Joshua Russell Chandran

Joshua Russell Chandran
Born May 6, 1918(1918-05-06)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Died September 27, 2000(2000-09-27)
Bengaluru, Karnataka
Other names Chandran
Education
Church Church of South India, Diocese of Kanyakumari
Ordained 20 October 1946
Writings See separate section
Offices held
Title Reverend Doctor

Joshua Russell Chandran (1918–2000) was a Third World Theologian who also served as President of Senate of Serampore College (University).

Contents

Early life and education

Russell Chandran was born in South India on 6 May 1918[1] into a family who were communicant members of the South India United Church[1].

After schooling and collegiate education, he completed the degrees of B.A. and M.A.[1] specialising in Mathematics[2] from the University of Madras, Chennai between 1933–1938[1].

Divinity

With Chandran evincing interest in ministerial studies, he enrolled at the United Theological College, Bengaluru in 1941[1] for the graduate degree of B.D.. After completion of the graduate degree in theology, he was awarded a B.D. with honours in 1945[1].

Higher Studies & Pastor

Chandran belonged to the South India United Church which made him a Pastor of South Travancore Church Council[1] in 1945. He was ordained on 20 October 1946[1] and continued serving as Pastor until 1947 when he left[3] for Mansfield College[4], Oxford[5] for pursuing a B.Litt.[6]. Chandran's B.Litt. thesis submitted to the Mansfield College, Oxford[7] was entitled[8] A Comparison of the pagan apologetic of Celsus against Christianity as contained in Origen’s Contra Celsum and the neo-Hindu attitude to Christianity as represented in the works of Vivekananda and an estimate of the value of Origen's reply for Christian apologetics with reference to neo-Hinduism.

He then left to North America to the city of New York where he studied at the Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York during the academic year 1949–1950 earning an S.T.M.[1].

Teacher

After returning from Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York in 1950, the Church of South India assigned him a teaching task at the United Theological College[1], Bengaluru then under the Principalship of Max Hunter Harrison. Chandran began teaching Theology and Ethics.

In 1954, Max Hunter Harrison, the Principal stepped down. The College Society then decided to elevate Chandran to the Principalship of the College. After nearly three decades as Principal of the College, Chandran stepped down in 1983 and his colleague E. C. John was made the Principal by the College Society.

Contribution

Theological Education

Chandran became the first Indian Principal of the United Theological College, Bengaluru taking over from Max Hunter Harrison, his colleague and teacher in 1954. Chandran is attributed to have provided quality leadership to the College in many aspects[3].

Russell Chandran also served as the President of the Senate of Serampore College (University) for the years 1970 and 1971[9].

In the academic year 1964-65[10], Chandran was Henry Winters Luce Visiting Professor of World Christianity at the Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York.

Chandran was the first President of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT) for the first five-year term (1975–1981)[11].

Church leadership

Chandran was Vice Moderator of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches from 1966–1968[12]. His contribution towards ecumenism was termed as far-reaching[12].

Honours

India's first University[13], the Senate of Serampore College (University) in West Bengal conferred upon Russell Chandran an honorary doctorate in 1962[14]

In 1978, Samuel Amirtham and others also came out with a festschrift in honour of Chandran entitled A Vision for Man: Essays on Faith, Theology, and Society in Honour of Joshua Russell Chandran.

Retirement and death

Although Russell Chandran retired in 1984, he began living in Bengaluru. He went to Suva, Fiji to the Pacific School of Theology[12] and began rendering leadership there for some time before returning to Bengaluru.

On 27 September 2000[12], Russell Chandran died in Bangalore.

Academic offices
Preceded by
M. H. Harrison

1937–1954

 Principal
United Theological College, Bengaluru
1954–1984		 Succeeded by
E. C. John

1984–1993

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Union Theological Seminary (New York, N.Y.) The Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York New York : Alumni Office, 1970.Electronic reproduction. New York, N.Y. : Columbia University Libraries, 2007. JPEG use copy available via the World Wide Web. Master copy stored locally on [6] DVDs#: ldpd_6122000_000 01,02,03,04,05,06. Columbia University Libraries Electronic Books. 2006. p.315. [1]
  2. ^ D. William Jesudoss, What is Man?: Theological Attempts and Directions Towards the Formation of an Indian Christian Anthropology for Today, Gurukul, Chennai, 1986. p. 79. [2]
  3. ^ a b S. J. Samartha, Joshua Russel Chandran in Gerald H. Anderson's Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1999. p. 125. [3]
  4. ^ Lothar Schreiner, Mansfield Alumni News, Autumn/Winter 2005. p. 18
  5. ^ Oxford University Calendar, University of Oxford, Oxford, 1948. See pages 764 and 861.[4]
  6. ^ Mar Aprem, Indian Christian who is who, Bombay Parish Church of the East, Bombay, 1983. p.107. [5].
  7. ^ Israel Selvanayagam, Water of Life and Indian cups: Protestant attempts at theologizing in India in Sebastian C. H. Kim's Christian Theology in Asia, Cambridge, 2008. p.56 [6]
  8. ^ Sunand Sumithra, Christian Theology from an Indian Perspective, Theological Book Trust, Bengaluru, 1995 (Revised Edition). pp. 199-206. [7]
  9. ^ Senate of Serampore College (University), Presidents and Convenors of the Senate. [8]
  10. ^ Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York, Henry Winters Luce Visiting Professors of World Christianity. Internet. [9]
  11. ^ William Adams Brown Ecumenical Library Archives, The Burke Library Archives (Columbia University Libraries), Union Theological Seminary, New York. p. 5.[10]
  12. ^ a b c d Konrad Raiser, Joshua Russel Chandran, Tributes. WCC Site
  13. ^ Sankar Ray, The William Carey Library in Serampore, Business Line, The Hindu, Friday April 11, 2008. Internet, accessed October 17, 2008. [11]
  14. ^ Senate of Serampore College (University), List of the Recipients of the degree of doctor of divinity (honoris causa). [12]

Further reading