During the past several years I have had the habit of writing down a summary of any speech or lecture that touches my heart and leaves an impression on me. All the speeches and lectures found here touched my heart. I took the time to write them down because I didn’t want those voices to vanish in the air. Also I realized that writing down a summary of a speech gave me the opportunity to meditate it further, thus letting it sink deeper within my mind.
All these speakers challenge us to see the big picture of life, and live an authentic life of meaning. We should not remain blind, nor should we allow the blind people to lead us. We are born with the freedom to live a fruitful life, and we need to claim that freedom. All the speakers here are deeply and truly religious and spiritual, but none of them are fundamentalists. Having their foundation in the inherited spiritual tradition, they all have developed a vision that embraces all humanity. With their anchor in God, they have the ability to see a brother or a sister in any fellow human being regardless of their color or race or creed. Although they all belong to the Christian religious tradition, they have the courage to bluntly and fearlessly criticize the blindness and hypocrisy manifested at all levels in their own religion. Here I shall briefly introduce to you the speakers/lecturers you will meet in the following pages.
Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Osthathios is perhaps the most influential thinker and spokesperson of Indian Orthodox Christianity living today. Fr. M.V. George (the previous name while a priest) was one of my childhood heroes. I waited impatiently to complete High School to go to Mavelikara Mission Training Centre for the summer camp conducted by him. Those two weeks I spent there were among the most memorable times of my life. I attended the summer camps two more years.
I would look for his articles in the periodicals, and would buy his books as soon as they came out. "Njangal Viswasikkunnu" (We believe) was one of his books I had a chance to read over and over again. Another book was "Raksha Kristuvil mathramo?" (Is Christ the only way of salvation?). "Deivam undennu theliyikkamo" (Can you prove that God exists?) is one of his earliest books I read several times. Although I haven't had an opportunity to read his most celebrated book, Theology of a Classless Society, published in Britain, I could understand its content from other sources. It was after a break of about twenty years that I have had this opportunity to listen to him again when he was in Houston, Texas.
The general topic of his speech was communal (vargiya) god vs. celestial (swargiya) God. He is very good at playing with words that sound similar. Although his listeners might forget everything else he says, those words would remain in their memory. Here the play is between the Malayalam words, vargiya and swargiya. The similarity is more in sound than in sense. If sense is considered, the opposite of swargiya should be bhaumika (earthly) or laukika (worldly), and the opposite of vargiya should be sarvalaukika (universal) or manavika (humanistic). The real contrast he meant was vargiya vs. sarvalaukika, ie communal god vs. universal God.
I had the opportunity to meet Metropolitan Mathews Mar Barnabas as a priest while he was a chaplain in Kolencherry. His down-to-earth humility impressed upon my young mind right away. Later when he became a bishop, I had the opportunity to invite him to our church in Mukhathala in Kollam District, and he graciously agreed. He traveled from Ernakulam to Kollam in a train to come to our church. His humble lifestyle made a very deep impact upon all the people in our church. Although he has been the bishop of the American Diocese of the Indian Orthodox Church since the nineties, he still continues his humble lifestyle.
I had the opportunity to listen to Metropolitan Thomas Mar Makarios as a priest. That was in the early seventies. His scholarly lecture on the history of the church made an impact on me at that time. I had to wait three decades to listen to him again. This time what I heard were devotional messages that touched my heart.
Metropolitan Jacob Mar Ireneus, well-known for his scholarship and piety, is currently in charge of the Kochi diocese. I had the opportunity to listen to him a couple of times. Metropolitan Zacharias Mar Nicholovos serves as the assistant metropolitan of the North-East Diocese of America. His analysis of the life and mission of the Indian Orthodox Church in America is remarkable for its clarity and bluntness. He has the courage to admit that the parishes have become clubs, and the church exists today to preserve rather than to serve.
Metropolitan Geevarghese Mar Coorilos is the Bishop of Mumbai Diocese. He was the president of the National Council of Churches, and he continues to be active in the ecumenical field. He encourages an authentic approach to the life and tradition of the church. His vision is centered in the Christian tradition, but its scope is universal and all-embracing.
Metropolitan Yuhanon Mor Meletius, of Trichur Diocese, is a young bishop of great dynamism. He challenges people, both the young and the old, to treat faith seriously and to face life in an authentic manner. When Mor Meletius was in Houston, I had the opportunity to listen to some of the meetings he addressed. The answers given by him to several questions that came from the young people were very thought-provoking.
Metropolitan Alexios Mar Eusebius is the first bishop of the newly formed South-West American Diocese. Previously he was a professor of Biblical Studies at the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Nagpur, India. I have had a chance to listen to him several times. He has the gift of presenting complex ideas in simple ways.
Rev. Dr. Valson Thambu is a well-known theologian and human rights activist in India. After being a professor of English at the St. Stephen’s College in Delhi for 30 years, now he serves in the minority commission for the second term. Among the 11 books he has authored, Aids in Asia is the most well-known. Harvest of Hate is the latest book.
Rev. Dr. Lawrence Johnson, a well-known theologian, graciously presented a scholarly treatise on Religious Pluralism in a seminar of Gregorian Study Circle in Houston. I haven’t read another article or listened to another lecture on this topic that surpasses it in clarity.
Dr. M. P. Mathai, a professor of Gandhian Studies in the Mahatma Gandhi University in Kerala, travels around the world with his message of non-violence. His doctoral work was published as Mahatma Gandhi’s World-view by Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi, (2000).
Dr. Wesley Ariarajah, originally from Sri Lanka, is a professor of Theology at the Drew University, and has served as the Deputy General Secretary of WCC, Geneva. He travels around the world urging people to develop a pluralistic world in which all people can live together peacefully.
Fr. Varghese Varghese’s is one of the forceful voices in the church today. He dares to pronounce woes to today's church for deviating from its goal, for its loss of moral values, and for its self-righteousness. I sincerely wish and pray that his voice continues to be forceful, and that more people listen to his voice.
Rev. Dr. Bijesh Philip is a professor of Theology at the Orthodox Theological Seminary at Nagpur. Recently he completed his doctoral work comparing the thought of Hans Küng and Paulos Mar Gregorios. He is the author of several books, and the latest one is Christian faith and Global Peace.
Hope and pray that many people will be blessed of this compilation.
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