Title: Lutherans in India Study Ziegenbalg's Influence on Mission, Society ELCA NEWS SERVICE
July 7, 2006
Lutherans in India Study Ziegenbalg's Influence on Mission, Society 06-097-FI
CHENNAI, India (ELCA) -- An international consultation on "Post Modern Challenges to Christian Mission" July 5-6 followed a seminar on "The Contribution of Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg to Civil Society" July 4 as part of a full week of activities here at Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute marking the 300th anniversary of Ziegenbalg's arrival July 9, 1706, as a Lutheran missionary at Tranquebar on the southeast coast of India.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Chicago, presented the inaugural address for the mission consultation. He offered a description of what is meant by "postmodern," what Lutherans have to offer to Christian mission in the context of the contributions of Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg, and what themes emerge for study.
The seminar highlighted several of Ziegenbalg's contributions to civil society in India, such as the printing and translation of the Bible into Tamil, production of the first Tamil grammar book and his pioneering work in herbal medicine. Speakers noted that missionaries of his time were known to require obedience to their beliefs and customs, while Ziegenbalg first learned Tamil and Tamil philosophy.
"More than anything, postmodern is a way of recognizing that the world is in a period of transition," Hanson said in his written presentation.
"To be Lutheran is to live in a paradox between not knowing and yet being expected to give social form to God's word," Hanson told the gathering. "Ziegenbalg knew what it meant to be a theologian of the cross," standing with and living among the Tamil people of India, he said.
"The roots of this church deeply planted 300 years ago continue to bear fruit as Lutherans in India remain steadfastly committed to being engaged in God's mission for the life of the world. You are clear that living the way of the cross calls you and the people of India to the liberation of all Dalits. Your absolute resolve that all Dalit people must be granted human rights, dignity, and liberation is a sign to the whole world that your discipleship is centered in the cross," Hanson wrote.
"As people of faith, we cannot be in service without being in pursuit of justice," he said.
The consultation on Christian mission followed five themes: Mission in Ecclesiology, Mission to the Oppressed, Mission and Development/Diakonia, Mission to God's Creation, and Mission and Self-Reliance.
The Rev. Rafael Malpica-Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global Mission, Chicago, served as a panelist on Mission to the Oppressed.
"The ELCA's practice of mission is shaped by the concept of accompaniment. Accompaniment is described as walking together in solidarity that is characterized by mutuality and interdependence," Malpica-Padilla said.
"From this perspective we do not engage in ministry to the oppressed but in ministry with and among the oppressed," he said. The subject of mission work is "an equal with whom we collaborate in mission and ministry."
"Ziegenbalg's greatest contribution was his perception of the Tamil people," Malpica-Padilla said. "Ziegenbalg engaged the Tamils as people."
"Ziegenbalg relied on the gifts and skills of the local people who taught him the Tamil language. He sat with the young children on the floor and practiced writing the letters in the sand. Ziegenbalg's ministry was one of accompaniment with and among the Tamil people," Malpica-Padilla said.
"Engaging in mission and ministry with and among oppressed and marginalized communities requires of us to revise our attitudes, assumptions and motivations," he said.
The Academy of Ecumenical Indian Christian Theology and Church Administration is hosting a convocation July 7 in honor of those who contributed to the cause for which Ziegenbalg arrived in India.
July 8 the celebration will move about 140 miles south to the Indian Ocean's Bay of Bengal, to Tranquebar for a rededication of the New Jerusalem Church, which Ziegenbalg first dedicated in 1718. Ziegenbalg died the next year, at the age of 37, and his body was buried at the church.
An Ecumenical Jubilee Thanksgiving Service in Tranquebar will mark the tercentenary July 9 to praise God for the service of Ziegenbalg. Hanson and other international guests will lead worship. -- -- --
Gurukul Lutheran Theological College maintains information on the tercentenary at http://www.gltc.edu/tercentenary/ on the Web.
An ELCA delegation is hosting a blog (Web log) at http://lutheransinindia.blogspot.com/ during the trip.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog