View source for Advanced Institute for Research on Religion and Culture

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox university
| name           = Advanced Institute for Research on Religion and Culture (ARRC)
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| established    = 2016<ref name="ARRC announcement"/>
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| type           = Federated Faculty
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| affiliation    = [[Senate of Serampore College (University)]], [[Serampore]] 712 201,<br />[[Hooghly district]], [[West Bengal]]
| city           = Beside [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy|National Police Academy]], Shivrampally, [[Hyderabad]] 500 052<ref name="BTESSC"/>
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| state          = [[Telangana]]
| country        = [[India]]
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| head_label     = Registrar
| head           = [[The Reverend|The Rev.]] T. Swamy Raju, AELC<ref name="BTESSC">[[BTESSC]] list of Principals.[https://btessc.org/principals.php]</ref>
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'''Advanced Institute for Research on Religion and Culture (ARRC)<ref>Isaac Mar Philoxenos, ''Address of the President, [[Senate of Serampore College (University)]]'', 2016.[http://www.senateofseramporecollege.edu.in/address-of-the-president-of-the-senate/]</ref>''' is a federated faculty established in 2016,<ref name="ARRC announcement"/> which comprises four institutions,<ref name="ARRC announcement"/> namely, 
* [[Andhra Christian Theological College]],<ref name="ARRC announcement"/><ref name="CSI Life">''CSI Life'',
 Volume XIV, Issue 10, October 2016, p.32.[http://www.csisynod.com/Admin/csilife/80_CSI%20Life%20October%202016-%20to%20web.pdf]</ref> 
* Calvin Institute of Theology,<ref name="ARRC announcement"/><ref name="CSI Life"/> 
* Henry Martyn Institute<ref>[http://www.hmiindia.org/course/m-th-i-ii-year-class/ Henry Martyn Institute, "Master of Theology course registrations"]</ref><ref name="ARRC announcement"/><ref name="CSI Life"/> and,
* [[Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College]]
- all based in the twin cities of [[Hyderabad]] and [[Secunderabad]] offering post graduate level [[Master of Theology]]<ref name="ARRC announcement"/> courses with specializations in [[Sacred scripture]] and [[Religion]].<ref name="ARRC announcement"/>

The ARRC is affiliated<ref name="Affiliated">[[Senate of Serampore College (University)]], ''List of Affiliated Colleges''.  [http://www.senateofseramporecollege.edu.in/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/college_2016.pdf]</ref> to the nation's first<ref>Sankar Ray, ''[[Hindu Business Line]]'', 11 April 2008 ''Almost a century later, the charter was endorsed officially under the Bengal Govt Act IV of 1918. ''  Internet, accessed 30 November 2008.  [http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/life/2008/04/11/stories/2008041150100400.htm]</ref> University, the [[Senate of Serampore College (University)]]'' {a University under Section 2 (f) of the [[University Grants Commission (India)|University Grants Commission]] Act, 1956<ref>{{cite web|title=UGC Act-1956|url=http://mhrd.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/upload_document/ugc_act.pdf|website=mhrd.gov.in/|publisher=Secretary, University Grants Commission|accessdate=1 February 2016}}</ref>}<ref>The [[Senate of Serampore College (University)]] is a University within the meaning of Section 2 (f) of the UGC Act, 1956 under which ''a University means a University established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, a Provincial Act or a State Act, and includes any such institution as may, in consultation with the University concerned, be recoginsed by the Commission in accordance with the regulations made in this behalf under this Act''.  The UGC took the opinion that the Senate fell under the purview of Section 2 (f) of the said Act since ''The Serampore College Act, 1918'' was passed by the Government of West Bengal.[http://www.senateofseramporecollege.edu.in/history/u-g-c-and-serampore-college/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612143603/http://www.senateofseramporecollege.edu.in/history/u-g-c-and-serampore-college/ |date=12 June 2017 }}</ref>''with degree-granting authority validated by a [[University charter|Danish charter]] and ratified by the [[Government of West Bengal]].

{| class="toccolours" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; font-size: 85%; background:#ffffcc; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 25%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
! style="background-color:#cccccc;" | Registrars
|-
| style="text-align: left;" | 
* 2016–2017 [[Reverend|Rev.]] T. Swamy Raju, [[Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church|AELC]]
* 2017–2019 [[Reverend|Rev.]] M. M. Abraham, [[Mar Thoma Syrian Church|MMTSC]]<ref name="ARRC announcement">[[Henry Martyn Institute]],
 ''ARRC Announcement for M. Th. courses''.[http://www.hmiindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ARRC-Advertisement.docx.]</ref>
* 2019–''Present'' [[Reverend|Rev.]] T. Swamy Raju, [[Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church|AELC]]
|}

==History==
===Theological colleges===
The first theological colleges established in [[Hyderabad]] and [[Secunderabad]] is the [[Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College]] founded in 1920 in [[Shamshabad]] locality.  The rest of the seminaries were founded elsewhere and relocated later to the twin cities.  [[St. John's Regional Seminary]] was founded in 1926 and relocated in 1965.  Though the [[Andhra Christian Theological College]] was founded in 1964 in [[Rajahmundry]], it moved to [[Secunderabad]] only in 1973.  The Calvin Institute of Theology is a recent addition which was established in 2009 and relocated later.  As for the Henry Martyn Institute, it was only an institution offering post graduate diploma courses under its seal, which also relocated to [[Hyderabad]] in 1972.

===Scholars===
Of these theological colleges, the [[St. John's Regional Seminary]] and the [[Andhra Christian Theological College]] had faculty with highest academic qualifications having been educated<ref>''[[Kretzmann Commission]]''</ref> at famed portals of learning in [[Europe]], [[North America]], [[Africa]] and the [[Indian subcontinent]] in [[Universities]] of [[University of Edinburgh|Edinburgh]], [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]], [[University of Hamburg|Hamburg]], [[University of Cape Town|Cape Town]], [[University of Chicago|Chicago]], [[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]], [[Papal Seminary]], [[University of Wisconsin|Wisconsin]], [[University of Lancaster|Lancaster]], [[McCormick Theological Seminary|McCormick]], [[University of Syracuse|Syracuse]], [[Eastern University (United States)|Eastern]], [[Hartford Seminary|Hartford]], [[Duke University|Duke]], [[Union Theological Seminary (New York City)|Union]], [[Pontifical Biblical Institute|PIB Rome]], [[Gregorian University|Gregorian]], [[Pontifical Urban University|Urban]] and other distinguished schools of theological education.

===Efforts to initiate postgraduate level courses===
However, though the faculty were qualified enough, the institutions where they taught were eligible to only offer graduate level courses.  Efforts were made by successive faculty of the [[Andhra Christian Theological College]] beginning<ref>''Souvenir of the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the Andhra Christian Theological College'', Secunderabad, 1990.</ref> during the tenure of the [[New Testament]] Scholar, [[The Reverend|The Rev.]] [[Suppogu Joseph|S. Joseph]] coinciding with the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the College in 1989 to start postgraduate level courses.  After nearly a decade and half, efforts were renewed by the [[Old Testament]] Scholar Trio, beginning with [[The Reverend|The Rev.]] N. V. Luther Paul, [[Doctor of Theology|D. Th.]] (''[[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]]'') (2006-2010) followed by [[The Reverend|The Rev.]] Ch. Vasantha Rao, [[Doctor of Theology|Dr. Theol.]] (''[[University of Hamburg|Hamburg]]'') (2010-2014) and [[The Reverend|The Rev.]] T. Matthews Emmanuel, [[Doctor of Theology|D. Th.]] (''[[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]]'') (2014-2017).

===Creation of special purpose entity===
Meanwhile, with the addition of Calvin Institute of Theology that was established in 2009, efforts fructified, but this time in confederation with other institutions, the postgraduate courses were finally initiated with the creation of the [[Special-purpose entity]] consisting of [[Andhra Christian Theological College]], the [[Henry Martyn Institute]], and the [[Calvin Institute of Theology]] during the tenures of [[The Reverend|The Rev.]] T. Matthews Emmanuel, [[Doctor of Theology|D. Th.]] (''[[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]]''), [[The Reverend|The Rev.]] Packiam T. Samuel, [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph. D.]], (''[[Oxford Brookes University|Oxford Brookes]]'') and [[The Reverend|The Rev.]] Gopalswamy Jacob, [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph. D.]], (''[[Apeldoorn]]'') respectively, together forming the Advanced Institute for Research on Religion and Culture (ARRC) in 2016 for which the [[Senate of Serampore College (University)]] granted affiliation beginning with the academic year 2016.<ref name="Affiliated"/>

==Academics==
As per the affiliation norms of the [[Senate of Serampore College (University)]], the federated faculty is authorized<ref name="Affiliated"/> to offer courses in [[Master of Theology]] in three disciplines, namely, the [[Old Testament]], the [[New Testament]] and [[Religions]] ([[Hinduism]] and [[Islam]]).<ref>''[[National Council of Churches in India|NCCI Review]]'', Volume CXXXVI, Number 10, November 2016, p.73.[http://ncci1914.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/10-2016-November.pdf]</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Course offerings at the Advanced Institute for Research on Religion and Culture
|-
! Course Name!!Specialization!!Duration !!Mode!! Academic<br /> requirement!!Academic<br /> Authority 
|-
|[[Master of Theology]]||[[Old Testament]]<ref name="CSI Life"/>||2 years||Residential||57.4 to 52.5% <ref name="Qualifying">[[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]],
 "Qualifying marks for eligibility to [[Master of Theology]]".  [http://www.senateofseramporecollege.edu.in/entrance-examination/m-th-qualifying-exam/]</ref> marks in <br />[[Bachelor of Divinity]]||[[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]]
|-
|Master of Theology||[[New Testament]]<ref name="CSI Life"/>||2 years||Residential||57.4 to 52.5% marks<ref name="Qualifying"/> in <br />[[Bachelor of Divinity]]||Serampore
|-
|Master of Theology||[[Religions]]<ref name="CSI Life"/>||2 years||Residential||57.4 to 52.5% marks<ref name="Qualifying"/> in <br />[[Bachelor of Divinity]]||Serampore
|-
|Master of Theology||[[Christian Ministry]]||2 years||Residential||57.4 to 52.5% marks<ref name="Qualifying"/> in <br />[[Bachelor of Divinity]]||Serampore
|-
|Master of Theology||[[History of Christianity]]||2 years||Residential||57.4 to 52.5% marks<ref name="Qualifying"/> in <br />[[Bachelor of Divinity]]||Serampore
|}

==Faculty==
The faculty in the three specializations offered by the ARRC include,
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ARRC Faculty hailing from Andhra Christian Theological College, Calvin Institute of Theology, Henry Martyn Institute and Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College.
|-
! Discipline!!Faculty Name !! Gen<br />der!!Host<br />Institution!! Highest<br />Degree !!Alma Mater!!University
|-
|[[Old Testament]]||Gopalswamy Jacob<ref name="Calvin">[[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]],
 ''Faculty list of Calvin Institute of Theology''.[http://www.senateofseramporecollege.edu.in/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/11.-CIT-A.P..pdf]</ref>||[[Male|M]]||[[Calvin Institute of Theology|CIT]]||[[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph. D.]]||Theological University, [[Apeldoorn]]||[[Apeldoorn]]
|-
|Old Testament||R. Jeeva Kumar||M||ACTC||D. Th.||United Theological College, Bangalore||Serampore
|-
|Old Testament||G. Vara Prasad||M||ACTC||D. Th.||United Theological College, Bangalore||Serampore
|-
|New Testament||K. Suraj Kumar||M||MBCBC||Ph. D.||[[University of Cape Town]], [[South Africa]]||Cape Town
|-
|New Testament||A. J. Yesu||M||CIT||D. Th.||||Serampore
|-
|[[New Testament]]||V. Manikya Rao||[[Male|M]]||[[Andhra Christian Theological College|ACTC]]||[[Doctor of Theology|D. Th.]]||[[SATHRI|SATHRI, Bangalore]]||[[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]]
|-
|Religions||T. Swamy Raju||[[Male|M]]||[[Andhra Christian Theological College|ACTC]]||[[Doctor of Theology|D. Th.]]||[[SATHRI|SATHRI, Bangalore]]||[[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]]
|-
|Religions||M. M. Abraham<ref name="HMI">[[Henry Martyn Institute]],
 ''Faculty profile''.[http://www.hmiindia.org/academic-team/]</ref>||[[Male|M]]||HMI||[[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph. D.]]||[[Jamia Milia Islamia]]||Jamia Milia Islamia
|-
|Religions||Packiam T. Samuel<ref name="HMI"/>||[[Male|M]]||HMI||[[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph. D.]]||[[Westminster College, Oxford]]<br />||[[Oxford Brookes University|Oxford Brookes]]
|-
|Religions||S. S. Waheedullah Hussaini Multani||M||HMI||Ph. D.||[[Osmania University]], Hyderabad||Osmania
|-
|Christian Ministry||A. John Prabhakar||M||ACTC||D. Th.||SATHRI, Bangalore||Serampore
|-
|History of Christianity||I. P. Asheervadam||M||MBCBC||D. Th.||SATHRI, Bangalore||Serampore
|-
|History of Christianity||N. V. Grace Bhanu||F||ACTC||M. Th.||UTC, Bangalore||Serampore
|-
|History of Christianity||Y. D. Jayaker||M||MBCBC||M. Th.||FFRRC, Kottayam||Serampore
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|3}}

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[[Category:Christian universities and colleges in India]]
[[Category:Christian seminaries and theological colleges in India]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges in Hyderabad, India]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in 2016]]
[[Category:Reformed church seminaries and theological colleges]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges affiliated with the Church of South India]]
[[Category:2016 establishments in Telangana]]
[[Category:Seminaries and theological colleges affiliated to the Senate of Serampore College (University)]]