Advanced Institute for Research on Religion and Culture

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

• Andhra Christian Theological College,[1][4]
• Calvin Institute of Theology,[1][4]
• Henry Martyn Institute[5][1][4] and,
• Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College

Advanced Institute for Research on Religion and Culture (ARRC)

Type	Federated Faculty
Established	2016[1]
Affiliation	Senate of Serampore College (University), Serampore 712 201, Hooghly district, West Bengal
Registrar	The Rev. T. Swamy Raju, AELC[2]
Location	Beside National Police Academy, Shivrampally, Hyderabad 500 052[2] , Telangana , India

- 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
2016–2017 Rev. T. Swamy Raju, AELC 2017–2019 Rev. M. M. Abraham, MMTSC[1] 2019–Present Rev. T. Swamy Raju, 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[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
Master of Theology	Christian Ministry	2 years	Residential	57.4 to 52.5% marks[13] in Bachelor of Divinity	Serampore
Master of Theology	History of Christianity	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 Andhra Christian Theological College, Calvin Institute of Theology, Henry Martyn Institute and Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College.

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
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	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
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

1. Henry Martyn Institute, ARRC Announcement for M. Th. courses.
2. BTESSC list of Principals.
3. Isaac Mar Philoxenos, Address of the President, Senate of Serampore College (University), 2016.
4. CSI Life, Volume XIV, Issue 10, October 2016, p.32.
5. Henry Martyn Institute, "Master of Theology course registrations"
6. Senate of Serampore College (University), List of Affiliated Colleges.
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.
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. 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.
13. Serampore, "Qualifying marks for eligibility to Master of Theology".
14. Serampore, Faculty list of Calvin Institute of Theology.
15. Henry Martyn Institute, Faculty profile.