought of as high culture or popular/folk culture. High
culture is intellectual or artistic achievement and propagation
of a privileged few; only a small social group has high
culture; they maybe the people who have trained themselves
to enjoy classical literature, music, paintings, and such. On
the other hand, popular culture is open to all, irrespective of
class. The acquisition and propagation of popular culture is
the characteristic of an age and a society. Culture has both
universal and distinctive characteristics. Cultural traits are
often acquired from people one interacts with as one is
socialized. No culture is static, it is evolutionary. Hence
historical account of the culture of any society is a snapshot
view of a particular epoch. Cultural changes occur through
a variety of processes including: discovery, diffusion, and
imposition. Cultural imperialism imposed western cultures
on others during the colonial period. Group culture is the
result of the collective programming of the mind, which
distinguishes the members of one group from another.
However, everyone is simultaneously a member of different
cultural groups due to professional, religious and social
engagements.
Therefore,
no
community
can
be
characterized as a people with a monoculture and everyone
is exposed to or part of multiculturalism. In Jesus day,
Palestinians were exposed to multiculturalism because of
Judaism, pagans, Greeks and Romans. Most people worked
as shepherds and farmers, and this too is reflected in Jesus
parables and teachings. The main socio-political question
for the Jews of Jesus time was how much Greek and
Roman domination and influence should be tolerated?
We understand the Gospel as the good news of the record
of Jesus life and teaching in the first four books of the New
Testament. In Acts Chapter 6, Verse 42, it is written: .,
they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news
that Jesus is the Christ. By Christ they meant the anointed
one. The Gospel is all about God and His eternal purpose in
Jesus to redeem this world and the creation of a new

humanity with values of Gods kingdom on this earth. Jesus

challenged cultural boundaries that people had constructed.
He did not accept the culture of the social institutions of the
day on face value. He questioned purity laws, family values,
Sabbath observances, gender inequality, and the treatment
of marginalized people such as tax collectors, poor people
and widows. Jesus was a cultural revolutionary and some of
his actions were counter-cultural. Jesus did not allow the
prevalent culture to influence him, but he influenced and
challenged the culture of the Pharisees, the Sadducees and
the Scribes. Jesus spoke Aramaic, a common lingua, which
the Jews acquired during their Babylonian captivity. He was
also well versed in scholarly Hebrew, Greek and Latin
because a Greco-Roman culture was prevalent in that time.
Jesus had no difficulty in worshipping both in the Temple
and local Synagogues, which were not biblically prescribed.
In todays term it is feeling at home both in the chapel and
the cathedral. He practiced inclusivity to reach out to people
from all strata of the society. This inclusivity is very important
in our Christian living and interaction with communities
around our parish boundaries. Revd Dr. Valson Thampu has
addressed the paradox of the Gospel-cultural encounter in
his scholarly article in this issue. He says, The Cross is the
mediator between Gospel and culture. And it is laden with
the paradox thereof. Materially, a cross is only a cultural
product. But not so, the Cross. It stands in culture, but goes
way beyond.

Church history and reformation movements demonstrate

that one of the challenges of Christianity is the encounter
with multiple cultures. Where should the Church stand?
Inside or outside the culture or ignore it? Richard Niebuhr
addressed these questions in his book, Christ and Culture.
His descriptions of five ideas of relationship between culture
and the Gospel is helpful in discerning the conundrum of

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how Christianity has been appropriated in various

geographical and cultural contexts. Revd Dr. K.A. Abraham
in his article in this issue touches Niebuhrs five concepts: a)
Christ against culture; b) Christ of culture; c) Christ above
culture; d) Christ in culture in paradox; e) Christ the
transformer of the culture. These five perspectives on the
relationship between culture and Christianity are also
currently present in the context of the Mar Thoma Diaspora
Christians. This is causing certain tension between
generations in our parishes. It is often presented as the
young verses the old or as the domination of men over
women or language used in liturgical worship and so forth.
One of the most important gifts which we can give both
ourselves and one another on the ecumenical journey is the
knowledge of what it is that sustains and strengthens us
along the way. What are the wells or meeting places that we
draw from when we are feeling tired and thirsty? Where are
we able to be re-sourced? Each community generally has its
own well. We might say that each of our denominations is a
well and most of the times we drink from our own well, but
our young people are exposed to other wells too. Jesus
encounter with the Samaritan women at the well has much
to tell us about inter-cultural and inter-faith relationships.
Jesus drinks from a well, which is outside his own
community and his own tradition.
The idea of enculturation may be helpful is solving some of
our problems. Christian liturgy and forms of worship bear the
mark of Jewish origins and influence. The very concept of
church ritual is indebted to the example of the synagogue.
The reading of passages from the "Old" and the "New"
Testaments is a Christian version of the synagogue reading
from the Torah and the Prophets. The Psalms, in particular,
play an immense role in both Catholic and Protestant liturgy.
St. Thomas Christians has accepted certain cultural
practices from the surrounding culture such as Minnukettu
and Manthracodi. Enculturation for us is the insertion of
Christian ideas into different cultures and the establishment
of a new kind of Christian living. Enculturation is an
evolutionary dialogical activity, which indicates a dynamic
relationship between culture and the Gospel. In this process
the Gospel becomes inserted in a given culture transforming
it from within by challenging certain cultural expressions. In
these conversations, it is possible that an alien culture may
offer positive means, which can enrich the way the Gospel is
presented, understood and lived. Therefore, instead of
totally rejecting an alien culture one needs to be sympathetic
in appreciating, understanding and respecting cultural norms
and symbols. Enculturation is not always the task of the
Mother Church, but the local parish is the workshop of
enculturation. The laitys role is of paramount importance
because it is they who are called to transform communities
by living out the Gospel in everyday encounter with their
neighbours. Enculturation is not about rewriting liturgy by
inserting fashionable cultural elements. Enculturation is
placing the good news about Jesus Christ in the centre of
our existence. Our cultural transformation by Gods grace is
a slow process; enculturation takes time. It is a process of
growing up from being-in-itself through being for-itself to
beingfor-others ; it is a simple existential reality. A
generation growing up in the immediacy of consumeristic
and cyber culture might find the slow process difficult to
3

accept. Since Pentecost, Gods vision for his people and

kingdom has expanded, from Jerusalem, to Judea, to the
ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The Promised Land no longer
has defined borders, but it is wherever peoples hearts are
open to Gods kingdom values (Luke 17:20, 21). Our
obligation is to live faithfully, wherever in the world we find
ourselves. We are to cultivate the Christian culture of love,
justice for all, and the custodianship of the created world so
that people see our behaviour and praise God (Matthew
5:16). We are Christs letter to the world in the present time.
We conclude this editorial by quoting from the Nottingham
Statement of 1977 on Evangelism. We long to see churches
developing that are culturally, racially and socially mixed and
that are evidence of the power of Christ to reconcile,
through his Cross, people of all kind to each other and to
God. We believe for this to happen, Christians throughout
Britain need to accept their responsibility towards multiracial
communities of our country. The result of such a concern
will be a desire to understand, to support and to pray for
churches in these areas. Some Christians will be called to
move to join such churches and to share in the life of
multiracial communities. Where there are black-led churches
and other churches from minority racial groups, we
understand the reasons for their existence and positively
seek opportunities for worship and witness together with
them.
4

References:
1. Zac Varghese, Everyday Theology Part IV, FOCUS Vol.
2(3), July, 2014
2. Richard Niebuhr, Christ and Culture, New York: Harper
and Row, 1951
3. Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness, translated by
H. Barns, New York, 1956.
4. The Nottingham Statement, the official statement of the
Second National Evangelical Anglican Congress, April,
1977.

The Editorial Board

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Disclaimer:
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Diaspora FOCUS. Thanks. Contact:
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Synopsis of Metropolitans Pastoral Letters in the Sabha

Tharaka January, February, & March 2015
Jan. 2015

gives us a new hope. This is the promise God has given

to the world through the first Christmas. The belief that
God is with us always is the one only consolation that we
have in every crisis. God is the one who does not
change His promises, and let us move in to the New
Year with God and with that ever living hope.
Let us thank God for being with us through the different
circumstances of our life. Let us repent for the failures
happened in our life. Let us make changes to our life
according to Gods plans. We should be able to pray like
an ancient church Father who prayed like this: God
please give me the wisdom to understand that what I
have done is wrong so that I can move forward with the
changes to be made in my life. We should be able to
discern the right and wrong in our lives and to live a life
worth to God. The baptism of Jesus is the incident by
which He is submitting himself to the fulfillment of His
fathers will in this world. That was an occasion declaring
himself that he is ready to face the death on the Cross.
Jesus became the bread only when he was crucified on
the Cross. We celebrate January 9th as the day of St.
Stephanos, who was the first martyr of Christianity. His
life and fearless attitude was a model for any Christian.
He also prayed before his death for those who stoned
him. Let us submit all our needs and wants in to God.
God knows what is best for us and with that hope let us
enter the New Year.

When we say goodbye to 2014, the fearful thoughts of

the mass murder in Peshawar, Pakistan, is haunting us.
Terrorists usually avoid killing of children, but in
Peshawar, there was no such
inhibition. They killed
brutally 132 children and their teachers without any
mercy. The question that remains with us is this: what
kind of mistakes did these children did for to be brutally
murdered by the terrorists? It is not because they did
anything wrong, but it seems that it is a retaliation
against someone else whom these terrorists think as
their enemies. In 1969, a similar incident happened in
Malaysia where a group of people killed school children
returning to their homes in a school bus. All these
incidents remind us of the Psalms which says: when
man loses his wisdom he falls to the level of wild
animals. What is the solution? There should be a
transformation in the minds of those who lost their
wisdom in order to become wise and humane. When
Christ is born in our hearts, there takes place a
transformation of our hearts. We have celebrated the
birth of Jesus Christ who prayed to the Father to forgive
those who assaulted him both physically and mentally.
When our life is filled with fear, the birth of Jesus Christ

Feb. 2015
We are waiting for the Maramon Convention, which
enables us to rethink about the possibilities of the
church. Let us glorify our Lord who led us throughout
past. God asked in the beginning of creation where is
your brother? Questions such as where are you and
where is your brother? are still relevant in our lives. The
question where are you? reminds us about where we
are now; it points out to the direction where we need to
be in the future. What is our relationship with God? The
question where is your brother? reminds us that we are
the keepers of our brethren. Individuals, families, and
countries need to move into a fellowship of brotherhood.
When countries are going through several conflicts, this
question has a greater relevance. Poly Carpus, a
disciple of Apostle John, who refused to renounce his
faith is still able to provide us the much needed power in
our faith life. He faced the end with a smile and became
a martyr for Christ. The witnessing of Stephanos, the
first martyr of the earlier church, is also same. Those
who are receiving the call to be witnesses of Christ must

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realize that they are taking the responsibility to become

martyrs for Christ.
Metropolitan thanked God for allowing him to complete
57 years in the ordained ministry of which 40 years as
the Episcopa. He wrote, When looking back with
thankful heart, I recollect the providence with which our
Lord has carried me all these years enabling to serve
Him. When we attend the Maramon convention this
year, the messages should be able to provide us with
clear direction both in our family and church life. This
year we have eminent leaders to give us the messages
including Rev. Dr. Sam Kamalesan. A commission has
been established to find out the areas where both
Malankara Mar Thoma Church and Malankara Jacobite
Church can work together,
The thought for this month is based on the healing
ministry of Jesus. We begin the Great Lent on Feb 15th,
and it should enable us to transform our lives in to a new
phase. We see this healing ministry during the public
ministry of Jesus Christ. Encounters like curing the man
with leprosy and healing the daughter of the Centurion
are all examples of Jesus healing ministry. We need to
recognize the humility of the Centurion when he
approached Jesus with a request to cure his daughter.
The true witnessing is when others witness about us,
and this is was true of the centurion. Jesus has accepted
his faith declaration when he said: I have never seen
such a faith in Israel. Do we have this kind of faith in our
lives? We need to examine our faith during this Lent.
The Nazareth manifesto (Luke 4:16-20) was selected
verses from Isaiah 61. May our Lord help us to be
partakers of this love of God shown through Jesus
Christ.
March 2015
The days of Maramon convention had the effect of
transforming and renewing lives of thousands of
believers. The visit of the Antiochean Patriarch was a
blessing for both churches and hope that we will be able
to initiate programs and projects together without
sacrificing our basic faith, practices and belief. 2015 is a
historic year since it was in 1665 that the representative
of Antiochean Patriarch came to Kerala for transferring
apostolic succession and authority by laying on of
hands upon the Metropolitan, Mar Thoma 1st. This year
we have completed 350 years after that glorious
blessing.
Metropolitan reflected upon his own faith journey; he has
completed 40 years as Episcopa of the church on 8th
February, which included 7 years as Metropolitan of the
church. In June this year, he will be completing 60 years

of his commitment for the ordained ministry of the

church. Our Lord is faithful who has called me and He is
providing me with all the strength to continue the faith
journey of the church. I still remember a letter of
appreciation written by late Yuhannon Mar Thoma
addressing me as Iraneus in which he has written like
this be ready to enter into circumstances which may
give mental torture and agony. In all circumstances
move forward by recognizing that God is always good.
It is heartbreaking to hear that Islamic terrorists killed
Christians in Egypt. All religions faith creed is love, but
those who kill others in the name of religion are a
disgrace to their religions. Both political and religious
leaders as well as the consciousness of the society must
be very vigilant against these types of atrocities.
We are entering into the Great Lent. We are thinking
during these days about the faith which helps us to lead
our lives for the mission of God. The bringing of a
paralyzed person on a bed showed the faith affirmation
of the people who brought this man to Jesus under trying
circumstances. They were declaring their deep concern
for the paralyzed person. The number of people, who
think that to become more religious is by killing others, is
increasing. But it is not killing another but caring for
another one is the real faith, and real religion. We are
celebrating the World Day of Prayer in March. It is only
through prayer that we can be closer to God. Our
generations are not seeking the blessing by prayer, and
they are after worldly things. We are also thinking about
the healing of women who was bent for 18 years, on
the Sabbath Day, which is criticized by the religious
leaders of that time. We are also thinking the healing of
the blind person by Jesus during the Lent We need to
follow the path of the Cross so that we can be healed.
On 40th day of the Lent, we are thinking about the
challenges faced by Jesus before the devil. But Jesus
was able to overcome these challenges with strength
from the Word of God. The way of the Cross is the right
way to redeem the human race. We also need to travel
through this path. We end up the Lenten thoughts with
the journey of Jesus on the donkey. The two areas of
Jesus servant ministry are of importance:
Jesus
washing of the feet of the disciples, and blessing of the
bread and wine to give to His disciples. These incidents
should have a profound impact and on our individual,
family and social life. We need to be ready to offer
ourselves to be taken by God and broken by this world
and collected and distributed by God. This is the way of
the Cross. Let our prayers and meditations during the
Lent lead us to the way of Cross and to the reality of the
resurrection of Jesus the Christ.
Compiled by Lal Varghese, Esq., Dallas (Summary of the
pastoral letters appeared in Sabha Tharaka Jan. Mar.
2015 issues and not a word by word translation)

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remembrance is also focused particularly on the

Armenian people who a century ago were driven to their
death and into exile because they were Christians.

MESSAGE FROM
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
The Archbishop of Canterbury's Ecumenical Easter Letter

"Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory! The risen

Savior, our Lord of life, shines upon you! Let all God's
people sing and shout for joy!"
These words of triumph are sung out across churches as
Easter dawns. For centuries such sounds of joy at the
Easter festival have echoed and continue to echo around
the globe in a multitude of different tongues and cultural
contexts, making a deep impact on the lives of
Christians and Churches. With the confession of Jesus
having conquered death we proclaim that we have been
raised to new life in him.
In the 15th chapter of the First Letter to the Corinthian
Christians St Paul couples the resurrection of Christ with
confidence in the resurrection of Christ's people. The
Apostle clearly states that the resurrection of Christ is a
beginning, and that the hope of our own resurrection can
only be in Christ. He argues; if the dead are not raised,
then Christ is not raised; and if Christ has not been
raised, then his proclamation is empty and our faith is in
vain. Having laid out all the arguments that would
dispose of the Christian claim to the risen Christ, he
continues: 'But in fact Christ has been raised from the
dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. '
This is the faith that is also proclaimed in the Byzantine
opening to the Easter Liturgy and which has been the
confession of Christians down the ages.
The resurrection of Christ is the great hope, not only for
each of us individually, but also for today's troubled
world - a world in which violence and violation of human
rights describe the day to day context of people in many
parts; a world in which moral and spiritual values often
seem hopelessly inadequate against the forces of selfseeking gain in every sphere of life. It is also a world in
which our brother and sister Christians are still a
beleaguered and even persecuted community in many
places, as they have been at different times and places
in history. We continue to remember the suffering
Christians in the Middle East. This year our

It is into this world that the message of the Church at

Easter remains constant over the centuries, proclaiming
in the midst of hopelessness the hope of Christ,
triumphant beyond death and the powers of evil; living
and life giving amongst us.
In this resurrection faith we follow the saints and martyrs
throughout the ages who have proclaimed the Risen
Christ as their Lord and Savior, who believe that in Christ
there is abundant life and that death and suffering will
not have the final say. The Easter faith strengthens us
with the hope in life, here and now and in the world to
come. This hope is not an illusion, which turns out to be
empty; rather, it is the tested cantus firmus over the ages
for all Christians. Beyond human imagination, the power
of the resurrection overcomes disparate, conflict-laden
and destructive forces. We are called to proclaim God's
Good News in confidence and obedience to Christ to
bring healing and reconciliation.
Christ's resurrection, therefore, also compels us to ever
closer bonds of Christian fellowship with one another the saints in the here and now - to seek greater unity
and work together with Christ, as his Body, in the
newness of life already begun by him.
It is in this spirit that I greet you with this letter. I will
continue to pray that the hope and joy of the resurrected
Christ will deeply move our hearts and souls, that it will
heal relationships between individuals, communities and
nations, and that it will banish fear, overcome suffering,
broker peace and bring reconciliation.
I close with the Song of Zechariah (Luke 1:78): "By the
tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will
break upon us, to give light to those that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into
the way of peace."
I embrace you with brotherly love in the Risen Christ.

The Most Reverend and Right Honorable

Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury
Easter 2015Lambeth Palace, London SE1 7JU

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Dr. Stanley Jones: Recollection of a Granddaughter

Dr. Anne Mathews-Younes, USA (Part-1 of Four Part Series)
Half a century ago or more now, four
world figures were spoken of in almost
the same breath.
All were able
persons; all were peacemakers; all
highly esteemed; all were deeply and
devotedly religious.
All have been
severely
criticized
by
revisionist
historians but all have risen above this
ungenerous treatment almost by the
power of the cross.
One was a
German; one, Japanese; one an Indian;
one an American. Three of them were Christian; one a Hindu,
though deeply influenced by Christianity. They were Albert
Schweitzer, Toyohiko Kagawa; Mahatma Gandhi and E. Stanley
Jones. The following is a short recollection of E. Stanley Jones,
my grandfather.
Growing up in ones family, I think that one tends to take so
many things for granted. There is often little understanding of
why the adult members, particularly, have arrived at certain
stances or beliefs. So it was with me and my grandfather E.
Stanley Jones. He was just my grandfather who traveled a lot!
But now it is fascinating and rewarding to see and understand
him as a real person and realize just what an exceptional person
he was. Though in his day, my grandfather was known all over
the world, it was India that gave him the ultimate challenge and
India was the anvil on which he tempered and solidified his faith,
but let me first tell you a bit about his early years and how he
arrived at what was to be his lifes work as an evangelist for
Jesus Christ.
He was born in 1884, in Clarksville, Maryland, a rural community
not far from Baltimore. He was one of four children. By his own
acknowledgment, his background was ordinary in appearance,
education, gifts, all quite ordinary. His autobiography tells us
that as a teenager, he ran with a gang obviously his parents did
not approve, and maybe his gang was more benign than the
ones in our day. However, despite his outer rebelliousness, my
grandfather was receptive; when a visiting evangelist spoke on
what Christ meant to him. It was a night this young rebel (my
grandfather) along with his friends had planned to disrupt the
service.
That disruption did not happen and to the
astonishment and annoyance of his young friends, my
grandfather responded to the evangelists call; something
extraordinary occurred that evening and a dramatic first
conversion changed his life.
Jones spoke of two conversions. The first was what he called
his horizontal change on the outside only. The second, the
authentic one the vertical one came two years later (1901). He
was then radically and enduringly changed on the inside too. He
never got over this transformation; never ceased to try to grasp
the totality of its meaning; never tired of commending the
experience and Savior to others. Conversion became the main
theme of his life and ministry. It gave him a sense of
reconciliation to God, an at home-ness with himself and others,
a new direction, a new personhood, a sense of grace and
wholeness. E Stanley Jones had planned to be a lawyer but
instead entered the ministry. Once he assumed the

responsibilities of faithful discipleship he never turned back. He

plowed a straight furrow to Asbury College, to evangelism, to
missionary service in India, and to world renown as a witness to
Jesus Christ.
He went to India in 1907 as a missionary and he was just 23
years old. It is amazing to learn how casually mission boards
treated their new missionaries in those days. No orientation
was given, either for the country, its customs or climate or even
how to get around. He was given a one way ship passage from
New York City to Bombay and the voyage took six weeks.
While he was given the name of his ultimate destination,
(Lucknow), getting there was up to him. Stanley Jones tells the
story of that 20-hour train journey to his final destination,
Lucknow in the northern part of the country. He found himself
in a compartment with a well-educated, English speaking
Muslim gentleman. With full of enthusiasm for his missionary
work, he read this gentleman the Sermon on the Mount,
expecting the man to be overwhelmed and immediately
converted. Instead the man said, we have the same thing in our
Sacred Book. This was the first time my grandfather had come
up against the very familiar philosophy all religions are the
same -- only the paths are different. It is an attitude so widely
held by many in the non-Christian world. It shook him for he
wasnt prepared to deal with such attitudes. But it also made
him face squarely, at a very early point in his missionary career,
the question of whether he was going to argue or debate with
non-Christians and try to prove them wrong and Christianity
right or use some other way. He was led to consider another
way. I think that this was a crucial decision, which contributed
to his great effectiveness.
His first church was a British, American, Anglo Indian church in
Lucknow and he was very successful in adding members to the
church, but felt a sense of constriction for the great masses of
India were beyond his reach. Additionally, he felt uneasiness
and alarm with what was happening in the Christian convert
community. Too often in changing their faith, the new converts
were also encouraged to take with their new faith a new foreign
culture and essentially reject their identification with their Indian
culture. Since Indian culture and religion are very closely
identified, this is understandable. Also many converts were
fleeing the insecurity of their outcaste social status.
Westernization offered the open door for a slightly better life. It
was a time when British India was struggling with independence
movement and nationalism and so some Indian Christians were
becoming aliens in their own country because of their
conversion to Christianity. Urging Indian Christians to remain
truly indigenous was, I feel, one of my grandfathers important
contributions to Christian missions; my mother tells me about
the vehemence of his condemnation for that position. Very early
in his career, E. STANLEY JONES urged Indian Christians to
remain within their culture for he was convinced that Christianity
could be truly indigenous in India and for that matter anywhere
in the world I believe that this conviction was an important
contribution to both mission work and evangelism. As an
American in India, it was impossible for my grandfather to speak
against British imperialism. However, the non-Christian Indians

8|P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 1 5

instinctively knew where his sympathies lay. They considered

him a brother rather an alien.
After he married my grandmother, Mabel Lossing Jones (1911),
an educational missionary, they went to Sitapur; a city of about
40,000, which became the center of their service for the next 40
years, here the Joneses became district missionaries in charge
of education, evangelism, finance, disaster relief, minor medical
service and some editorship thrown in. At first he worked almost
exclusively with the outcastes, the Harijans as Gandhiji called
them. He had great respect for these peoples cleverness and
ingenuity, and his desire to convert them to higher purposes
grew accordingly. Later some of the best Indian-Christian
preachers came out of this caste.
It was in Sitapur where he first came into real contact with
educated non-Christians. A casual remark by a Hindu judge
made him ponder his whole approach to the non-Christian
world. Always a good athlete, he played tennis with high-caster
doctors, lawyers, judges, and administrators. It was after a
game of tennis that a Hindu judge asked why he seemed only
interested in the outcastes of India and not the high castes or
educated classes. Missionaries had felt that only the outcastes
door was open, and my grandfather said as much. My
grandfather responded that he thought that they would not be
interested. The Judge said, This is a mistake. We do want
you, if you come in the right way. This comment provided you
come in the right way really changed my grandfathers focus
because he said, I began to see where my life-work lay. I was
being called to give my life to be an evangelist for he had to
decide what was really essential and what was non-essential in
the system which had grown up about Jesus.
He added, I
had to struggle with my own mental attitudes. I had been
brought up as a theological conservative with a neatly
packaged and tied up theological system, my mind was not free
to follow the Truth wherever it led me. He studied the
philosophical thoughts of the great religions, particularly
Hinduism. He wrote:
When I first went to India I was trying to hold a very long line, a
line that stretched from Genesis to Revelationon to the Western
Civilization and to the Western Christian Church and even the
Hebrew Bible. I found myself bobbing up and down that line
fighting behind Moses and David and Jesus and Paul and the
Western Civilization. There was no well-defined issue. I had the
ill-defined but instinctive feeling that the heart of the matter was
being left out. Then I saw that I could, and should, shorten my
line, that I could take my stand at Christ and before that nonChristian world refuse to know anything about Jesus Christ. I
saw that the gospel lies in the person of Jesus, that he himself is
the Good News that my one task was to live and to present him.
My task was simplified. For Jones it was not the superiority of
Christianity but the all-sufficiency of Christ that was the
foundation of Christian mission.
Thus began his great adventure throughout India. He was
speaking constantly to ever growing audiences of educated
non-Christians. He presented Christ as a disentangled Christ,
apart from the trappings of Christianity, apart from the Western
Civilization.
Christ was presented as a universal Christ,
belonging to all cultures and races and the answer to all human
need. His audience was interested in this Christ. His first book,
Christ of the Indian Road, published in 1925, made this point
clear.

My grandfather had a unique and three fold approach for

presenting Jesus.
First, he held his lectures (not sermons) in
public halls, a neutral ground for non- Christians. They were in
English for all educated Indians spoke English. Prominent nonChristians were invited to preside. After the lecture, the next
two hours were reserved for questions from the audience. With
50-200 lawyers in each meeting, the questions were always
penetrating. I remember when I traveled with him and heard
him speak in very crowded halls people were hanging at the
windows to hear him. And when he finished speaking, then the
questions came and like my mother before me, (for she also
traveled with her father) I was appalled at the questions and was
certain that he could not answer them, they were hard
questions. I remember slipping lower and lower in my seat,
waiting for the humiliation. But to my real surprise (and relief)
not only did he answer them, but answered them well and never
in a provocative, testy or argumentative way. He was well able
to take care of himself and did not need me worrying about him.
A more intimate approach to presenting Jesus to the nonChristian world was his Round Table Conferences; - Jones felt
strongly the he had no right to teach others if he was not
learning from them. He wrote: I came to India with everything
to teach and nothing to learn. I now learn as well, and I am a
better man for having come into contact with the gentle heart of
the East.
The Roundtable meetings were a more intimate approach than
the public lectures. Leading representatives of different faiths,
including agnostics and atheists (30-40 people) would be invited
to share what their faith or lack of faith meant to them in
experience. He would ask, Tell us what you have found
through your faith What does it do for you in your everyday
life? He wrote: In looking back at the Round Table approach, I
see now how daring and decisive this approach was: Here we
were putting our cards on the table and asking the nonChristian world to do the same. Suppose our hands with
which we were playing the game of life should turn out to be
inadequate; and suppose other ways of life should prove more
adequate. This was a showdown, and the stakes were high. In
every situation the trump card was Jesus Christ. He made the
difference. The people who followed him might be spotty and
inadequate, but they had hold of the spotless and adequate or
better Christ had hold of them!
Dr. Anne Mathews-Younes is currently a psychologist
working for U. S government. She is the
granddaughter of Dr. Stanley Jones. Dr. MathewsYounes was initially trained as an occupational
therapist.
She later received her doctorate in
Counselling and Consulting Psychology from Harvard
University and is a licensed psychologist.
Dr.
Mathews-Younes has also completed a Masters
Degree in Theological Studies at Wesley Theological
Seminary in Washington, D.C., as well as a Doctoral
Degree in Ministry from that same seminary. Both of her theology
degree theses focused on the life, mission and theology of her late
grandfather E. Stanley Jones with whom she travelled extensively
through India and Africa. Dr. Mathews-Younes is the President of the E.
Stanley Jones Foundation (www.estanleyjonesfoundation.com) and has
served as the Vice President of the United Christian Ashram Board, a
spiritual retreat organization founded by E. Stanley Jones. Her book,
Living Upon The Way: Selected Sermons of E. Stanley Jones on
Surrender was published in 2008. Anne can be reached at
amathews1@verizon.net

9|P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 1 5

Pearls of Wisdom from

Down the Ages-7
[A reading from the Commentary on the Gospel of St. John by
St. Cyril of Alexandria. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376 444) was the
Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. Cyril wrote extensively
and was a leading protagonist in the Christological controversies
of the later 4th and 5th centuries. He was a central figure in the
First Council of Ephesus in 431, which led to the deposition of
Nestorius as Patriarch of Constantinople. Cyril is counted among
the Church Fathers and the Doctors of the Church.]
The mystery of Christ is revealed to us
I will raise up a prophet for them like yourself, one of their own
race. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will speak to them
as I command him. Anyone who will not listen to the words the
prophet speaks in my name, I will punish.
Here, in the Book of Deuteronomy, which is a kind of a review
and the summary of the Mosaic books, the mystery of Christ is
gain revealed to us by means of a subtle allegory, for we see in
Moses the likeness of Christ. For the Lord your God, said Moses,
will raise up you a prophet of your own race, like myself.
Between God and the people those days Moses was the
appointed mediator; it was his task to help their infirmity by
communicating to them the divine decrees. This again is only a
symbol, but if we interpret it in terms of reality which if
foreshadows, it will teach us that Christ is the true mediator
between God and man. For our sake, Christ was born of a
woman, and he communicated to his disciples with a human
voice the Fathers will, which none but he knew or could declare;
for in his nature as a Son of the Father and as Wisdom he knows
all things, even the depths of God.
The divine, the inexplicable glory of the Supreme Being was
beyond the power of moral eyes to behold, pure and unveiled,
for it is written, No man can see my face and live. Therefore, the
only- begotten Word of God had to share in your weakness, an in
accordance with the mysterious design of divine providence, to
be clothed in a human body, for only in this way could he make
known to us the divine will, the will of God the Father. As he
himself said, I make known to you all that I have heard from the
Father, and, I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father
who sent me has told me what to say and how to speak.
So it is that Moses can be considered as a type of Christ, for by
faithfully communicating the divine decrees to the people of
Israel, he fulfilled the office of a mediator. The mediation of
Moses, however, was that of a mere servant, whereas the
mediation of Christ is not only free but also deeply mysterious,
for since Christ is by nature both divine and human, he is
intimate contact with those whom he reconciles. He is, so to
speak, the bridge that restores communication between the
human race and God the Father. Towards him the whole
teaching of the law is oriented, for as scripture says, Christ is the
fulfillment of the law and the prophets.
*Collected by Dr. Zac Varghese from A Word in Season edited
by H. Ashworth, 1974; The Talbot Press, Dublin, page 195-196

First Woman Bishop Ordained in the

Church of England
Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, presided over the ordination
and consecration of Revd Libby Lane,
48, as Bishop of Stockport in York
Minster on Monday, 26th January
2015. She is the first woman bishop in
the Church of England. The debate
over whether to ordain women as
bishops has long proved divisive.
More than 100 bishops travelled to
York for the service. Although Bishop
Lane is the Church of Englands first
woman bishop, within the global
Anglican Communion there are 30 female bishops, most notably
the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the US, Dr.
Katharine Jefferts Schori.

Brutal Murder of Coptic Christians in Libya

It is with deep feelings of sorrow and
pain that we received the brutal murder
of Coptic Christians in Libya at the
hands of Daesh (IS). While every life is
sacred and every death tragic, the
particular brutality demonstrated in this
instance and others like it shows not
only a disregard for life but also a gross
misunderstanding of its sanctity and
equal value in every person. Our
prayers are particularly with the families of these young Coptic
men, who were fathers, brothers, sons and friends of many
within their tight-knit rural communities, in which their absence
will cause significant loss and sorrow. Their families are not only
deprived of breadwinners who had travelled to Libya to support
them, but of the joy that they bring when they return.
While it may seem illogical or incomprehensible, we also pray for
those who have carried out these horrific crimes, that the value
of God's creation and human life may become more evident to
them, and in this realization, that the wider effects of pain
brought by this and other acts of brutality may be realized and
avoided. We pray for an end to the dehumanization of captives
who become mere commodities to be bartered, traded and
negotiated with. In the midst of this sorrow however, we must
continue to dig deeper for the joy that comes from an
understanding that this life is but a "vapor that appears for a little
time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14), and that true glory
and joy are found in an eternal life prepared for all those who live
in and for love and peace. It is only through this understanding
that we can continue to live according to the words of 1 Peter
3:15 as demonstrated in the life and witness of the Coptic
Church and her children over centuries, "...always be ready to
give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope
that is in you..." More can be found at web site:
www.Youtube.com/CopticMediaUK

10|P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 1 5

One God and One Creation

(Biblical and theological perspectives)

Rev. Dr. M. J. Joseph, Kottayam

Introduction
O Creator God, how great thou art
The very talk about God is a talk about Gods creation and His
gift of life. In God-talk, we search for the reverence of life
and interrelatedness between humans and other living beings.
As appreciation leads to adoration, we look for the buckle that
binds all human beings with the flora and fauna on this planet.
This is in tune with the compassion of the Lord (cf.Sib.18:13)
.We read in the Bhagavad Gita that the Supreme (or the
Almighty) is pleased with a gift from nature, be it a flower or a
fruit. Whomsoever shall offer Me a leaf, a flower, a fruit, water,
in the spirit of devotion and with purity of mind, that offering I
accept(IX, vs.26) The prayer is a hymn of praise and gratitude
to the one God of creation: leaf is a symbol of life and growth;
flower is the fulfillment of becoming; fruit represents the
ultimate goal of being, and water is that which refreshes all
living beings on this planet. In a bio-centric attitude to life, there
is always praise and thanksgiving from all living beings. (Cf.
Ps.150:6). The cultural slogans of India such as
vasudaivakudumbakam (the whole world is one family) and
Loka smastha sukino bhavantu (Let the whole world be happy
and prosperous) find a fitting place in the affirmation of one
Creator God.
A Sanskrit prayer dated 7 C. quoted below affirms an ecocentric attitude to one human life in terms of mutual
appreciation, recognition and adoration: To quote: O Earth,
my mother, Air(wind) my father fire(Light) my friend, Water my
kinsman, Sapce my brother, here do I bow before you with
folded hands(From the Vairagyashtaka of Bharatrahari). Thus
the panchaboothas, the symbols of life, which represent the
mystery of creation, affirm the abiding presence of the invisible
God around. The wonder of creation as exclaimed by the
Psalmist in 104:24, O Lord, how manifold are thy works; in
wisdom hast thou made them all is a golden thread that runs
through all the religious Scriptures of the world.
th

Let me illustrate the above point with excerpts from a song of

Jim Reeves: We thank Thee each morning for a new born
day, We thank Thee for the sunshine and the air that we
breathe;We thank Thee for the river that runs all day;We
thank Thee for the flower that blooms, birds that sing; fish
that swim;We thank Thee for the pastures where the cattle
may mow;We thank thee for the love so pure and free, O
Lord. The lessons that we learn from the order of creation is
that life is meant for giving and that nature is the best gift of
God to all across any religious or cultural divide .So Jesus said
for he(the heavenly Father)makes his Sun rise on the evil and
on the good, and sends rains on the just and the
unjust(St.Matt.5:45) The Psalmist adds a note of exclamation,
as the heavens are telling of the glory of God; and the
firmament proclaims his handiwork(19:1).The above words of
wonder could be summed up in the famous hymn, All things
bright and beautiful; All creatures great and small; All things
wise and wonderful; The Lord God made them all.

The veil of nature is rendered transparent and helps us to

breathe afresh in a world choked by the noxious gases of
greed, lust and profit making. Ecology is a science of biology,
which speaks of the ways in which living things interact with
each other. As a branch of biological science, it deals with the
study of organisms in their environments, social behavior,
conservation and adaptability. In our understanding of flora and
fauna, there are quite a few unraveled mysteries. We could
count the number of seeds in an apple. But none is able to say
with absolute certainty the number of apples could one harvest
from a sampling of the seed. So also Gods raised bud. None is
able to open the petals of a rose bud by hand without crushing
its great is the unraveled mystery of creation. In the book of
Job 38-41 one may find texts which throw a fled of light on the
Urbis of man.
The Bible speaks of a relationship among the created order of
the Universe in terms of an oikos concept: Human above
nature, human in nature, and human with nature. Man and
nature could be conceived in terms of a functional relationship,
which could be termed as interrelatedness, interdependent,
and independent. The Web of life is woven with invisible
threads of life. We are all birds of the same nest. As ecology
is an art, we need to develop esthetics for adoration and
appreciation.
The words of the French Philosopher Paul Caudal are worth
recalling when he replied to someone who said that everything
in the world is illusion. The French poet said, No everything
is allusion.
Ecology thus becomes a platform for the
affirmation of life across religious or ethnic divide. In our
affirmation of One God and One human family, nature paves
the basic thread of life. The research of the Indian scientist
Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose in the 90s have proved without a
ray of doubt that the plants are also sensitive to heat, cold,
light, noise and other external stimuli. His book, Response in
the Living and Non-Living (1902) confirms this. Kofi Annan,
former general secretary of United Nations has rightly
remarked: All of us have to share the earths fragile ecosystems and precious resources and each of us has a role to
play in preserving them. If we are to go on living together on
this earth, we must all be responsible for it. Let us be good
stewards of the earth we inherited. May I add also the word,
parents to the word stewards?
God-man-nature relationship
The emergence of the ecological man is the great new fact of
this century. As man is a rational animal (Aristotle) created in
the image of God (as read in the book of Genesis), it is quite
legitimate to examine the nature of his relationship with other
living beings on this planet. The relationship is to be explored in
the philosophical category propounded by the German
philosopher, Immanuel Kant, the moral man within and the
starry heavens above. They are two sides of the same coin. It
is widely held that the greatest sin of humankind today is that it
has transgressed the sacramentality of creation and thereby
lost the sense of interdependence. Therefore, we need to raise
questions for correction related to an eco-vision for human

11|P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 1 5

survival. This is possible if we entertain a new vision of One

God and One Human family on earth. In this respect, we need
to talk about ecosophy. Ecosophy implies a new world
encountered not as it but as thou (Thomas Manickam). One
may have to drive a note of dissent to the philosophy of Martin
Buber when he speaks of I-IT and I-Thou relationships in the
order of creation. If we opt for one existence in this planet, the
question of I-It relationship does not arise as ecosophy is a
passionate concern for the well-being of all beings
(cf.Gita.12:4), the ecological man will have to see his role as
one of being a parent of creation. A steward is not the owner.
The concept of an ecological universe where every created
entity has an intrinsic value may serve Gods purpose of
creation. God is concerned about the falling of even a
sparrow (Matt.10: 29). Christian ethics should be one of
conservation ethics and the connectivity is to be celebrated as
we all belong to the web of life. Gods question to Cain,
where is your brother is a question of human connectivity
conceived in terms of ecological values such as conservation,
not consumerism; need not greed; enabling power not
dominating power; integrity of creation not exploitation. These
values are for a genuine spirituality. The biblical and theological
challenge is to build structures for maintaining the ethics of
solidarity (K.C. Abraham). In Eco-dharma, God and Creation
are integrally related. So also man (Adam) and earth (Adamah).
The ecological crisis today, particularly climate change, is due
to human intervention in the order of creation in an
irresponsible way. This is due to human failure to exercise a
caring attitude to all under his stewardship. For a common
better tomorrow, we need to bear in mind that in an ecological
community, there is no distinction between the haves and the
have notes. As ecology is concerned with the harmony and
integrity of one cosmic home, the cosmothenadric unity of
reality (S. Painadath) is to be affirmed. Dust thou art, to dust
thou shall return is an age-old truth and is addressed to one
human family. The life style of the industrialized nations is a
violation of human rights. We need to adopt a pattern of
consumption, production and distribution that respect and
safeguard Earths regenerative capacities. This is the message
of giving rest to the earth in the Jobel year( Lev.25 23-24).The
challenge is to simplify our lives and to integrate our knowledge
with love and compassion. In order to improve the quality of life
on this planet, we need to strive for a culture of peace and cooperation. The infinite possibilities of a world governed by love
and justice have to be captured by humankind, if it is to
survive. As co-workers with God, the humans are accountable
before the Creator/ the Divine for what has been entrusted to
them through divine wisdom... The religious resources of the
peoples of God will have to be polled together and treasured
for a vision of development that can be sustained in the long
run environmentally and ecologically. The primary concern for
us should be that the world should not go back to its original
state of null and void.
Biblical vision for a Green-Theology
In the first verse of the book of Genesis, we read In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God is
able to create things out of nothing and man, a little lesser
than God (Ps.8:5) is endowed with the wisdom to assemble or
to make things out of what is already there. If this proposition is
maintained, we are bold to affirm that the divine design of all

things falls within the oikonomia of the universe (Jer.10:12).

Gen.1:27, being created in the image of God is a biblical
and theological affirmation that the human beings are expected
to reveal the attributes of the divine in relational categories .The
divine attitude to creation is well stated in Gen.1:31 where we
read God saw that it was good:. This is because God will
not betray himself as by wisdom the Lord founded the earth,
by understanding he established the heavens, by the
knowledge the deeps broke forth, and the clouds drop down
the dew (Proverbs 3:19-20).
In the order of creation, God manifests his ultimate will for all
living beings. After the creation of the human beings, God said
to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it
and have dominion over. every living thing (Gen.1:28).In
Gen.2:15 we read, the Lord God took the man and put him in
the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it. The three fold
responsibility, to till, to subdue and to guard goes hand in
hand and a caring attitude to nature alone will free the nature
from its groaning. The reference to the brooding of the Spirit of
God in the creation story speaks of the immanent presence of
God in the universe.(cf. The book of Wisdom 1:7;7:24).The
creation story of Genesis makes it abundantly clear that there
should be harmony in God- man and nature relationship .
In the New Testament, the Christ of creation is conceived as
the Christ of redemption and reconciliation (cf GK. propositions
en, dia and eis in Pauline theology). Reason and faith will have
to play their complementary roles in opening the mind to the
One Mystery who is the creator and sustainer of the Universe.
In the ecological Psalm of 104, particularly verse 24-30, we get
a glimpse of Gods love and care manifested in the
universe.O Lord, how manifold is thy works. In wisdom hast
thou made them all? (V. 24). (cf.Ps.24:1-2) According to the
Psalms, God is not immanent in creation, but he is imminent in
a personal way with humankind (N. H. Snaith). There is a
theological unity between the ecological awareness of reality
and the personal realization of the reality. Nature by itself
does not reveal God; it only serves as a means of revelation.
Nature is a constant reminder of the reality of God to those
who have the eyes of faith (KV Mathew). In the Psalms we do
not find any natural law as independent from God. The humans
are asked to learn from nature (Pro.6:6-11).As nature is Gods
peculiar language (Robinson), creation and ethics should go
together. According to Ps.147: 16ff, nature is the creative word
of God that is at work in the ongoing process of growth and
change in nature. This gives order and regularity in the
ecosystem. It is Gods faithfulness and love that sustains the
world (Ps.139). A sacramental approach to nature is the key to
the poetic insights of the Psalmist. The humans and other living
beings come together as partners in praising God, the creator.
In a theology of the Sacra mentality of Creation, creation
carries the footprints of Christ. Any disrespect to creation leads
to the defacement of the image of Christ. Therefore, the
pollution of any kind is to be considered as sin against the
Creator and Christ.
Nature is Gods media of communication
In Romans 1:20, St. Paul writes, Ever since the creation of the
world, his (Gods) invisible nature, namely his eternal power
and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have

12|P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 1 5

been made. A search for the unity of all creation will ultimately
lead us to a vision of Gods invisible nature in creation. In a
larger view of religion (i.e. the concept of panentheism-God is
involved in creation, but not identified with the cosmos), we
find a combination of the best of science and the best insights
of religion (Mathai Zachariah) what we need today is an
ecological model of God. This vision alone will give us the
required spirituality for human survival. As nature is an open
book for all to read, man should celebrate diversity in the very
texture of creation. To discover, to appreciate and to promote
the rich diversity in the order of creation takes us to the divine.
The book of Job chapter 12 verses7 and 8 make it clear that
the flora and fauna carry a message for the wellbeing of the
humans (cf. Proverbs 6:6-9).
As plurality is integral to reality, there is always a challenge
before us to live with the knowledge of unity in diversity. The
great theological task before us today is to affirm the unity of
purpose in Gods order of creation. The riddle of the
philosophical question of the one and the many can only be
answered through Ecology. The ecological model of God leads
us to a larger view of religion and religious life .The words of
Cerdric Wright are worth quoting: A tree is a symbol of nonviolence. From its mute form there flows poise in silence, a
lovely sound of motion in response to windTrees do not
scream for attention. A tree has no pretense A tree retains its
deep serenity. It is widely maintained that without an earth
ethics, the possibility of creating world community and peace is
faint (See Larry Rasmussens book Earth Community, Earth
Ethics, WCC 1966). It is a naked truth that the most
oppressed are most intimately connected with nature. For
example dalits are related to the land; tribals to the forests and
fisher folks to the sea. The indigenous community regards
violence against nature as a matter of violations of human
rights. New social conflicts arise out of the frustrations of the
wretched of the earth. The Creation story as depicted in the
book of Genesis makes it clear that land, water and people
belong one cluster of human existence.
Kingdom of God-Call to live with ecological sensitivity
The teaching of Jesus gives us a blue print of
vasudaivakudumbakam with concern for all .In the parable of
the Mustard Seed (St.Mark.4:30-32), there is a divine call to
care for the least and to value the inherent potential of all that
is good and noble. To live in the midst of flora and fauna with
an ecological sensitivity is indeed the celebration of life. For
Jesus, all that is seen and unseen unfold the face of true
humanity in its pristine form. The reference to the Sun and the
rain (Matt.5:45).;the scorching heat and the south
wind(Lk.12:55);the clouds and the showers(Lk.12:54);the earth
and the sky(Lk.12:56);the flashing of light;(Matt.24:27);the rock
and the sand (Matt.7:26); the seeds and the grains(Matt.4:28)the lilies and the grass(Matt.6:28-30); the thorns and the
thistles(Matt.7:16); the figs and the grapes(Matt.7:16); the moth
and the rust (Matt.6:19-20); the sparrows and the
eagles(Matt.10:29); the dogs(Lk.16:21) the fish and the serpent
as well as the scorpions(Lk.11:11); the sheep and the
goats(Matt.25:32). etc are imageries taken by Jesus to illustrate
Gods care of the universe. The eco paradigms in his teachings
of the Kingdom make space for all in the household of God.
The scientific and economic assumption of development is a

myth unless we take into account the ecological dimension of

relationships, which includes the whole cosmos. Therefore it is
to be affirmed that defending the earth is not a project,
defending the earth is a way of life for our corporate survival.

The concerns of the WCC today are geared to a theological

assumption that the world that we seek should be
ecologically sustainable and socially just. This is indeed the
challenge of the Lords Prayer. The kingdom on earth is
conceived as the heaven on earth! The mandate of the 10
Assembly of the WCC at Busan to invite all to join a
pilgrimage towards justice and peace is indeed a call to live
with eco-centric attitude to life.

th

The groaning of creation

A strained relationship in the order of creation is a matter of
violence experienced by the living beings on this planet due
to human activity (see Is.24:4). Globalization with its
financial markets as its engine (Martin Robra) has
contributed to environmental degradation in many ways and
has in fact advocated for a monoculture, which is totally
against the integrity of creation. The sacred writings of
Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam speak of violence meted
out due to greed for wealth, power, glory and pleasure. The
groaning of creation is only symptoms such as floods,
cyclones, earthquakes, droughts, pollution, global warming
etc. The flora and fauna are in birth pangs. They are
groaning because of chemical weapons, atomic power
plants, deforestation, industrial pollution etc. The groaning
is meant to create right relationship in Gods order of
creation and to bring about soukya (well being).In Romans
chapter 8:19ff. St. Paul speaks of the three-fold groaning:
the whole creation groans (19-22); the Christian groans (2325); and the Spirit groans 26-27).The groaning of creation is
for its freedom from the shackles of mortality and to share
the liberty/splendor of the children of God. This is described
in a poetic language. The Holy Spirit is the One Spirit of
God, which is active everywhere, initiates and supports the
search of creation and humanity for the realization of
harmony, justice, freedom and love. This is meant to create
the household of God on earth. Reason and faith have to
play their complementary roles in opening the mind to the
One Mystery who is the creator and sustainer of the
universe. Let us live by the so-called 11th commandment,
Thou shall not invite natures fury by pricking and punching
the earth.
Editors Notre: Rev. Dr. M.J. Joseph, M.Th., D.
Th, is the former Director of the Ecumenical
Christian Centre, Bangalore. He has also
served as Professor and Principal, Mar Thoma
Theological Seminary, Kottayam, India. As a
former member, Faith and Order Commission
of the World Council of Churches, he is widely
known for his ecumenical and ecological
contributions. He has served as Secretary
Board of Theological Education, Senate of Serampore College
(University). He currently serves as Convener, Ecological Commission,
of the Mar Thoma Church. Dr. Joseph has also authored several
articles, poems and books available both in English and Malayalam
languages. E-Mail: drmjjoseph_65@yahoo.co.in.

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Repetition and Recollection

Dr. Zac Varghese, London
The title of this short reflection is based on a
quotation from the Danish Philosopher, Soren
Kierkegaard. In his essay on Repetition he wrote:
Repetition and recollection are same movements,
only in opposite directions; for what is recollected has
been, is repeated backwards, whereas repetition
(properly so called) is recollected forwards. Therefore
repetition, if it is possible, makes a man happy,
whereas recollection makes him unhappy. This is
not an easy quotation to understand because of the
way it is constructed. The important aspect is the
forward and backward movements of memory of
various incidents in ones life. Mere recollection is just
a memory check, possibly a mental exercise.
Forward movement of recollection is an active reenactment of an experience long forgotten. What
does this mean?

One may have a recollection of ones wedding on a

wedding anniversary celebration, but it is a totally
different experience to live out the moment of the
very first meeting of ones lifes soul mate and
partner. Life would be amazing and magical if one
can repeat and live out that beautiful, magnetic,
emotional moment of that first meeting again and
again. This may be also true of the birth of a child
and such experiences. For few, it may be possible to
remember the inexplicable joy of obtaining a perfect
ten during a mathematical exercise or obtaining a first
rank. Our inability to recollect these events in a

forward movement is the beginning of a tension in

many relationships.
Recollection is a journey from here to there, in a
backward direction, a return journey; but repetition is
a journey from there to here and now; it is in the now
we live and love and have our being. It is the magical
transformation of being-for-itself to being-for-others
experience. It is that momentous decision to live
within the life of the other, a lifelong friendship of a
divine kind. It is a forward journey; we are leaping
back to the beginning of time and starting that
journey again. Such experiences are not measured or
remembered in chronological time, but they are
timeless kairos moments.
Greeks have two
understanding about time, chronos and kairos;
chronos is quantitative, measured in seconds,
minutes, and hours; whereas kairos is qualitative; it is
a timeless experience. We forget time when we have
a really good time with a friend. Further, it refers to a
right, perfect moment. We can become a timeless
traveler through chronos time of traveling from here
to those golden perfect moments in our lives. This is
reliving in absolute joyfulness. This what St. Paul
probably had in mind
when he wrote to
Thessalonians, Be joyful always; pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is Gods will
for you in Christ Jesus (1Thessalonians 5: 16).
The point is that it is not possible to embrace the
repetition of an entire life because there are situations
and incidents we may want to forget or edit out. This
editing out is repentance and kneeling on our knees
and asking forgiveness to our God. The good news is
that God in His abundant mercy is always willing to
wipe out these transgressions; it is God who is in
control of the delete button. The redness of our sins
are wiped out with His blood on the Cross to make us
as white as snow, and He gives us the freedom to
start reliving all the golden moments under the grace
of God. It is to this heaven He always invites us to
enter. He is at the door knocking to come in and
share the experience of travelling forward with us. He
is willing and ready to walk with, but are we ready
and willing to walk with Jesus? This sort of
awareness helps us to bring a new life and dimension
into all relationships. This is the Liturgy after the
Liturgy; it is the Eucharistic experience of everyday
living; it is simply and experience of receiving,
thanking, breaking, and sharing. This is indeed the
everyday theology of life.

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Gospel and Culture

Rev. Dr. Valson Thampu, New Delhi
Be you perfect, even as my Father in heaven is perfect (St.
Matthew 5: 48) Jesus was born in a culture, but not as a
culture. He grew up within a culture, but he grew out of it. He
mastered that culture and transcended it. By doing so, he
became a benchmark, for all times, for redeeming culture.
Culture is a domain of imperfection. The dynamism of culture
stems from the neurosis of its imperfection. Culture is in a
state of unending struggle against its own limitations. A
perfect culture has never existed. But every culture has had
pretensions to perfection, even to ultimacy. Perfection,
though a cultural nightmare, is a spiritual imperative.
Jesus of Nazareth was a headache to cultural entities. He
was crucified for endangering the Jewish culture. But his goal
was to renew it (Matt. 5:17). This illustrates the Gospelculture interface. Culture is programmed to decay over time.
There are two telltale signs of religious and cultural decay:
authoritarianism and intolerance.
Authoritarianism denotes the decline of authority. It is controlorientation passing off for authority. It is a form of charade,
sustained by the ignorance of the people. The less
enlightened the people are, the more authoritarian the
leadership they invite. The converse also is true.
Authoritarianism is harmful to people. They embrace or
endure it because they lack understanding. And because
they embrace it, they will never develop any understanding.
The classic expression of authoritarianism is the blind
leading the blind.
Intolerance is endemic in culture. No culture has ever given,
or will ever give, the freedom to its members to question its
core tenets and trends. It is heretical, for instance, to critique
technology today. Technology is the engine of modern
culture. Technology is to the present culture what the Holy
Spirit is to the biblical faith, minus the intolerance that goes
with technology. It is easy, therefore, to know if religion has
ceased to be a spiritual entity and become a mere cultural
establishment. Orthodoxy is culture pretending to be religion.
He who is in Christ Jesus, wrote St. Paul, is a new
creation. These cannot be the words of orthodoxy. New wine
cannot be put, said Jesus, into old wineskins.
The Gospel-culture interface is paradoxical. The paradox is
on account of culture, not of the Gospel. A symbol, wrote an
English critic, has two legs. It stands on one and, with the
other, it kicks the stars. Similar is the difference between
Gospel and culture. Culture, unlike spirituality, stands on both
legs firmly planted on the earth. Or, let me put it in the words
of Jesus. Culture is like a mustard seed kept in a container.
Gospel is like a mustard seed that, being sown, sprouts and
sends its branches to the end of the world. This hyperbolic
growth (the outcome of which is universality) is anathema to
culture. Culture is local. It has well-defined boundaries. It is
fiercely protective of its boundaries. Boundaries, in contrast,
are a liability to the Gospel, which is a tiding of great joy for

all mankind. In the parable of Sheep and Goats, not

receiving strangers is a point of condemnation. How can this
be, unless boundaries are an offence?
It is in this light that we have to see denominationalism. Each
denomination guards its territory like demons guarding
treasures. Denominational boundaries are less porous than
international boundaries. Correspondingly, denominational
poachers are smarter and more persevering than infiltrators.
The paradox of Gospel-culture encounter must now be
addressed. The Gospel must exist within a culture. In that
sense the Gospel could seem to be a subset of culture. This
is assumed as axiomatic in the secular context. But the
Gospel is truly universal. What is parochial cannot be the
Gospel. We could theoretically conceive of parochial editions
of the Gospel. But it will not be the Gospel but mangled
bonsais that by their very existence reject the Gospel. Hence,
the stern warning is given against adding or subtracting a
word from the Word. Hardly anyone realizes, though, that we
do just that all the time.
We are mostly comfortable with the fact that the Gospel
stands rooted in a culture. So, we have Indian Christians,
European Christians, African Christians and so on. But this is
only one-legged Gospel. We have great difficulties with the
other leg of the Gospel: the leg of outreach, the leg that walks
the face of the earth and makes light of man-made walls and
boundaries.
How can you, a Jew, ask of me, a Samaritan, for a drink? is
the classic question. Within a strict cultural matrix, you
cannot. But within a spiritual matrix, you have to because
the cultural matrix cannot understand, much less quench,
your thirst. The Gospel-culture contrast is the contrast
between Jacobs well and Jesus (the living waters). There is
a thirst, which cannot be quenched with the resources of
culture. Culture is not all embracing and must not pretend to
be so. Man does not live by bread alone. Bread is, in a
limited sense, symbolic of cultural resources, but only in a
limited and purblind sense.
The Gospel-culture opposition is a cultural delusion. Bread
for instance is not, in the final analysis, a mere cultural
product. It is a godly gift packaged in cultural wrappings. It is,
as the old prayer recognized, God who brings forth bread to
eat out of the earth. The Earth is, surely, not a cultural
product. It is the stage of culture, but it belongs to the Lord.
God does not disdain culture. Why should He? He validates
culture and intervenes redemptively in the dynamics of
culture. He sent his Son into the Jewish culture in order to
fulfill it. God loves the world (Jn 3. 14). He favors all of
mankind with his rains and every other form of blessings. So,
culture has a place in the plan of the Gospel. The Gospel is
not against culture. But the Gospel is also not an adjunct to
culture. In a sense the Gospel is what culture should have
been; and would have been, but for the fall and the perversity
of human nature it inflicted.

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The Gospel-culture interface is dominated by Mammon.

Jesus knew this only too well. You cannot, he warned, serve
God and Mammon. There you have it, and it cannot be put
more simply or comprehensively. Culture is the kingdom of
Satan, at the gate of which God stands knocking (Rev. 2:20).
It is easy, therefore, to discern if religion has accommodated
itself to culture. All one has to do is to measure the extent to
which Mammon dominates religion. Jesus came without a
shirt on his back. He turned the world right about without a
Denarius budget. Today money is our savior. There are
exceptions, but they are far too few and they are diminishing
too.
So, there are chasms in the Gospel-culture interface. They
have to be crossed, if we are to become Christians. Jesus
invites us, wrote Bonheoffer, to come and die. These
chasms are the ultimate challenge. Reaching the other side
seems tantamount to death. Lacking this courage and
commitment, we manage to reach to the threshold, at best, of
nominal Christianity.
This was the problem with Nicodemus. He was eager. He
came. But he came, like a poignant confession. Why do you
think he came at night? (Think of the irony of it. Jesus is the
light. And he wants to meet him at night! As though the best
time to meet the sun is the dead of night.) Jesus saw through
it in a flash. So he said Nicodemus had to be born again. He
was too deeply embedded in culture, in Judaism. Culture
does not kill our spiritual urges; it only paralyses it.

irreducible mystery. No man has authority over it. Such

authority belongs to God, and God alone.
A Christian is obliged to be discerning. There is no place for
prejudice in our discipline. We must understand culture
without the colored glasses of preconceptions. Culture is
immensely valuable, even though extremely limited.
(Whatever is wholly useless cannot be diabolic!) Culture is a
product of time and, like all else that exists in time, will perish
with time. But the Gospel of Jesus will endure. This
imperishability has its root elsewhere than culture. The
Gospel has the resources, as well as mission, to redeem
culture. Culture, especially in its advanced stages of
degeneration, could easily mistake this to be interference or
subversion. The wafer-thin distinction between redeemers
and anarchists could be lost on culture. It often is. No
prophet, said our Lord, is without honor, except among his
own people. Prophets and reformers will be stoned to death.
From the perspective of culture, Crucifixion was, is and will
be, imperative. Jesus will be crucified again and again. Else,
he would not have had to resurrect. Why else did he say, do
you think, I am with you always? It is a statement of the
willingness, and the acknowledgement of the need, to be
crucified again and again.

That is why there is art in culture. Art is the outlet for the
sublime. The sublime cannot be accommodated, routinely, in
the framework of culture. It has to be canonized and
assigned safe grottos. Art is some such. In religion we have
worship and fellowship. We have Sundays. We have the gifts
of the Spirit (but not the fruit of the Spirit!). All these belong to
the art of Christianity. This is not bad, but not sufficient.
God is Spirit, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, and they
that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. (Jn. 4:
24). The Samaritan woman knew the Gospel, if you like, as
art. Art must have its stages and galleries. The temple on
Mount Gerizim, like the Jerusalem temple, or our churches,
simple or grand, are such stages and galleries. The spirit
and truth part cannot be confined thereto. The Spirit blows,
Jesus said to Nicodemus, where it pleases. The Spirit
knows no stage or gallery. Or, life is the gallery of the Spirit.
The authentic artistic expression of the Gospel is life in all its
fullness (Jn. 10: 10).
While we are on the subject of life, let me say this. Culturally
life is a physical entity, which gets incorporated into
demography. You become one among many. The more you
conform the better it is. But this is a lie! Every new life is a
new expression of the inexhaustible possibilities that God
has written into creation. This is far too complex for culture
even to take cognizance of. Culture must function in terms of
types and stereotypes. Individual uniqueness is too much of
a burden, a sort of cultural puzzle. But this is the foremost
redeeming feature of our species. We are not, thank God,
clones and carbon copies. We are unique. That is why the
Bible says God calls us by our names. Life is, in the end, an

The Cross is the mediator between Gospel and culture. It is

laden with the paradox thereof. Materially, the cross is only a
cultural product; but not so the Cross. It stands in culture, but
goes light years beyond culture. This is the challenge of the
Cross. What did Jesus mean when he said, If anyone would
come after me he must deny himself, take up my cross and
follow me.? It means, please consider, something like this. A
Christian a disciple of Jesus- has to exist within a cultural
context but has to transcend the limitations of his/her culture.
The cross of culture has to become, through the life of a
Christian, the Cross of the Gospel. That is how we become
witnesses. In comparison, it is such a cheap and dishonest
thing to degrade the Cross into an ornament or insignia of

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ecclesial authority. The Cross is not to be worn, but to be

taken up. To take up the Cross is to walk and to follow.
Everything else is a cultural charade.

Enrichment of Women in Church

Activities of the Diocese

I do not know whether to laugh or cry when people sound or

look shell shocked at the hostile reactions to their
evangelistic enterprises from the world out there. Did they
expect a rousing reception? Instant popularity? Ready
reception? Did they expect the slaves of culture to applaud
the exposition of principles utterly contrary to the very
foundation of their life? If they had this grandeur of the spirit,
they would not have been slaves of the far country in the
first place. We must expect hostility and persecution. But we
must ensure that we are reviled and persecuted for Christs
sake and not for our insensitivity or parochial stupidity.
One last question and I am done.

Nirmala Abraham, Philadelphia MTC

What, do you think, should be the outcome of our outreach?

Conversion? What do we mean by conversion? Have you
read what Jesus said about conversion? (He spoke only
once! Read chapter 23 of the Gospel of St. Matthew.) Follow
me, said Jesus of Nazareth, and I will make you fishers of
men. (Mk.1: 16-18). Culture knows fishers of fish but not
fishers of men. Those who, in culture, catch men catch
them like fish. Or, men become fish in the markets of culture.
Except for their godliness, that is.

Migration to North America - A Historical Perspective: A small

number of Mar Thoma women came for higher studies in the
early sixties. In the late sixties, with the passage of new
Immigration laws in the United States, a large number of Kerala
women migrated here due to the availability of jobs in the health
care field. The pioneers were brave enough to face the totally
different culture, racial prejudices and long hours of work. In a
book recently published by Sheela George titled When Women
Come First, it is stated: this migration created a major transition
in the gender roles of Kerala families. These pioneers were
primarily instrumental in bringing more family members to North
America. As the number of Mar Thoma families grew, the need
for organized Church also grew. It is fair to give tribute to these
early settlers, especially our women, who financially supported
the establishment and building of the Mar Thoma parishes in
North America, Canada and Europe in the seventies and
eighties.

There is a story of a man who went round recruiting

members for the Italian Fascist party in the 1920s. He
accosted a rural fellow and urged him to join the Fascist
Party. How can I? he protested. My father was a Socialist.
My grandfather was a Socialist. How can I join the Fascist
party? What strange logic is this, retorted the Fascist
recruiter. Suppose your father was a murder and your
grandfather too was a murder. Then.. Ah, then, the
rural fellow said at once, I would join your party readily.
Is it possible to preach the Gospel without motivations of
recruitment? Like casting your bread upon the waters (Eccl.
11.1). Like sowing the seeds. Like casting the two mites into
the temple treasury. Like addressing the winds saying, He
who has to hear let him hear. Like the Lost Son (Lk. 15), we
have strayed into far country. We are too deeply embedded
in culture. We are filling our stomachs with the fodder for
pigs, bought, no doubt, from glittering super bazaars with
almighty credit cards. But, in respect of the thirst of our souls,
we are in the company of pigs. And hunger is snarling in our
souls. He who drinks this water, Jesus said to the
Samaritan woman, will thirst again and again. He who eats
this food, likewise. Come home, says the Father. The fatted
calf is killed. The Feast is ready.
It is a Feast that goes beyond bread. Life is nothing, if not a
Feast.
Rev. Valson Thampu is an educator,
theologian, Principal of St. Stephen's
College, Delhi. He is an ordained
minister of Church of North India and a
member of the National Minorities
Commission in India and Delhi Minorities
Commission. He can be reached on his
email address at vthampu@gmail.com

The history of the Mar Thoma Church like any other

denomination of the East will undoubtedly reveal the commitment
and dedication of the women from all walks of life. From the time
of its inception, women have played a significant role in defining
the ethos of the Church. As the church membership grew and
spread to other countries across the oceans, including our
Diocese, the womens contributions became even greater.
Women have truly enriched the Mar Thoma Church at the local,
diocesan, ecumenical and global level. What follows are my
thoughts as I reflect on the four decades of my lifes journey in
the USA.

Upholding the Spirituality in the Church Community - Prayer with

Action: Women have traditionally given great spiritual support to
the church and the family. During times of major illness, death
and other crisis, women have gathered to support one another
through prayer and action. Many women have served as
mentors to younger women. Since the majority of our women
work in the medical field, they have helped many church
members during times of health crisis such as providing relevant
information on medical coverage, associated health benefits,
preventive care, after care and other valuable information.
Leadership Roles and Participation in National and Global
Organizations - Net Working with the Mainline Churches and
Organizations: Mar Thoma women have provided key leadership
roles in international meetings such as the World Council of
Churches (WCC), the United Nations Conference for Women in
Beijing in 2005 etc. They have represented the Mar Thoma
Church at national boards of organizations such as World Day of
Prayer, Church Women United, and the Episcopal Womens
group for Women of Color. Mar Thoma women continue to serve
as delegates to WCC and the National Council of the Churches
of Christ in the USA (NCCC-USA). They have also taken an
active role in securing membership in NCCC-USA and Church
Women United. A team of Mar Thoma women who attended the
Church Women United Leadership meeting in Puerto Rico were
responsible for planning and forming the first National Sevika
Sanghom Conference in Dallas fifteen years ago. The initiative
and efforts behind this conference is a reflection of the vision and
prayerful action of our women. (Contd. on Page 24)

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Christ and Culture

Rev. Dr. K. A. Abraham
Human beings are basically cultural entities. Decent
behaviors, refined language, healthy male and female
relationship, reverence towards the old and differentlyabled self-understanding etc., are all culture- ridden
aspects. In the words of S. Kappen, culture is the organic
whole of ideas, beliefs, values and goals, which condition
the thinking, and acting of a particular community. Culture
finds expression in ethics, philosophy, art, cult, myths, law
etc. In a way, these are all culture systems. Religion is the
substance of culture; culture is the form of religion.(Paul
Thillich). More than food, dress and life style, culture
involves ones thought-forms and communal life.
Basic components of culture
Every culture has three dimensions: value system, worldview and symbol system. This needs some clarification.
I Value system
All values are caught; they are never taught. Values are
basically two-fold: instrumental and intrinsic. Our lives have
both these values: e.g., our family status, job, and
education, social positions-all belong to the instrumental,
whereas our character, lifestyle, commitment, and faith life
etc., comprise of the intrinsic. When we make choices in
life, especially when we look for a life-partner, which are the
dominant criteria?
II World-view

to understand their master. When Jesus approaches them

in the midst of a crisis, the immediate response surprisingly
is It is a demon and screamed with fear! This shows that
the disciples were enslaved by a cultural myth, which says
that the ocean is the citadel of evil and satanic powers,
which is not within the purview of Gods salvific regime.
Biblical scholars would say that the purpose of this nature
miracle of Jesus was to challenge this myth and to prove
his sovereignty over the whole creation.
III Symbols
There are verbal as well as non-verbal symbols and in all
cultures and special meanings are attributed to certain
symbols: e.g. Right hand side is considered to be good and
left hand side is considered to be bad. Even we say that
Gods right hand side symbolizes life and salvation and left
symbolizes condemnation and judgment (Mtt.25:31-46).
Based on this literal understanding of the Bible, in Kerala
aborted attempts are made by parents to change the left
handlers to the right! The girls are mostly the sufferers here
and the justification is that they are to serve on tables. (As if
boys cant serve on tables at home and buffo wont work!).
Cultural context of the Bible
Biblical scholars tell us that that several of the JewishChristian festivals such as the Passover, festival of booths,
Christmas, Pentecost etc. are influenced by the Ancient
West Asian and Greeco-Roman Culture .We have
reference to such influences in Pauline Letters. Deep
cultural influences can be traced both within the Western
developments in Theology and the Indian Christian
Theology. Those who are familiar with the movement of
Enlightenment and Reformation cant ignore the
contributions of Martin Luther, Schleirmacher, Ritschel and
others.
Ever since its inception, Christian theology developed
within a cultural matrix; both in the West and in the East.
The early Patristic theologians used Greek culture its
categories and thought forms to communicate Christian
faith to the extent that some critics would find some kind of
a Hellenization of Christian faith in their system. Indian
Christian theologians have used the Indian philosophy and
its categories in their theological endeavor.
Negation of the idolatrous elements of the market

All of us are born within a particular cultural milieu. Our

world-view gives us certain myths and meaning systems. A
Biblical example is Mtt.14: 22-35 where the disciples fail

We have to distinguish between the God of life and the

idols of death in our post-modern culture. An idol is that
which blocks our ultimate loyalty to the God of life. All idols
of the OT were symbols of power (e.g. Baal). Let us remind
ourselves that an irreconcilable antagonism between the
God of life and the idolatry of wealth is at the core of biblical
ethics (Mtt. 6:24). The crucial question is whether we can
promote the values of the Kingdom of God such as love,
peace, justice, righteousness, fellowship and compassion
in the context of an onslaught of the values of the market

18|P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 1 5

such as profit,
confrontation?

competition,

success,

pleasure

and

Enfleshment of the Word in culture

Niebuhrs monumental work in this field highlights five
areas:

Christ against culture

This was the norm during the colonial period. For
example; the so-called White mans burden!
Hendrick Kramers Christian mission in a nonChristian world, written for the Tambaram
conference of W.C.C in India (1938) is a typical
example of this approach.
Christ of culture
The principle of accommodation, the dominant
Roman Catholic missionary approach is the result
of this attitude. For example, Robert DeNobilis
work; identifying himself as a Hindu sanyasi and
so on.
Christ above culture
This is a condescending attitude, which always
looks down upon the indigenous cultures and
traditions.
Christ and culture in paradox
No one can fully understand or explain how Christ
works in a culture. In other words, Christs
presence in a culture can be in subtle ways. Christ
and culture are seemingly opposite realities; yet at
the very core they tend to be cohesive.
Christ the transformer of culture
The word became flesh and dwelt among
us(Jn.1:14) is the biblical basis for a Christian
perspective on culture. John gives us the
Christological significance of the Logos, which is a
dominant theme in Greek Philosophy .In the
Philosophy of Heraclitus, Logos is the impersonal
cosmic principle, which is intangible and
incomprehensible. We have reference to this in
Acts.17: 23.

Dominant culture and counter cultures

In the Indian context, the Brahmanical culture is considered
to be the dominant one and the tribal, dalit, sub-altern as
the protest ones. The main attempt of the Hindutva in India
is to glorify the dominant culture and to subjugate the
smaller cultural traditions. Very subtle attempts are made in
different areas such as the Indian Science Congress,
Indian Council of Historical Review, School text book
revisions etc. In the words of Dr. K.N. Panikkar and Romila
Tapar, well known historians of ancient India, these are
nothing but the saffronisation of Indian history.
The colonial era was marked by conquests, occupations
and subjugations .Colonialism was certainly dependent
upon the use of force and physical coercion at different
levels. Even after the demise of imperialism, the so-called
colonization of the mind remains with us. An important
post- colonial task is to challenge the prevailing hegemonic
assumptions, deterministic attitudes and to participate in
decolonizing the mind at all levels.

The postcolonial narratives on the whole try to decolonize

the enslaving cultural myths, ideologies and legacy
of
the colonial era. This is a process of disengagement from
the whole colonial enterprise. Though the latter half of the
20th century witnessed the independence of several
countries, the mindset of the colonized didnt undergo much
change.
Native culture and Diaspora culture
Diaspora is a term that is used to describe the dispersed
people and finds its expression in the Bible. It literally
means scattered and today it is widely used in academic
circles and popular writings to refer to globally dispersed
communities (Sam Mathew, Malayali Diaspora).
Three approaches can be found among the Malayali
Diaspora in U.S:

Glorification of the native culture at the expense of

the Diaspora context. This results in the
authoritarian attitudes of parents, especially with
regard to dress patterns, family set up, choice of
partners etc. This author even found parents in
U.S who would educate their children in Kerala so
that they may not be contaminated by the
Diaspora culture!
Glorification of the disport culture at the expense
of the native culture. Everything that is native
/Indian is bad and uncritical acceptance of the
given situation is the norm here.
Interpenetration of cultures. The basic approach
here is that all cultures have life-affirming as well
as life-negating elements. What matters is our
choice and discernment.

Conclusion
No culture is static. We shouldnt absolute any culture.
There is no Christian culture per se. We have to
underscore the interpenetration of cultures. Cultural
domination, absolutist claims for a particular culture are all
anachronistic. Homogenization of culture shouldnt exist.
Diversity is within the plan of God. Hence, we need to
highlight a conglomeration of cultures.
In conclusion, let me quote a prayer from the Collects of the
Uniting Church in Australia, which is relevant for all
cultures:
In the midst of hunger and war, we celebrate the promise of
plenty and peace;
In the midst of oppression and tyranny, we celebrate the
promise of service and freedom;
In the midst of doubt and despair, we celebrate the promise
of faith and hope;
In the midst of fear and betrayal, we celebrate the promise
of love and life;
In the midst of sin and decay, we celebrate the promise of
salvation and renewal;
In the midst of death on every side, we celebrate the
promise of the living Christ.

19|P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 1 5

Review Article - Joyful Vocation of a Teacher

Autobiographical reflections on life and teachings By Dr. T. M. Thomas (USA)
Published by CSS, Tiruvalla, April 2011, pages 276+ Price Rs.150/$15
Rev. Dr. M. J. Joseph, Kottayam
I am immensely pleased in
introducing the above book,
Joyful Vocation of a Teacher,
under another caption The
feast of life. Life is meant to
be
celebrated
at
the
grassroots level. A life well
lived for God and for
humankind
makes
it
beautiful. This is a God-given
mandate for everybody. We
should not live to die, but we
should die to live. This is
possible, if we are rooted in
age old values such as
satyam (truth), sivam(order)
and sundram (beauty).
Spiritual values like dedication, passion, courage, commitment,
ethics, humility, excellence, gratitude, love, and Godawareness etc. make life something beautiful for God. In a
nutshell, this is the message of the book, Joyful Vocation of a
Teacher by Dr. T. M. Thomas.
Let me begin the scanning of the book with the story of the visit
of a King to the great Zen Master, Lin Chi. He was astonished
to learn that 10,000 inmates were there. Wanting to know the
exact number of the monks, the King asked, How many
disciples do you have? The Lin Chi replied: 4 or 5 at the
very most! This is the case in all the professions whether
secular or religious. After reading the book, and the comments
of his colleagues, friends and well-wishers such as Dr. Allen
Cook, Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius, Dr. Zacharias Mar
Theophilus, Dr. Richard C. Harper and his long-time associates
or friends, Dr. Thomas Joseph, Dr. Abraham Thomas, Dr.
Thomas Koshy, Dr. David R. Conrad, Dr. Nelson Ngoh, Dr.
Cathy Rice, Mathew P. George, Rev. Joseph Johney, Rev. Biju
P. Simon, Rev. Ninu Chandy and Merlyn Rajan, and Dr. V. T.
Samuel, I conclude without a ray of doubt that Dr. T. M.
Thomas is a teacher with a difference and there is no copy
for him in the professional field. The philosophy of life as
written in the book such as commitment to knowledge and
wisdom, care and concern for others and the goal to become
part of life beyond (p.32) makes this work the crown of his
creative works as rightly said by Mar Zacharias.(p.18)
Winners dont do different things. They do things Differently
(Shiv Khera, Living with Honour) It is better to be honourable
than to be honoured. The author makes it clear that God does
not call the qualified, but he qualifies the one whom he called.
His movement from Perumbavoor to Bridgeport (rather from
the East to the West) is an act of grace, which equipped him to
handle real-life situations. It was really an educational
pilgrimage, which enabled Dr. Thomas to make a bridge
between Athens and Jerusalem (?) The three-month trip

undertaken by the author to the length and breadth of US had

indeed widened his knowledge. No life ever grows until it is
focused, dedicated and disciplined. The life and teaching of Dr.
Thomas drive us to make a right assessment of modern life
as said in an anonymous message I read, The paradox of our
time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter
tempers; wider freeways but narrower view points; we spend
more but have less; we buy more but enjoy less In a
consumerist culture with its philosophy of exploitation,
manipulation and competition, Dr. Thomas holds (of) a flag of
his own with the sayings simplify your life, choose less and
buy truth. Our lives are to be like rivers, not reservoirs, like
channels and not cisterns, if one has to celebrate the feast of
life As his friend Dr. David R. Conrad remarks in the book,
service to students, colleagues, and his Mar Thoma Church
has brought dividends in his life. Dr. Thomas knew that
service is the rent we pay for our room on earth. The
credibility of the book lies in the obedience of the author as
found in Psalm 102:18Write down for the coming generation
what the Lord has done so that people not yet born will praise
him. He has tuned the Fest of life with the vibrations of his
head and heart. As Rev. Joseph Johney puts it, in this treasury
of Memoirs, there is a beautiful blending of autobiographical
sketches, educational principles and a philosophy of life
(p.273).
The book consists of 6 parts dealing with the authors creative
engagement in the wider spectrum of life. Part I, Stage of my
life, part II High School Teaching, Part II Preparation for
College Teaching, Part IV Full-time College Teaching, Part
V, College Work in Four Categories, and Part VI, Reflecting
on Teaching in Retirement: Some Central Questions carry
several sub-titles and critical comments on the professional
purists of the author. In the early part of the book, the author
sails in the Perumbavoorship and then finds his lodge in the
Bridgeport ship for 33 years! The author always carries a
nostalgic feeling as an immigrant from the land of coconuts! It
is indeed great that the man behind the book remembers and
visits his first grade teacher in Kuriannor, Saramma, whenever
he came to his native village. In his job search, there is a
period of joy, and sorrow. Untimely death of his mother and the
death of his father at the age of 62 have cast deep wounds in
his psyche. But he took courage in the words of St. Paul,
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich;
having
nothing,
and
yet
possessing
everything
(2Cor.610).The purpose driven life of a veteran teacher will
be written on the sands of time in innumerable ways. A good
deed done is never lost and it becomes the universal property
of humankind. A unique worldview is evident in the writings of
his memoirs, comments Dr. Cathy Rice. As Dr. V. T. Samuel, a
long-time friend of Dr. Thomas, has rightly remarked, the
author has immensely helped the growth of his mother Church
Mar Thoma in the US with the production of teaching materials
for Sunday school children there. His successful teaching
methods depend on his knowledge of the subject, pedagogical

20|P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 1 5

skills and his people oriented approach.. As a role model, Dr.

Thomas has left his footprints on the sands of time (Merlyn
Rajan). A brilliant book, under the title, In the Beginning (CSS,
2008) edited by Dr. Thomas and Abraham Mattackal speak of
the formative years of the Mar Thoma parishes in North
America. As a Church history resource material the book is a
valuable contribution in creating records for the Mar Thoma
Church in North America(Mar Chrysostom).
In a chronological setting, the author takes us to the different
phases of his teaching career right from Ashram High school
Perumbavoor to America. Wherever possible he makes a
comparative study of learning in Kerala and in America. In a
spirit of humility, the author gives credit to his seniors and
mentors with praise and thanksgiving. In his early part of
teaching, Dr. Thomas was not just a biology teacher. He also
taught English language. He writes, I was holding on to the
principle of equal treatment of all students giving due
consideration to the needy or ignored(p.75).At an early period
of
his teaching career, the author started writing and
publishing articles which he continued throughout his life(19532010)..The publication of the author listed on pages 262-264
under academic publications, Church related materials and
selected general articles and book reviews, bear testimony to
his scribal skill The author speaks of his progressive growth in
academic life and other pursuits due to the abiding presence of
God in his life. He coins a word, God incidence to explain the
guidance of God throughout his former and later years. I am
sure the author will subscribe to the prophetic truth of life as
found in Jer.29:11: For I know the plans I have for you, plans
for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and hope.
Chapter 11 &12 do not have the flow, which I have noted in the
earlier sections. The author confesses that it is more of an
essay. I am afraid the style of autobiography is diminished at
this cross road, but the contents of the sections regarding his
ALL America Tour (1963-64) are worth reading. The authors
travelogue will be a mine of information for one who goes for
on a See America Ticket. I also did such a tour in 1994 in a
very small way moving only in the boundary states of the US. I
wonder why the author has not given a brief sketch of his
travels outside India and the US. Chapters 13 &14 give us an
account of his Boston experience Both the chapters are too
descriptive in which he had discussed two spheres of his life
family concerns and academic pursuits.
Chapter 15 is a recollection of his social bonding. The author
writes: The circle of close friends was widened after we
moved from Springfield to the greater New York area. I do
admire the capacity of Dr. Thomas and Mrs. Thomas to win
friends around the globe. I have had my first experience of
staying with Dr. Thomas and family in 1974 and 2006.The
social bonding takes place through the extension of hospitality
to their friends and strangers. The family stands in the tradition
of Abraham and Sarah! I have kept my friendship with Dr.
Thomas all through these years in close and distant quarters.
In my autobiography (Malayalam, Ormakalude Theruveedhiyil,
CSS, Dec.2010), I have also mentioned about 300 persons in
the book by name. Dr. Thomas and I move in the same
direction in this regard. Chapter 16 deals with an overview of
teaching at the University of Bridgeport for 35 years. He
qualifies this period as the best of times and the worst of
times. It is indeed great that he continues to keep in touch

with UB even after his retirement.(p.175).In Chapter 17, he

accepted the ecumenical axiom, think globally and act
locally in communicating his perspectives on education. He
thus speaks of his college work in Four Categories. In chapter
18, the author seems to be a versatile genius! It is indeed
noteworthy that he had donated most of his books to the Indian
libraries where he had contacts. This is indeed a noble gesture
of a good professor, which could be imitated by others. I am
indeed happy to note that Dr. Thomas gives credit to his lifepartner, Annamma (Sahadharmini} for her supportive role in his
mission. In Chapter 19, the author creates a lasting impression
on us as a researcher and author of books. His Church related
publications are indeed sources of information for the origin of
the Mar Thoma Church in the US.I congratulate the author for
his keeping a record of his early writings (p.202). Chapter 20,
carries a covetable title, Sabbatical leaves and visiting
professor (pp.203-215) .His Sabbatical pilgrimage did not
receive much appreciation in his family circles including his pet
Dog, Duke Thomas (p.214).! Chapter 21, entitled Services to
the University: Duties during UB Strike, should have found a
place elsewhere. The social commitment of the author is
vividly brought in chapter 22.The contribution of the author to
the on- going ministry of the Mar Thoma Church in the US is
laudable. Chapter 23, Retired Life and Aging in America, is a
good analysis of his reflections on certain fundamental
questions of life in individual and corporate categories. The
author writes: Retirement is the time when we raise questions
about meaning and significance by relating to God for which
we need more time for meditation and prayer.(p.241) Chapter
24, dealing with Religion and Education in America; Becoming
a Christian Teacher does not truly belong to an
autobiographical narrative. Instead, the author could very well
classify chapters 24&25 under his general concerns in a
separate section. Dr. Thomas writes: Both the chapters 24
&25 are connected because they represented my two life
commitments, one to Christian education and the other to
general education, especially my dedication to the profession
or calling of teaching (p.260).I wish the author had placed
them under another part, say, VII.. The section dealing with
Awards and Recognition for Service Activities are indeed
monuments of his Feast of life(pp.262-264).Words
of
appreciation under the section ,Comments and Opinions, have
been referred to earlier. The photos, 31 in number, also tell
volumes to us and they form an integral part of the
autobiography of a person. In the photo album, Dr. Thomas
leaves a legacy for the future generation. One should say with
a loud voice, It is because of you, what I am here today.
The book is a true account of a scholar who has contributed
much to the Church and to the society in general. It is worth
reading and I am sure that it will be appreciated by the
academics and Church people. In the treasury of books
(secular and religious), the autobiographical sketch of Dr.
Thomas under the title Joyful Vocation of a Teacher, will add
its fragrance to other books and human lives.
I wish the author all the best. May the Lord enable him to be
creative even in the far end of his life.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from
the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the
shifting shadows. (James 1:17).

21|P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 1 5

The Impact of International Migration on Home Churches:

The Mar Thoma Syrian Christian Church in India
(Article by Prema Kurien in, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 2014. 53(1):109129)
REVIEW by Jesudas M. Athyal
(Continuation from the January 2015 issue)
Demographic and social changes in the lives of the people
contributed significantly to shaping a decentralized pattern of
administration in the Mar Thoma Church. While Kurien points
out that power is concentrated in the various Constitutional
bodies located at the headquarters of the Church in Tiruvalla,
Kerala, it needs to be noted that the Constitution of the
Church also provides for a de-centralized structure where
considerable power and responsibilities are delegated to the
various regional and local bodies, at the Diocesan and parish
levels as well. This is especially true with regard to the
parishes in North America where policies that are in tune with
the mission of the Church and which suit the local situations
have been adopted. Except for the transfer of the clergy and
the bishops, virtually all the other decisions pertaining to the
Church in the United States are taken by the appropriate
bodies within the country. While immigrants continue to affirm
their cultural roots in Kerala, one must, therefore, be cautious
in over-emphasizing the centralized administrative structure of
the Church.
The practice of sending clergy from Kerala for the ministry in
America that Kurien discusses in her article (The Mar Thoma
Achens, posted abroad for relatively short terms, faced
several demands for which they were poorly prepared. These
included living and working in a new environment, driving long
distances, coping with different accents, dealing with the
hectic schedules of their members, and understanding the
problems of immigrants. ) is a real problem but is likely to
change in the future. The policy of the Church for over a
decade now has been to groom Marthomites of American
origin for the long term ministry here by encouraging them to
go for theological studies and be ordained as clergy, to serve
the region of North America on a long term basis. The number
of clergy coming from India, consequently, is likely to be on
the decrease as the Church increases the number of ordained
ministers from this land. Already ten such members of the
clergy work here and more US- born young people are in the
training for ordination. Even now the selection is done locally
and is reported to the Church. The Diocese is also currently
considering training the candidates in America. The leadership
of the Church seems to be committed to promoting this policy
elsewhere too, as people from different backgrounds
(Singapore, Malaysia, USA, Middle East, UK and the different
language areas of India) are being trained for the ordained
ministry of the Church.
1

1PremaKurien.TheImpactofInternationalMigrationon
HomeChurches:
TheMarThomaSyrianChristianChurchinIndiainthe
JournalfortheScienticStudyofReligion.2014.53(1).p.
115(Subsequentpagenumberscitedinthisreviewrefers
tothisarticle).

These changes by the administration of the Church at the

policy level have been necessitated by social changes that
have been visible among the members of the Church. Roughly
one in every three marriages of Marthomites conducted in
America today is to non-Marthomites, many of them
Caucasians and people of other ethnic backgrounds. And,
parishioners of these diverse ethnic-national identities pepper
the worship services on Sunday mornings. The presence of a
large number of Marthomites who migrated to the U.S. from
outside-Kerala contexts, combined with the increasing
number of American-born people of Indian origin (Kurien calls
them the second generation that is often overlooked by the
leadership of the Church who favor the Malayalam-speaking
migrants who were its most loyal members and its financial
base ), now constitute the majority of members in many
parishes, provide the major source of financial support for the
Church and hold leadership positions at the local and
diocesan levels, thus setting in motion a process of change
that is likely to re-define the very structure and policies of the
Church. By its very nature, the Church should be open to
accommodate people and embrace the changes that are
required in the constitution of the Church. The addition of new
members from different language and cultural backgrounds to
the Church seems to be the logical step within such a
theological framework.
2

Changes at the structural and demographic levels have led to

a process of bringing in contextual changes in the liturgy as
well. While Kurien points out that the liturgy had been
translated into English as a concession to the children
growing up outside Kerala who are often not fluent in
Malayalam , that situation too is now rapidly changing. During
the last two years, all the liturgical chants in the Malayalam
language, that were earlier present also in the English liturgy,
have been replaced with appropriate chants in the English
language thus making the service 100% in English. And,
regular worship services in English, which was earlier an
occasional concession to the children, is now mandatory for
all the parishes in North America. A related significant change
was the selection of Altar Boys and Covenant Girls from
3

2P.119
3P.114

4ThechantswerenottranslatedfromMalayalambut

composedintheEnglishlanguage,intheAmerican
context,forthisspecificpurpose.
5GeevargheseMarTheodosius,thecurrentdiocesan
bishop,whohasbeenspearheadingamovementto
contextualizetheliturgyandprogramsoftheDiocese,
statedrecentlythatoutofthe50HolyCommunion
serviceshehadledinthevariousparishesofNorth
AmericaandEuropeduring2013,onlyfourwere
celebratedinMalayalamandtherestwereinEnglish.

22|P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 1 5

among the members of the parishes in North America to assist

the celebrant during the Holy Communion service. The
Diocesan Council is also considering acknowledging Lay
leaders from among the new generation, and provides them
with training to provide leadership here. Liturgical revision and
diversification, to go along with these changes, seems to be
going ahead at a small but steady pace.
Headquarters and Branches
The Indian roots of the Mar Thoma churches in America are
unmistakable; yet, one must be cautious in describing MTC as
an institution with branches around the world and having a
highly centralized structure. In the article, the author enters
into a detailed discussion of an administrative pattern where
power is concentrated in the Prathinidhi Mandalam (the
representative assembly of the Church) and the other
Constitutional bodies located at the headquarters in Tiruvalla,
Kerala. It is further stated that as branches, the Mar Thoma
parishes around the world function as centers to generate
financial and other resources for the headquarters of the
Church. The reality, however, is more nuanced. The Mar
Thoma Church, while having a centralized organization,
always found room for de-centralization by way of appointing
Board of Trustees in different countries, Board of Missions in
different language areas and providing by-laws for the
localized administration of organizations. The by-laws that are
in place in the Diocese of North America and Europe is an
example. The Council of the Mar Thoma Parishes in Europe
(COMPE) is an umbrella organization for the parishes in that
region. All the parishes in the Diocese are locally registered
entities. Currently, the Diocese is considering regional
registrations to make the ministry and mission of the Church
more relevant and effective at the State and Federal levels.

Dioceses priorities and these are being carried out in a nonsectarian manner, as essentially American programs. The
parishes too have their own programs and priorities. Many
have Neighborhood Mission, conducted in an ecumenical
spirit, in partnership with the local (non-Indian) churches. It is
important to note that 90% of the financial resources raised by
Mar Thoma parishes in North America are used within this
region, mainly for these programs. As such, there is a grave
danger in seeing the parishes as mere branches that exist to
generate financial resources for the Church in Kerala. No
doubt, a certain amount of Kerala-influence will linger on in
MTC in America; however, that is unlikely to be primarily for
economic reasons.
Transnational linkages for immigrant groups are unmistakable
and there is no doubt that various ethnic and linguistic groups
will continue to co-exist in the Mar Thoma Church too. Yet,
such linkages are more than those between the
headquarters and branches with the latter existing
primarily to support the structure and programs of the former.
Just as the Greek Orthodox Church in America is today more
American than Greek, as the African Methodist Episcopal
Church is more American than African, the Mar Thoma Church
in America too is set on a path that is more indigenous, local
and authentic, even as the Church continues to retain
significant historic and traditional links with India and liturgical
links with the Syrian heritage. Philipose Mar Chrysostom
locates this distinction in the context of the theological
direction of the Church: the Mar Thoma Church in America
and the American Mar Thoma Church ought to be different
The Mar Thoma Church in Kerala and the Mar Thoma Church
in Chennai or Delhi should not be the same. I mean the
Church is the same, but the expression should vary if it
belongs to the Church. Michael Kinnamon, in his capacity as
the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in
USA, too affirmed this reality from an American perspective:
The NCC members do not think of the Mar Thoma Church as
an Indian Church with branch office in America, but as an
American church with deep roots in India. The Mar Thoma
Church is a global Church now sharing the heritage in different
countries and at the same time growing on the local areas
with the diversified manifestations of its nature.
Conclusion
The New-generation Churches and their impact on the youth
and others in the Church that the author points out , are real,
but the extent and scope of such impact needs to be closely
scrutinized. In his study of Christian fundamentalism and
Communication in India, Pradip Thomas too had argued that
such Christian groups are creating genuine challenges for the
aspirations of pluralist societies, particularly in the South.
6

6JesudasAthyal&JohnThatamanil(ed.).Metropolitan

The decentralization of power in MTC in North America has a

significant impact on the programs and policies of the Church
as well with regard to the allocation of funds. The Diocese of
North America has identified a number of outreach programs
where considerable amount of human and material resources
are being invested. The mission work in Mexico, among the
Native Americans and India Mission are central to the

ChrysostomonMissionintheMarketplace(Tiruvalla:CSS,2002.p.
119.
7Quotedin,JesudasAthyal:BeyondtheDiaspora:Challenges
andConcernsbeforetheMarThomaChurchin,MarThoma
Church:IdentityandMissionintheContextofMultiplicityedited
byRev.K.E.GeevargheseandDr.MathewT.Thomas(NewYork:
DioceseofNorthAmericaandEurope,2014).pp.9293.
8P.123.
9PradipThomas.StrongReligion,ZealousMedia:Christian
FundamentalismandCommunicationinIndia.LosAngeles,
London,NewDelhi,Singapore:SAGEPublications,2008.

23|P a g e F O C U S A p r i l 2 0 1 5

While disillusionment with the established structures is a

global phenomenon, it can, perhaps, be stated that in
comparison to the traditional American churches, the Indian
immigrant faith communities continue to be rich in
membership and dynamism. Soong-Chan Rah cites one
example: In 1970, the city of Boston was home to about 200
churches. Thirty years later, there were 412 churches. The net
gain in the number of churches was in the growth of the
number of churches in the ethnic and immigrant communities.
While only a handful of churches in 1970 held services in a
language other than English, thirty years later, more than half
of those churches held services in a language other than
English.. Even as traditional religious groups, such as the
Mar Thoma Church, move to the American context, the very
dynamism of mobility coupled with the fresh and
unconventional presence of young people who form the
mainstay of most migrant groups could be contributing to
warding off some of the lethargy and boredom that has crept
into many traditional American churches. In any case, the
author is right that this is an area where the Church should
particularly be concerned about.
10

In the ultimate analysis, Prema Kuriens difficulty, as a social

scientist, seems to be to penetrate through the obstacles in
the transition of a young migratory community in order to
realize what the group can offer, at a deeply spiritual and
social level, at the global level. Financial links to any home
communities are bound to ease with the passage of time and
as the largely one-way mobility of a small group reaches
optimum
levels.
And,
revolutionary
technological
advancements in communication skills have proved that
translation from one language to another will not remain a
major obstacle for long, especially for the techno-savvy
younger generation. If, despite the best financial resources,
communication skills and cultural parity with the surrounding
community that the mainline American churches enjoy, the
younger generation seems to be deserting them at a faster
pace than those people who find the young immigrant
churches to be irrelevant, the problem obviously, lies
elsewhere. What is important for us is whether non-Western
forms of religion have any resources to offer in the midst of
the rapid changes happening around us. If there is a renewed
interest today among Western scholars on Eastern forms of
Christianity, it is due to the challenges an alternative vision has
to offer in such a context. And, for us, the paramount
question is whether the Mar Thoma Church, as a Reformed
Eastern Christian group and a bridge community between
Western and Eastern forms of Christianity has any spiritual
or social resources to offer at the global level. That is an
important discussion and we are grateful to Prema Kurien for
making a significant theoretical contribution to this process.
11

10SoongChanRah.2013.TheEndofChristianityinAmerica?
http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional
Resources/EndofChristianityinAmerica.html(Cited,
September25,2014)

11ForarecentdiscussionontherelevanceofEastern
formsofChristianity,see,HeHasMadetheDryBones
Live:OrientalismsAttemptedResuscitationofEastern
ChristianitybyChristopherD.L.JohnsoninJournalofthe
AmericanAcademyofReligion(Vol.82,Number3,
September2014)pp.811840.

Enrichment of Women in Church

Activities of the Diocese (Contd. page 17)
Ecumenical Net working in a Global Context: Our
women throughout the Diocese are celebrating World Day of
Prayer (WDP) along with women of other denominations on an
ecumenical basis as well as at the parish level. These
celebrations have helped our church members to be aware of
global issues facing women and children and to help fund
projects to support their needs. On a local level, Mar Thoma
women are providing strong leadership and technical
assistance to celebrate WDP with their ecumenical sisters
from the Orthodox, CSI, Jacobite, Knanaya and Catholic
churches. These collaborative WDP celebrations and efforts
have empowered women as well as helped create
intergenerational fellowships.
Women have served as Volunteers in Traditional
Roles Enriching the Church through the Years: Mar Thoma
women also provide leadership roles for the Sevika Sanghom
activities, Church Committees, Sunday Schools, Diocesan
Councils, Mission Boards, and Editorial Board and Managing
Committee of the Mar Thoma Messenger, Diocesan Sub
Committees, Sabha Council and Diocesan Assembly. Their
perspectives and voices have enriched our church, Diocese
and parishes. Many of our women are accomplished writers,
artists and musicians and have enriched the church with their
skills. Many have theological background and are well known
speakers in our Church and Community.
Diocesan Level and Missions in India: Women have
served in key leadership roles within the Mission Board of our
Diocese since its inception. Our younger women have
consistently given their time and talent in volunteering for the
mission trips. Women also have financially supported mission
projects in India and within the Diocese. Educational
Attainments: Our second-generation women are high
achievers and are excelling in professional education and
careers. These women are an asset to our church and a great
role model for the younger generation. However, serious
questions remain as to how our Church can meet the needs of
this millennial generation who are leaving the church in large
numbers.
We have three generations of women in our church
today: the first generation immigrants, their children who were
mostly born and brought up in the diocese, and the third
generation (grand children). Even though the sensibilities of
these generations are vastly different, we do have a common
thread that connects us through our culture, faith, practices,
and family values of our forefathers. I have vivid memories of
my mother, Elizabeth George, as an active member of the
Sevika Sanghom and the church committee of the
Philadelphia Mar Thoma Church. Her enthusiasm and love of
the church has been contagious. May the experiences of
yesterday, the activities of today and the vision for tomorrow
help the Mar Thoma women to enrich our church and help its
growth: Let it be the legacy that we pass on to the future
generations. Standing at the momentous milestone of the 25
years faith journey of our Diocese, I am filled with the spirit of
celebration and gratitude to all the stops and pauses that have
developed us and assisted us to write this history both
individually and collectively. May we grow in grace as we grow
older and may the wisdom of our mothers, the courage of our
sisters and the hopes of our daughters keep us whole and
strong!

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Christ and Culture

Lal Varghese, Esq. Dallas
According to an article titled Ministry in Multicultural and
National / Ethnic Parishes by National Association of for
Lay Ministry of Catholic Churches in U. S. A, the term
Culture is defined as as system which creates a shared
identity and establishes the boundaries of a human group
by defining behavior patterns that allow individuals to feel
confident when relating to other members of the group.
Culture is both learned and in a constant process of being
created as it is passed from generation to generation.
God created man in his own image to be as companion
to God and created a culture where man and God can
interact each other and live forever. God created certain
rules and norms for man to obey and to live as friend with
God in an environment created by God for man to live for
generations. Thus God created a culture, which can be
titled as Culture of Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were
not alone in the Garden of Eden. They were with God.
God not only visited them on a regular basis, but he
walked with them in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:8
says, And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking
in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his
wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God
amongst the trees of the garden. This passage gives us
the distinct impression that God regularly walked in the
garden. He just did not visit the Adam and Eve in the
Garden of Eden to issue commands and edicts, but the
Garden of Eden was where he fellowshipped with Adam
and Eve. This fellowship was mutually enjoyable, but this
changed the day Adam and Eve sinned and ate of the
forbidden fruit. They were now ashamed before God and
God banished them from the Garden of Eden and his
presence.
But man disobeyed Gods plans and norms of the culture
created by Him and set his own culture in this world. Thus
God repented even creating man in the world. Then the
LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the
earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He
had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His
heart. So the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have
created from the face of the earth, both man and beast,
creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I
have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of
the LORD. ..Noah was a just man, perfect in his
generations. Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6: 5-9)
Second Chronicles 16:9 says, The eyes of the Lord run
to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself
strong to those whose heart is loyal to him. And He
spotted him. He took notice. It was Noah, because he
was not conforming to the culture of the world.

There is only one another person mentioned in the Bible

who walked with God. Enoch walked faithfully with God;
then he was no more, because God took him away.
Genesis 5:24. Both Noah and Enoch never allowed
themselves to be influenced and overwhelmed by then
prevalent worldly culture without the presence of God.
God saved Noah and his family from the great flood. God
wanted man to obey him and walk in the culture of the
Garden of Eden, but man disobeyed God and fell in to the
hands of the devil, in to the culture of the world, thus
alienated himself from God and His Kingdom. But God
was always faithful to his creation, even though man was
not faithful to his creator. Man lost the culture of God and
created his own culture and began worshipping other
gods. Man thus became obligated to the world culture
and not to the culture of God.

For generations man kept on disobeying the cultural

context created by God. God sent prophets to warn
people about their sins and turn to God. He even brought
Israelites from Egypt to the promised land of Canaan.
There also they created their own culture by worshipping
other gods and not the living God. Finally, God decided to
send His own son to save the humankind from their sins
crated by their own culture. God has chosen people of
different culture to visit Jesus at the time of His birth
including the shepherds and the wise men from the east.
God has even planned a safe haven in Egypt for the
parents of Jesus to live until it is safe to return his native
place. By being born as the child of a virgin, Jesus
created His own culture known as a Christ Culture. He
taught us to love each other, care for others, to share our
time and talents and wealth with the less fortunate. He
even warned that it would be impossible for a wealthy
man to enter in Heaven, thus He warned people of His
time about the culture of wealth. In the Law of Moses, it
was commanded to love others as we love ourselves, but
Jesus set a new standard: His love for us. In the hours
before He went to the cross, He would both tell and show

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that love. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay
down ones life for his friends (John 15:13).
Jesus has developed the Cultural Competence, the
ability to interact comfortably and confidently with the
people of any culture. When Jesus decided to travel from
Judea to Jerusalem, He opted to travel through Samaria,
a region avoided by most of the Jews, since they believe
that Samaritans are not to be a group of people to be
interacted by Jews, because Jews considered
Samaritans as low cast people. But, Jesus, not only
preferred to travel through Samaria, but also interacted
with the Samaritan woman at the well as described in
John 4: 1-26. She was even surprised that Jesus being a
Jew interacted with her and even asked for water to
drink. Thus He not only told us to love each other but also
showed us how to interact with others irrespective of their
race, culture or sexuality.
Throughout the ministry of Jesus, He preached among
people of all nations and culture in an around the places
he lived and traveled. It is surprise to note that nowhere in
the Bible, there is any mention where Jesus lived
especially during the 3- years of His public ministry. He
wanted to be with the people of all culture and regions
and language. He even has disciples from different
cultural background appointed by Him to complete His
ministry in this world. He did not preach to only people of
one culture or one nation. He traveled around interacted
with prostitutes, tax collectors, who are considered as the
untouchables according to the Jewish religious culture.
He invited the fishermen, the ordinary men to become
extraordinary people as His disciples. He was even
criticized by the Pharisees for interacting with such
people of low culture according to Jewish system. But
Jesus did not pay any attention to such criticisms and
even fought against the evils of the culture of the society
in which He lived. One such example was His interactions
in the Jerusalem temple by turning the tables of the
people who made the temple a market place.
But the Christ Culture created by Jesus was lost again
and Christians developed their own culture based on the
standards of the society in which they lived. The
Christians in order to become the true witnesses of Jesus
must rise to the level of the culture established by Jesus.
Christians should live like the lotus plant with its flowers
above the muddy water with beautiful colors by
nourishing those around it. Christians should be same like
the lotus plants even though it lives in the muddy pond
and depend for everything for its growth from the pond,
but it rises above the water and creates its own culture
not mixed with the culture of the pond in which it lives.
Thus when Christians rise above the cultural backgrounds
of their society and adorn the culture of Christ, they are
considered as true witnesses of Jesus Christ.

Richard Niebuhr has posited five different relationships

that the Christian has with culture, namely: Opposition,
Agreement, Christ above culture, Tension and
Reformation. The first two choices are the extremes.
Opposition means that the Christian opposes all cultural
artifacts as "worldly." Agreement takes the other extreme,
where Christians finds their religion to be fundamentally
compatible with the culture around them. The last three
choices are somewhere between the extremes. In his final
paragraph of his book, Niebuhr says, To make our
decisions in faith is to make them in view of the fact that
no single man or group or historical time is the church;
but that there is a church of faith in which we do our
partial, relative work and on which we count. It is to make
them [our decisions] in view of the fact that Christ is
raised from the dead, and is not only the head of the
church but also the redeemer of the world. It is to make
them in view of the fact that the world of culturemans
achievementexists within the world of graceGods
Kingdom Richard Niebuhrs book Christ and Culture,
1951) Paul writes in Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed
to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is
the will of God what is good and well-pleasing and
perfect.
The above-mentioned article titled Ministry in
Multicultural and National / Ethnic Parishes by National
Association of for Lay Ministry of Catholic Churches in U.
S. A, concludes with these words: Called to announce
the Good News about Jesus in every place and language
on earth, the Church has recognized since the time of St.
Paul (Acts 17:22-31) that the Holy Spirit has planted
seeds of the Word in every culture (cf. Evangelii
Nuntiand)i. It is the task of missionaries and evangelizers
everywhere to nurture those seeds and bring them to
fruition in the light of the Christian teaching. As a church,
our cultural diversity embodies the still-unfolding story of
the Incarnation in every language and culture of the world
for the last two thousand years.
The Church in the world should join together to develop a
Christian Culture, which should be above the culture of
each society in which the Christians live wherever in the
world. It is possible to create such a Christ like culture
sine He taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves. All
the Ten Commandments have been codified in this simple
commandment given by Jesus Christ. Thus we as
Christians will be able to rise above the cultures of the
society in which we live and show the world by living in a
culture created by Jesus Christ. By creating the culture of
Christ, we will be creating the Culture of Garden of Eden
as envisioned by God when He created man in the
beginning. Thus the creation will join its creator ultimately,
thus fulfilling the mission of our Lord Christ in this world
and in the eternal world.

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Christianity and Kerala Culture

Dr. Titus Mathews, Calgary
It is essential to start this article by defining the words,
Christianity and Culture. Christianity is one of worlds
major religions, which worship Jesus Christ as Son of
God, one of the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
To define the word culture, let me use the words of the
late Dr. M.M. Thomas: Culture is what holds a
community together, giving a common framework of
meaning. It is preserved in language, thought patterns,
way of life, attitudes, symbols and presuppositions and
it is celebrated in art, music, drama, literature and the
like. It constitutes the collective memory of the people
and the collective heritage, which will be handed down
to generations still to come. Culture denotes the
community life based on moral and spiritual values; and
the peoples celebration of these community values.
One may say that in a culture, creation of artistic beauty
expresses the peoples way of life realizing truth and
goodness. Truth, Goodness and Beauty are integrated
in the pattern of community living. Aesthetics and
morality go together.

Christianity originated in what is today Israel and spread

to other parts of the world over many centuries. It was
during the time of the Roman Empire that it spread to
the west, especially to the countries that we include in
Europe. Once it became the state religion it had
powerful influence on the history and culture of Europe.
European culture is largely Christian culture, though
increasingly it is becoming secular. Christianity is not
one united religion as it is split into different factions,
Roman Catholic, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox and
numerous Protestant denominations. There is no unique
Christian culture as there are variations in language,
thought patterns, way of life, attitudes and symbols
among these different denominations. The rise of Islam
in the 7th century CE curtailed the strength of

Christianity in the Levant. The rise of colonial powers in

Europe beginning in the 15th century spread both
Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches to the ends of
the world.
The character of Christian culture has evolved over
historical times and adjusted to those of the
surrounding cultures where Christians are in a minority.
The foundations of Christian culture can be traced to
Jewish culture out of which Christianity originated. For
example, central to Jewish culture is Sabbath, a day set
apart to worship in a communal setting in a Synagogue.
Six days in a week one goes about doing different work,
whereas the seventh day is one for rest. For Christians,
Sunday, the first day of the week is set apart for
corporal worship in a church setting commemorating
the day of resurrection of Christ after his crucifixion.
Jews follow the laws given to them by Moses, for
example, the Ten Commandments, which can be
summarized as: Love the Lord your God with all your
heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is
first and greatest commandment. And the second is
like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. Jesus said he
has come to fulfil the law and not to abolish them. In
fact he extended the commandments saying: Love your
enemies.
The Jews are often referred to as the people of the
book. The Old Testament of the Bible is the book of the
Jews. It consists of the Torah, the Prophets and the
Writings. Christians can also be called people of the
book, the Bible, which contains the Old and New
Testaments. The Sunday worship consists of praise
giving, reading of Bible portions and sermons, which
explain them. Celebrating the Mass or the Last Supper
is also part of Sunday worship. During the course of a
year, important events in Jesuss earthly life such his
birth (Christmas), crucifixion and resurrection (Easter)
are commemorated. Periods of prayers and fasts called
lent are observed prior to these important events in the
Christian calendar.
The Bible extends a powerful
influence on the thoughts and patters of life of
Christians. Christian culture is strongly influenced by
the Bible.
Of all the religions, Christianity is perhaps, the most
highly organized. A denomination, if it is large, is
organized into local groups (Parishes) with a local head
(parish priest or vicar).
Many such groups are
supervised and led by senior priests or bishops and

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several bishops are under the care leadership of an

Archbishop or Metropolitan. Roman Catholic Church,
which is the largest denomination, has the Pope as its
head and Cardinals collectively and individually
assisting and supporting the Pope. Organizing regular
Sunday worship and celebrating special feasts or
festival is not the only functions of church leadership.
Churches are involved in running schools, hospitals,
orphanages, old age homes and many orders of
priesthood. Because of such activities they have a
profound
influence
on
the
culture.

The distinct nature of Christian culture can be seen

when it is contrasted with the Hindu culture, which is
predominant in India. It is easily done in the Kerala
context, where Christianity has a significant presence.
Hindus also have temples for worship and priests to
conduct puja ceremonies. But for Hindus, worship is
personal and the presence of community is not required
for pujas. Hindus also celebrate festivals and have
pilgrimages to places such as Sabarimala and
Guruvayur.
But, Hinduism is far less organized
compared to Christianity. Kerala Christians, especially
those who claim ancestry to the missionary work of
Apostle Thomas during the first century have adopted
certain aspects of Hindu culture and incorporated into
their marriage ceremonies. Therefore it is not difficult
for St. Thomas Christians to co-exist peacefully with
Hindu majority population in Kerala.
It is possible to notice sub-cultures within Christianity as
different denominations practice their religions
differently. Orthodox Christians have adoration of saints
and special festivals at parish levels. In recent years
walking pilgrimages to Parumala, where a saintly
bishop, Mar Gregarious, is buried. Roman Catholics
have distinct features adopted from the universal
church. Other denominations of Western origin have
practices originating in Western countries. In contrast
to all these, Mar Thoma Christians are more or less
puritanical as they have neither crucifixes nor pictures of
saints surrounding altars.

Kerala Christians, who have migrated to other lands

primarily for employment reasons, have taken their
Kerala Christian culture to where ever they have gone.
Their religious organizations are basically extension of
their structures back in Kerala. Sunday worship is
conducted mostly in Malayalam, though English is being
used to accommodate the second and third generation
who do not speak or understand Malayalam well.
Further changes and accommodation of Western
culture is inevitable over the course of time. Only the
process of continuing immigration of people is delaying
this. In secular life most people have adopted to the
culture of the lands to which they have moved.
When it comes to artistic expressions, Kerala Christians
take a back seat to the Hindus. In dance and drama
they contribute little to Kerala culture. Hindus dominate
on literary contributions. While they do a lot of social
work and run hospitals and schools, the efforts of
Christians are directed towards success in business and
finances. They are also active in political endeavours.
Kerala Christian culture is unique though it is not pure
Christian culture as it is modified by its accommodation
of the Hindu culture. Kerala Christians, who have
migrated to other lands primarily for employment
reasons, have taken their Kerala Christian culture to
where ever they have gone.
When it comes to artistic expressions, Kerala Christians
take a back seat to the Hindus. In dance and drama
they contribute little to Kerala culture. Hindus dominate
on literary contributions. While they do a lot of social
work and run hospitals and schools, the efforts of
Christians are directed towards success in business and
finances. They are also active in political endeavours.
Kerala Christian culture is unique though it is not pure
Christian culture as it is modified by its accommodation
of the Hindu culture.
Dr. Titus Mathews is Professor
Emeritus of Physics at the
University of Calgary, Alberta,
Canada.
Educated in U.C.
College and Madras Christian
College, he received his Ph.D.
degree from University of
London (Imperial College) in
1962. He joined the University
of Calgary in 1966 and has served as Professor and
Head of Physics Department and also as Associate
Vice-President (Academic). He has been awarded the
Good Servant Medal by Canadian Council of Christians
and Jews, Out Standing Service Award by India-Canada
Association and Alberta Government. He is also the
recipient of Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee medal for
service to the University of Calgary.

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