A Sermon on “The Riddle of Genuine Religion: Remembering Ambedkar” to mark the 128th birth anniversary of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar on Sunday, 14th April 2019

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Scripture Reading:   

Old Testament   :           Amos 8:4 – 6

 New Testament    :           James 1:19 – 27

              Gospel               :           Mathew 25:31 – 40

The 128th Birth anniversary of Dr. B. R Ambedkar falls on Sunday, 14 April, 2019. On this particular Sunday it is important for us to have a bird’s eye view of how Ambedkar looked at religion. Interestingly, his understanding of religion has resemblances with the passages given here. Let us examine how Ambedkar viewed religion:

According to Ambedkar the life and practices of the society lay the foundation of religion. Therefore, religion is part of one’s “social inheritance”. He affirmed the role of religion in the society and life of people, but he never endorsed hypocritic expressions in the name of religion. Religion, to him, is the driving force for human activity. He elsewhere remarked that “Man cannot live by bread alone. He has a mind which needs food for thought. Religion instils hope in Man and drives him to activity.”  He linked religion with the social being of the people. He remarked, “The religion which discriminates between two followers is partial and the religion which treats crores of its adherents worse than dogs and criminals and inflicts upon them insufferable disabilities is no religion at all. He wanted a religion which was all inclusive and open to all. Ambedkar also was of the opinion that religion should be rites and ritual free. He emphasized the social value of religion.  The social values talked about by Ambedkar are dignity, equality, liberty and fraternity which are the core values of a society.  Ambedkar believed that for betterment of socio-economic, religious and political way of life, “the prescription of equality, liberty and fraternity was needed.” Ambedkar in his response to religion sees religion in the interest of establishing a society of equals. For him, the questions of the origin, nature and practice of religion were not essential; instead he studied and assessed various religions from a social perspective of justice. Thus, we can say that for Ambedkar the search for a new religion was less of a spiritual quest and more of a longing for a religion free from unnecessary rites and rituals and built on the principles of justice and equality.

Similar to Ambedkar’s views, the prophet Amos criticised religion which discriminates people based on their economic back ground. His criticism is meant to evolve a genuine religion. Let us now look at how the prophetic voice of Amos described the characteristics of genuine religion: Read more

National Council of Churches in India condemns killings in New Zealand; affirms solidarity with Muslims

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National Council of Churches (NCCI) in India is saddened by the hate-filled terror attack at Christchurch in New Zealand. We extend our solidarity to the families of the victims and we stand with friends of the Islamic faith who are affected largely by the trauma of the attack. Let God enable all the affected ones to experience the eternal peace.

The shooting at Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch and the Masjid in Linwood is a visible expression of growing intolerance worldwide towards migrants and Muslims. The right-wing fanaticism related to economy, ethnicity and nationalism complicates the situation. Hostility towards ‘others’, precipitated in violence has led to the annihilation of ‘others.’ These kinds of massacres which involve singling out a group of people and labelling them as ‘people to be
hated’ are against the human race. It is time to for those who believe in justice and peace to come out and condemn any such actions wherever it may be in the world.

This is an eye opener to everyone that the seeds of hate can grow to any extent, shedding the blood of many innocents. It is time now to take a pledge together, to have zero tolerance towards hate mongering of any form, be it through news channels, social media or hate speeches.

National Council of Churches in India believe in dialogue and peaceful coexistence of all. We support the efforts of New Zealand Government to maintain peace and harmony among the communities. May God grant us the understanding that we are meant to live with all peoples in peace.

Rev. Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary, NCCI

NCCI joins NCDC to include Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims in Scheduled Caste list

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The outcry of the Dalits has always been suppressed in different ways by the dominant hierarchical groups in India. The sheer interference in letting them accept a religion which breaks the bondage of caste and treats them equally comes in the limelight when it tries to uplift them from their suppression. But the tyranny of caste still remains with them as these chains does not leave them free. The reservation policies made to uplift the subaltern groups not only provides them a social status but also uplifts them from their social identity. In this times of trials and tribulations the Dalit Christians and Muslims have faced the termination of enjoying the equal rights which their brothers and sisters of similar identity holds in other faiths especially in Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh religions.

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Call for applications to the post of NCCI Executive Secretary – Women Concerns Ministry

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Copy of the advertisement of the NCCI calling for applications to the post of NCCI Executive Secretary – Women Concerns can be download here…

Please encourage suitable candidates to apply for the same.

Thanking you,

Sincerely,

Rev. Asir Ebenezer
General Secretary, NCCI

Vidarbha Centre for Labour Concerns Bounce Back to Life

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Date: 6th March 2019

Venue: Vidharbha Centre for Labour Concerns (VCLC), Butibori

The youth and women living on the fringes are quite often ignored by the mainstream of the society. They are not provided opportunities to explore their potentials. Devoid of a domain to learn and an orifice to demonstrate their skills, add to the disheartenment of many youths and women. Discrimination prevails even within the margins. In a society where the earnings of man is given credence, the ability of the youths and women to bring about a change is undermined or rather not bothered at all. This concept is being inverted through a Youth and Women Program jointly conceived and executed by four institutions viz. National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), Church of North India – Social Service Institute (CNI-SSI), Mure Memorial Hospital and Christian Service Agency (CSA). As a part of this endeavour a Mobile Training Centre was inaugurated on 6th March 2019 at the Vidharbha Centre for Labour Concerns (VCLC), Butibori, Nagpur. The program aims to equip the youth and women of Tembhari village – Butibori.

The inauguration program witnessed officials from NCCI, CNI-SSI, Mure Memorial Hospital and the residents of Tembhari village. There were around 50 participants. The dignitaries present were; Mrs. Aradhana Upadhyay – Director – CNI-SSI; Mr. Rajesh Jadhav – Coordinator – VCLC; Mr. Jianthaolung Gonmei – Executive Secretary – Youth Concerns – NCCI; Dr. Pranit Kashyap and Dr. Swapnali Rao – Doctors of Mure Memorial Hospital. The program commenced with a brief introduction by Mrs. Aradhana Upadhyay concerning the Mobile Training Centre and the courses which would be offered i.e. tailoring, beautician, embroidering and electrical management. She encouraged the people present there to make use of the opportunity to the fullest and also to spread the information so that many more could avail this prospect. Followed by her speech, Mr. Rajesh Jadhav, Mr. Jianthaolung Gonmei and Dr. Pranit Kashyap expressed their wishes and prayers for the success of the program. The vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Siddhart Bhange – CNI-SSI. Soon after the inauguration a medical camp was organized for the people under the aegis of the doctors from Mure Memorial hospital. To share the joy of this initiative sweets were distributed and everyone partook in the refreshments thereafter.

This program marks the renewed vigour of Vidarbha Centre for Labour Concerns which is an arm of NCCI-URM working among labours in Asia’s largest SEZ since 2002. Plans are afoot to further the work on rights, dignity of labours in the 12 districts in the Vidarbha Region of Maharashtra State.

Consultation on Ecumenical Formation and Capacity Building for Young Dalit, Tribal/Adivasi Theologians

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National Council of Churches in India- Dalit and Tribal/ Adivasi Concerns
in partnership with
Henry Martyn Institute, Christian Service Agency and EMW Germany
 Consultation on Ecumenical Formation and Capacity Building for
 Young Dalit, Tribal/Adivasi Theologians
11-13 February 2019, Henry Martyn Institute, Hyderabad

The tyrannical social system of caste is creating a major disturbance in the society and community. Human dignity is being trampled ruthlessly every day. The Tribal communities as well who are the heart and soul of our civilizational heritage are being dDalitsisplaced in the guise of development to serve the vested interests of the dominants. In such a time as this the National Council of Churches in India – Dalit and Tribal/Adivasi Concerns reaffirms the divine praxis of liberation of human beings from the clutches of all dehumanizing forces at work so as to achieve authentic humanization ensuring each individual self-respect and dignity in the midst of systemic evils and structures which threaten the very existence of all lives on this planet. The intrinsic value of the entire cosmos needs to be reclaimed. These concerns were the subsistence of the consultation organized by the Dalit and Tribal/Adivasi Concerns of National Council of Churches in India on “Ecumenical Formation and Capacity Building for Young Dalit, Tribal/Adivasi Theologians” from 11-13 February 2019 at the Henry Martyn Institute, Hyderabad. The consultation bore witness to 39 delegates and 17 resource persons. 15 Theological Colleges affiliated to Senate of Serampore delegated their students for the consultation. Read more

Thursdays in Black says no to all kinds of violence.

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India has been a country where a number of violence is subsisting openly. Human Trafficking in India although illegal under Indian law, remains a remarkable problem. People are frequently illegally trafficked through India for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced/bonded labour. Women and girls are trafficked within the country for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage, especially in those areas where the sex ratio is highly skewed in favour of men. Men and boys are trafficked for the purposes of labour and may be sexually exploited by traffickers to serve as gigolos, massage experts, escorts, etc a significant portion of children are subjected to forced labour as factory workers, domestic servants, beggars, and agriculture workers, and have been used as armed combatants by some terrorist and insurgent groups. Thursdays in Black focuses on ways that individuals can challenge attitudes that cause violence, on a personal and public level. Human Trafficking affects families, Society and people also suffers individually.  This year 7th February is observed as World International Harmony Day and to maintain peace among people, Thursdays in black Campaign is one of the way through which peace and unity can be conquer as this campaign says no to all kinds of violence.

A brief report on Ecumenical Youth Music Concert

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As part of the Unity Octave, the National Council of Churches in India-Youth Concerns organized an Ecumenical Youth Music Concert on (24th January Thursday) at Sristhi Lawn, NCCI Campus, Nagpur, on the theme “Justice and only justice you shall pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:18-20). The main focus of the concert was to extent the ecumenical rapport and unity among the Christians, especially the Youth spreading the message of peace and unity through music in the midst of turmoil and intolerance in our society.

The programme began with an opening prayer by Mr. Pradip Bansrior, Executive Secretary, NCCI-Dalit and Tribal/Adivasi Concerns and Mr. Jianthaolung Gonmei, Executive Secretary, NCCI-Youth Concerns welcomed the invitees and the participants as well as gave a brief introduction of the Unity Octave.

Different forms of music such as bhajan, devotional, choir, solo, and western were presented in various languages – English, Hindi, Marathi and Mizo. Churches, seminaries and organizations from different Christian faith community from in and around Nagpur participated in the event. The participants were from Mizo Fellowship, St. Charles Seminary, Hindi Methodist Church, St. Thomas Orthodox Theological Seminary (STOTS), Nagpur Christian Art Ministry, CNI St. Thomas Church, Marathi Methodist Church, Good Samaritan Church and North East Christian Fellowship.

Reading of the scripture was read by Ms. Sweta Nanda, Intern, from Matthew 15: 22-28 and proposed the vote of thanks. The program concluded with prayer for unity and benediction by Rev. Christopher Rajkumar, Executive Secretary, NCCI-Unity and Mission. The event was led by Ms. Megha Naik, Intern, NCCI-Women Concerns as its host.

Above all, Ecumenical Youth Music Concert was filled with delightful experiences where both the participants and the spectators were inspired through the presentations that paved the way for an opportunity to widen the space of learning and reasoning and welcome all humanity in one’s life that will lead towards love and unity of all in the pilgrimage of pursuing justice and only justice.

Rev Dr Gnana Robinson passed away

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The National Council of Churches in India is deeply saddened by the demise of Rev Dr Gnana Robinson, an eminent ecumenical leader in India. He was a visionary and an able leader who led many Christian institutions including the Untied Theological College, Bangalore and Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary, Madurai. He was also the founder president of the Peace Trust, Kanyakumari.

His ecumenical contributions are exemplary. Being an Old Testament professor, he proved his scholarly skills and inspired many students who became leaders of the Church now. He was keen on developing a second layer leadership in Indian Church. His passion for the liberation of the common masses in the southern hemisphere of the world had been expressed through his writings.

He left behind his wife Rev Florence Robinson and children Jeevan Robinson and Ratna Robinson. On behalf of the constituent bodies of NCCI, we convey our deep condolences to the bereaved family and pray that may God grant eternal peace to them.

The Most Rev. Dr. P. C. Singh elected President of Bible Society of India

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Most Rev. Dr. P.C. Singh, President of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), the Moderator of the Church of North India (CNI) is elected to serve as the President of The Bible Society of India. He was installed as President, on 31st January 2019, at Bangalore during the meeting of the 27th Triennial Central Council of the Bible Society of India. Dr. Mrs. Leela Bose was elected as Vice President and Rev. Premkumar Soans as the Treasurer of Bible Society of India.

Most Rev. Dr. P C. Singh, Bishop of the Jabalpur Diocese of the Church of North India, is a well-known Ecumenical leader. He is President of the prestigious Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS), Ecumenical Church Loan Fund of India(ECLOF); Executive Committee Member of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) and holds other responsible posts in many organizations across India. He has taken over charge from Rev. Dr. P.N.S. Chandra Bose.

The National Council of Churches in India wishes its President The Most Rev. Dr. P. C. Singh, Dr. Mrs. Leela Bose, Rev. Premkumar Soans and Rev. Dr. M. Mani Chacko (General Secretary, BSI) the very best and God’s blessings as they guide the Bible Society of India for the next Triennium.

Rev. Asir Ebenezer

General Secretary, NCCI