Evangeline Anderson Rajkumar

Evangeline Anderson-Rajkumar
Born 16 March 1963(1963-03-16)
Bengaluru, Karnataka
Education

United Theological College, Bengaluru, Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary, Madurai,

South Asia Theological Research Institute, Bengaluru
Church Arcot Lutheran Church
Ordained September 2006
Offices held

Professor of Theology and Ethics:
Title Reverend Doctor

Evangeline Anderson-Rajkumar is an Indian theologian who currently teaches in the United Theological College, Bengaluru,[1] the only autonomous College under the Senate of Serampore College (University).

Anderson-Rajkumar is a member of the Association of Theologically Trained Women of India (ATTWI). She was also elected as its office bearer in the year 2002 and served as its president till 2006.

Contents

Writings

Early days

Anderson-Rajkumar was born into a Christian family in Bengaluru.

She studied in Goodwill Girls High School in Coles Town, Bengaluru and later joined Mount Carmel College, affiliated to the University of Bangalore, and obtained a B.Sc. degree in the year 1983.

Studies in divinity

Anderson-Rajkumar’s father maintained cordial relations with the theological community in Bengaluru. Perhaps, Anderson-Rajkumar, as a child could have been influenced by her father’s theologian friends including Rev. D. S. Satyaranjan the then registrar of the United Theological College, Bengaluru and led to study theology.

In the year 1984, Anderson-Rajkumar joined the United Theological College, Bengaluru and enrolled herself for pursuing the degree of Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.). She later left for Sweden in the year 1987 and pursued a one-year programme of the Church of Sweden in Göteborg.

Research studies and lecturership

Post-graduate

Anderson-Rajkumar later returned to India in 1988 and pursued the degree of Master of Theology M. Th. in the discipline of theology in the Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary, Madurai and completed it by 1990.

Lecturership

Serampore College, the constituent college of the Senate of Serampore College (University), Serampore, West Bengal invited her to be on its faculty. Accepting the offer, Anderson-Rajkumar left for Serampore in the year 1990 and taught Theology and Ethics.[2] She later left for doctoral studies to Bengaluru in 1994.[3]

Doctoral studies

Later, Anderson-Rajkumar enrolled as a doctoral candidate at the South Asia Theological Research Institute (SATHRI) in Bengaluru and earned the doctoral degree of Doctor of Theology (D. Th.) in the discipline of Feminist Theology.

Professorship

The United Theological College, Bengaluru, Anderson-Rajkumar’s alma mater invited Anderson-Rajkumar to join as a member of its faculty. Since then, Anderson-Rajkumar had been teaching theology to the students there.[4]

Resource person

The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Sisters of Loreto was founded by Mary Ward who have their Indian provincialate in Kolkata. They descended in India in the year 1842 and have their presence entirely in North India.[5] Anderson-Rajkumar was invited in the years 2002 and 2003 to take up talks on re-reading the Bible.

Dharmararam Vidya Kshetram

Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bengaluru is a pontifical atheneum with degree-granting authority validated by the Vatican.[6] Anderson-Rajkumar also taught gender issues to the students there.

Federation of Asian Bishops Conference

In 2004, Anderson-Rajkumar delivered talks on Asian Feminist Christology at the Federation of Asian Bishop's Conferences in Bangkok, Thailand.[7]

Anderson-Rajkumar on issues

on poverty

“ ... poverty is the denial of opportunities and choices most basic to human development – to lead a long, healthy, creative life and to enjoy a decent standard of living, freedom, dignity,self-esteem and the respect of others.[8] ”

Membership

Association of Theologically Trained Women of India

The Association of Theologically Trained Women of India (ATTWI), constituted in 1979 has a membership base of more than 500. Anderson-Rajkumar is a member of ATTWI and provided leadership to this ecumenical association from 2002 to 2006 as President of ATTWI.

Women’s Institute for New Awakening

The Women's Institute for New Awakening (WINA) founded in 1982 in Karnataka.[9] Anderson-Rajkumar has been serving as the Vice President of WINA since the year 2000.

Indian Theological Association

Anderson-Rajkumar is a member of the Indian Theological Association (ITA) which meets every year. ITA was established in the year 1976 by Fr. Joseph Constantine Manalel.[10] In the recent annual conference of the ITA held in Bengaluru on the theme Women's Concerns and Indian Theological Responses, a 34 recommendations were arrived upon.[11]

Globethics.net

Globethics.net, a network of institutions involved in applied ethics headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland was founded in 2004 by the ethicist Prof. Dr. Christoph Stückelberger. Anderson-Rajkumar is Board Member of this forum.[12]

Senate of Serampore College

The Senate of Serampore College (University) (India's first University with degree-granting authority)[13] took note of Anderson-Rajkumar's activism and made her a member on its Academic Council in the year 2005. She earlier served as a member on the Board of Studies for Theology and Ethics under the Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College[14] (BTESSC), the regulatory body for theological education in India, from 2000 to 2003.

Anderson-Rajkumar is also the present Convenor of Board of Women's Studies of the BTESSC.

Honorary titles
Preceded by
 Vice-President United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India Succeeded by
Preceded by
Jessie Nesakumar		 President Association of Theologically Trained Women of India
2002–2006		 Succeeded by
Nirmala Vasanthakumar

References

Notes
  1. ^ Synodical Board of Social Services, Church of North India, Evaluators. Internet, accessed 22 August 2008. [1]
  2. ^ The Council of Serampore College, The Story of Serampore and its College, Fourth Edition 2005, Serampore, p. 97
  3. ^ Ibid.
  4. ^ United Theological College, Bengaluru, Internet, accessed 22 August 2008. [2]
  5. ^ Loreto India, Internet, accessed 22 August 2008
  6. ^ Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Internet, accessed 22 August 2008
  7. ^ Federation of Asian Bishop's Conference, Internet, accessed 22 August 2008. [3]
  8. ^ Evangeline Anderson Rajkumar, Women 'Missing' the World: Globalization through a Gender Lens, Reformed World, Volume 51, No. 4, December 2001, p. 192. Quoted by Susan E. Davies, From the belly of the beast: A white professional woman reflects on the Accra Confession, Reformed World, Volume 56, No. 1, March 2006, p. 71 [4].
  9. ^ Women's Institute for New Awakening. Internet, accessed 22 August 2008. [5]
  10. ^ Jeevadhara Theology Centre, Kottayam, Internet, accessed 22 August 2008 [6]
  11. ^ National Catholic Reporter, Internet, accessed 22 August 2008
  12. ^ Global Ethics Net. Internet, accessed 22 August 2008
  13. ^ Prof. Murali Manohar Joshi, Higher Education in India Vision and Action, A paper presented at the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education in the Twenty First Century, Paris, 5–9 October 1998. Internet, accessed 22 August 2008. [7]
  14. ^ Wati Longchar, Towards a common strategy and mechanism to facilitate theological education and human resource development in South Asia Churches, A resource paper presented on 13 August 2002 at the Christian Conference of Asia. [8]
Further reading