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Advanced Institute for Research on Religion and Culture

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Advanced Institute for Research on Religion and Culture (ARRC)
TypeFederated Faculty
Established2016[1]
AffiliationSenate of Serampore College (University), Serampore 712 201,
Hooghly district, West Bengal
RegistrarThe Rev. T. Swamy Raju, AELC[2]
Location
Beside National Police Academy, Shivrampally, Hyderabad 500 052[2]
,
Telangana
,
India

Advanced Institute for Research on Religion and Culture (ARRC)[3] is a federated faculty established in 2016[1] by three institutions,[1] namely,

- all based in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad offering post graduate level Master of Theology[1] courses with specializations in Sacred scripture and Religion.[1]

The ARRC is affiliated[6] to the nation's first[7] University, the Senate of Serampore College (University) {a University under Section 2 (f) of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956[8]}[9]with degree-granting authority validated by a Danish charter and ratified by the Government of West Bengal.

Registrars

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[10] at famed portals of learning in Europe, North America, Africa and the Indian subcontinent in Universities of Edinburgh, Cambridge, Hamburg, Cape Town, Chicago, Serampore, Papal Seminary, Wisconsin, Lancaster, McCormick, Syracuse, Eastern, Hartford, Duke, Union, PIB Rome, Gregorian, 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[11] during the tenure of the New Testament Scholar, The Rev. 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 Rev. N. V. Luther Paul, D. Th. (Serampore) (2006-2010) followed by The Rev. Ch. Vasantha Rao, Dr. Theol. (Hamburg) (2010-2014) and The Rev. T. Matthews Emmanuel, D. Th. (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 Rev. T. Matthews Emmanuel, D. Th. (Serampore), The Rev. Packiam T. Samuel, Ph. D., (Oxford Brookes) and The Rev. Gopalswamy Jacob, 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.[6]

Academics

As per the affiliation norms of the Senate of Serampore College (University), the federated faculty is authorized[6] to offer courses in Master of Theology in three disciplines, namely, the Old Testament, the New Testament and Religions (Hinduism and Islam).[12]

Course offerings at the Advanced Institute for Research on Religion and Culture
Course Name Specialization Duration Mode Academic
requirement		 Academic
Authority
Master of Theology Old Testament[4] 2 years Residential 57.4 to 52.5% [13] marks in
Bachelor of Divinity		 Serampore
Master of Theology New Testament[4] 2 years Residential 57.4 to 52.5% marks[13] in
Bachelor of Divinity		 Serampore
Master of Theology Religions[4] 2 years Residential 57.4 to 52.5% marks[13] in
Bachelor of Divinity		 Serampore

Faculty

The faculty in the three specializations offered by the ARRC include,

ARRC Faculty hailing from ACTC, CIT and HMI
Discipline Faculty Name Gen
der		 Host
Institution		 Highest
Degree		 Alma Mater University
Old Testament Gopalswamy Jacob[14] M CIT Ph. D. Theological University,
Apeldoorn		 Apeldoorn
New Testament V. Manikya Rao M ACTC D. Th. SATHRI, Bangalore Serampore
Religions T. Swamy Raju M ACTC D. Th. SATHRI, Bangalore Serampore
Religions M. M. Abraham[15] M HMI Ph. D. Jamia Milia Islamia Jamia Milia Islamia
Religions Packiam T. Samuel[15] M HMI Ph. D. Westminster College, Oxford
 Oxford Brookes

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Henry Martyn Institute, ARRC Announcement for M. Th. courses.[1]
  2. ^ a b BTESSC list of Principals.[2]
  3. ^ Isaac Mar Philoxenos, Address of the President, Senate of Serampore College (University), 2016.[3]
  4. ^ a b c d e f CSI Life, Volume XIV, Issue 10, October 2016, p.32.[4]
  5. ^ Henry Martyn Institute, "Master of Theology course registrations"
  6. ^ a b c Senate of Serampore College (University), List of Affiliated Colleges. [5]
  7. ^ 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. [6]
  8. ^ "UGC Act-1956" (PDF). mhrd.gov.in/. Secretary, University Grants Commission. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  9. ^ 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.[7] Archived 12 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Kretzmann Commission
  11. ^ Souvenir of the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the Andhra Christian Theological College, Secunderabad, 1990.
  12. ^ NCCI Review, Volume CXXXVI, Number 10, November 2016, p.73.[8]
  13. ^ a b c Serampore, "Qualifying marks for eligibility to Master of Theology". [9]
  14. ^ Serampore, Faculty list of Calvin Institute of Theology.[10]
  15. ^ a b Henry Martyn Institute, Faculty profile.[11]
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