Priyankasingh at 00:53, 29 August 2024

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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2018}}

{{Short description|1969 commission of the Andhra Christian Theological College}}
{{Tone|date=August 2024}}{{Context|date=August 2024}}{{Infobox project
| name = Kretzmann Commission Report
| logo =
| image =
| caption = Kretzmann Commission Report
| mission_statement = ''to survey and study the task of theological education in the Churches related to the College Society''
| commercial = no
| type =
| products =
| location = [[Rajahmundry]]
| country = [[India]]
| owner = Board of Governors, [[Andhra Christian Theological College]]
| founder = [[The Reverend|The Rev.]] M. L. Kretzmann, [[D.D.]], Secretary for planning, study and research, Department of World Missions of the [[Lutheran World Federation]] ([[Convenor]]),
| key_people =[[The Reverend|The Rev.]] [[K. Devasahayam]],<br />[[The Reverend|The Rev.]] [[A. B. Masilamani]],<br />[[The Right Reverend|The Rt. Rev.]] C. S. Sundaresan
| established = {{Start date|1969|10|25|df=y}}
| disestablished = {{End date|1969|11|29|df=y}}
| funding = [[World Council of Churches]] and the [[Lutheran Church in America]]
| budget =
| current_status =
| website = 
}}
'''The Kretzmann Commission'''<ref>Raymond Brady Williams, ''Christian Pluralism in the United States: The Indian Immigrant Experience'', Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1996, p.291. [https://books.google.com/books?id=w1uk6zZQKzAC&dq=kretzmann%20commission&pg=PR6]</ref><ref name="Kretzmann">''Theological Education in Andhra Pradesh - The Kretzmann Commission Report'', Printed by A. Nageswara Rao at Saraswathi Power Press, Rajahmundry, 1970. [http://115.115.194.213/W27/Result/w27AcptRslt.aspx?AID=80030&xF=T&xD=0&nS=2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170127143230/http://115.115.194.213/W27/Result/w27AcptRslt.aspx?AID=80030&xF=T&xD=0&nS=2|date=27 January 2017}}</ref> was a 1969 commission of the [[Andhra Christian Theological College]], in [[Hyderabad]], Telangana, India. It was formed in 1969 by the college's board of governors to survey and study the task of theological education in the Churches related to the College Society.{{Clarify|date=August 2024}}

== Background ==
A couple of years before the Kretzmann Commission was constituted, [[seminarians]] deliberated on the church's mission with special reference to [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Telangana]]. In 1966, a graduate thesis was undertaken by a candidate studying at [[Serampore College]] entitled ''The Hebrew Concept of 'Righteousness' as proclaimed by the 8th century Prophets and its implications for the Church's mission in [[Andhra Pradesh]]''<ref>G. Babu Rao, ''The Hebrew Concept of 'Righteousness' as proclaimed by the 8th century Prophets and its implications for the Church's mission in [[Andhra Pradesh]]'', an unpublished graduate thesis presented to the [[Senate of Serampore College (University)]] in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Divinity degree, Serampore, 1966.</ref>

== Ecclesiastical societies ==
These [[ecclesiastical]] societies related to the college society at that point of time (1969) included:<ref name="Kretzmann"/>

* [[South Andhra Lutheran Church]] Society
* [[Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches]] Society
* [[Methodist Church in India|Methodist Church of South Asia]] Society
* [[Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars]] Society
* [[Church of South India]] Society (Dioceses of [[Diocese of Dornakal|Dornakal]], [[Krishna-Godavari Diocese|Krishna-Godavari]], [[Diocese of Medak|Medak]], and [[Diocese of Rayalaseema|Rayalaseema]]<ref>The Diocese of Karimnagar came into existence only in 1978.</ref>
* [[Church of India, Pakistan, Burma, and Ceylon]] Society, Diocese of [[Diocese of Nandyal|Nandyal]]<ref>The Diocese of Nandyal was under the ecclesiastical purview of the Anglican Church and later the Church of North India at the time of formation of the College [https://books.google.com/books?id=O_hq6JUSLToC&dq=diocese+of+nandyal+church+of+north+india&pg=PA176]</ref>
* [[Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church]] Society

==Commission members==
* [[The Reverend|The Rev.]] M. L. Kretzmann, [[D.D.]], Secretary for planning, study and research, Department of World Missions of the [[Lutheran World Federation]] (Convenor),
* [[The Reverend|The Rev.]] [[K. Devasahayam]], [[Master of Arts|M.A.]], [[Bachelor of Divinity|B.D.]] ([[Hon.]]), [[S.T.M.]], [[Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church]],
* [[The Reverend|The Rev.]] [[A. B. Masilamani]], [[Master of Arts|M.A.]], [[Th.M.]], [[Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars]],
* [[The Right Reverend|The Rt. Rev.]] C. S. Sundaresan, [[Bishop]] - in - [[Diocese of Rayalaseema|Rayalaseema]], [[Church of South India]]

==Findings==
The commission members met during various points of time during the latter half of 1969,<ref name="Kretzmann"/> first on 25 October 1969 to draw up a plan and again a month later during 26–29 November to summarize its findings. The members of the commission met at different places for visitation and consultation. As part of field visits,<ref name="Kretzmann"/> the members had been to,

* Hindustan Bible Institute, [[Chennai]]
* [[Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College]], [[Shamshabad]]
* [[St. John's Regional Seminary|St. John's Regional Seminary (Theologiate)]], [[Ramanthapur]]
* [[Ramayapatnam]] Baptist Theological Seminary, [[Ramayapatnam]]
* Lutheran Bible Training Institute, [[Rajahmundry]]

In addition, the members of the commission also had special consultations<ref name="Kretzmann"/> with [[Canon Emani Sambayya]], Dr. P. David and Reveremd Erik W. Nielsen. As for the background material, the commission members accessed scholarly action reports relating<ref name="Kretzmann"/> to the [[Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church]] Society, especially the papers of [[B. V. Subbamma]], [[S. W. Schmitthenner]], [[W. P. Peery]] and James A. Bergquist, the papers of the [[Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College]], the [[National Council of Churches in India]] and other papers. The commission took cognizance of the concerns of the church in [[Andhra Pradesh]] ([[Telangana]] included).

The commission also devised a structured questionnaire<ref name="Kretzmann"/> for use among two kinds of respondents, the church leaders and the old students, during field visits.

The Commission report was tabled before the Board of Governors of the College Society which eventually led to the building<ref>James A. Bergquist, P. Kambar Manickam, ''The Crisis of Dependency in Third World Ministries: A Critique of Inherited Missionary Forms in India'', Christian Literature Society, Madras, 1976, pp. 50, 63.[https://books.google.com/books?id=HPEcAAAAMAAJ&q=kretzmann]</ref> up of curriculum-intensive courses<ref name="Kretzmann" /> and the equipping of the [[seminarians]] with capacities to lead the [[Christian Church|church]] in [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Telangana]]. Theological education took an upward rise with the Kretzmann Commission Report. The Kretzmann Commission was enabled with the assistance of the Theological Education Fund of the [[World Council of Churches]] and the Board of World Missions of the [[Lutheran Church in America]].<ref name="Kretzmann" /> The secretary of the Board of Governors, [[W. D. Coleman]], on behalf of the board published 1,000<ref name="Kretzmann" /> copies to be circulated among the Churches in [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Telangana]].

==Outcome==
At the very outset, the commission recommended for [[Indian people|Indian]] teachers<ref name="Kretzmann"/> to be placed in seminaries to take up theological curriculum, especially for the core subjects in theology. The commission further recommended that theological education broaden its horizons in keeping up with the changing times. Based on the recommendations of the commission, the [[Andhra Christian Theological College]] did away with the erstwhile [[Licentiate in Theology]] programme and embarked on two graduate programmes,<ref name="Kretzmann"/> a [[Bachelor of Theology]] and a [[Bachelor of Divinity]]. As part of the curriculum study, the commission members foresaw the need to include [[worship]], social analysis, [[Interfaith dialogue|interfaith]], [[gender]] concerns, [[inculturation]], [[psychology]], language [[usability]], personal devotion, [[sociology]] and many other interdisciplinary courses.<ref name="Kretzmann"/> In the ensuing [[decade]], the faculty members were able to upgrade their academics at national and international [[universities]] and returned to teach in the college who included,
* [[Gaddala Solomon|G. Solomon]], [[Th.M.]] ([[Palmer Theological Seminary|Eastern]]),<ref>G. Solomon, ''The concept of Suffering in the Bible and in Hinduism'', Eastern University, King of Prussia, 1957.[https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/13351098]</ref>
* K. Prasada Rao, [[M.Th.]] ([[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]])
* K. Wilson,<ref>K. Wilson, ''Culture and Conversion: An Analytical Study of the Interaction between Western Theology and Eastern Culture through the Christian Missions in the Indian Sub-Continent'', Syracuse University, Syracuse, 1972.[http://surface.syr.edu/rel_etd/54/]</ref> [[Th.M.]] ([[Duke University|Duke]]), [[Ph.D.]] ([[Syracuse University|Syracuse]])<ref>Though Wilson returned to teach at the College after his doctoral studies, he preferred to teach [[Philosophy]] at the state-run [[Osmania University]]. ''Indian Journal of Philosophic Studies'', Volume 1, Issue 1, 1974, p. 53.[https://books.google.com/books?id=y9JRs6SJyGMC&q=kothapalli+wilson]</ref>
* [[Victor Premasagar]], [[Master of Arts|M.A.]] ([[Cantab.]]), [[Ph.D.]] ([[St. Andrews University|St. Andrews]])
* [[William Powlas Peery]], [[Master of Arts|M.A.]] ([[Vanderbilt University|Vanderbilt]]), [[Ph.D.]] ([[Duke University|Duke]])
* [[Suppogu Joseph|S. Joseph]], [[M.Th.]] ([[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]], [[D.Th.]] ([[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]])
* [[Eric J. Lott]], [[M.Litt.]] ([[University of Lancaster|Lancaster]]), [[Ph.D.]] ([[University of Lancaster|Lancaster]])
* [[Ryder Devapriam]], [[Th.M.]] ([[McCormick Theological Seminary|McCormick]]), [[Th.D.]] ([[General Theological Seminary|GTS]])
* [[Muriel Spurgeon Carder]], [[Th.M.]] ([[Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York|Union]]), [[Th.D.]] ([[Toronto University|Toronto]])
* [[R. R. Sundara Rao]], [[Master of Arts|M.A.]] ([[Venkateshwara University|Venkateshwara]]), [[Ph.D.]] ([[Wisconsin University|Wisconsin]])
* [[Ravela Joseph|R. Joseph]], [[Th.M.]] ([[Andover Newton Theological School|Andover]]), [[M.Th.]] ([[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]])
* [[M. Victor Paul]], [[M.Th.]] ([[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]]), [[Th.M.]] ([[Luther Seminary|Luther]]), [[D.Min.]] ([[Luther Seminary|Luther]])
* K. David, [[M.Th.]] ([[Senate of Serampore College (University)|Serampore]]), [[Master of Arts|M.A.]] ([[University of Calcutta|Calcutta]]), [[Ph.D.]] ([[Edinburgh]])<ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=998XAQAAIAAJ&q=komaravalli+david |title=Contributors (?) |work=University of Edinburgh Journal|year=1991 }}</ref>

Many of these Teachers also played a role at the [[Senate of Serampore College (University)]] and subsequent curriculum revisions at the University level. In 1985, a [[Content analysis]] of theological [[syllabi]] being taught at the [[Seminaries]] in the country was undertaken by the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, [[Bangalore]]. The [[New Testament]] Scholar M. V. Abraham<ref name="Siga"/> and the [[Old Testament]] Scholar G. Babu Rao,<ref>G. Babu Rao, "Content Analysis of Theological Syllabi – Old Testament" in ''Religion and Society'', Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, Bangalore, 1985. [https://books.google.com/books?um=1&q=g.babu+rao+doctoral+studies&btnG=Search+Books]</ref> the former being associated with the Leonard Theological College, [[Jabalpur]] and the latter associated with the [[Bible Society of India]] in [[Translations]] were given the task of finding out the extent of theological [[syllabi]] using the [[statistical]] [[tool]] of [[Content analysis]].<ref name="Siga"/>

Similarly, a research on the theological education in India was also undertaken by [[Siga Arles]] in the 1990s at the [[University of Aberdeen]] and its findings were published with the title ''Theological education for the mission of the church in India, 1947–1987: theological education in relation to the identification of the task of mission and the development of ministries in India, 1947-1987, with special reference to the Church of South India''<ref name="Siga">Siga Arles, ''Theological education for the mission of the church in India, 1947–1987: theological education in relation to the identification of the task of mission and the development of ministries in India, 1947–1987, with special reference to the Church of South India'', Peter Lang, Frankfurt, 1990. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7XnYAAAAMAAJ&q=siga+arles+theological+education]</ref> which was published in 1990 by Peter Lang, [[Frankfurt]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Protestant ecumenism]]
[[Category:Church of South India]]
[[Category:Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars]]
[[Category:Senate of Serampore College (University)]]
[[Category:Christianity studies]]
[[Category:1969 establishments in Andhra Pradesh]]

Kretzmann Commission - Revision history

Priyankasingh at 00:53, 29 August 2024