Bishop Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah: The Epitome of Indian Christian Mission

Bishop Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah

Shibi Peter

August 17, 2025 marks the 151^st birth anniversary of Bishop Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah (1874-1945), the first Indian Bishop of the Anglican Church and one of the most influential Christian leaders of the twentieth century. His pioneering contributions to the indigenisation of mission, the strengthening of ecumenical witness, and the affirmation of the dignity of marginalised communities left a lasting imprint on both Indian Christianity and the global church. This note seeks to visit his life and mission, reflecting on how his faith, ;leadership, and vision continue to inspire the Church’s witness for justice, unity, and service in contemporary times.  

A social reformer who shaped the Indian national movement with his radical ideas, the founder and dedicated practitioner of indigenous missionary movements, an intellectual who defined global ecumenical movements through his vision and action, a visionary who laid the foundation for the formation of the Church of South India Bishop V.S. Azariah’s life can be described with many such adjectives. However, in a single word, Bishop Azariah is synonymous with Christian mission.

Born in 1874 in Vellalanvilai village, Tirunelveli, Bishop Azaria’s seven-decade-long life has been a direct testimony to Indian Christian theology, the Church of South India, and the indigenous missionary movement. While summarising his long and impactful life on a brief note is a challenge, it’s clear that Bishop Azariah’s vision and mission offer valuable insights to address the contemporary challenge and guide the faith journey of the Church today.

Tirunelveli is a beacon in the landscape of Indian church history, illuminating the path of early missionary endeavors. The Church Mission Society began its work in Tirunelveli in the early decades of the nineteenth century, and it became a mass movement in the 1830s. The cracks created in the Hindu social order and the emerging movements for social equality among lower castes made the mission work complicated. In the 1940s, there was a mass conversion from the Shanar (Nadar) community, which led to the formation of a unique identity for Tirunelveli Christians. Bishop Azariah’s father, Thomas Vedanayakam, was a person who converted in this historical context. He was an ordained presbyter in the Tirunelveli Evangelical Anglican Church Missionary Society.

Bishop Azariah’s formative years as a student at the Madras Christian College played a crucial role in shaping his ecumenical leadership. It was during this time that he became involved with the YMCA and the Student Volunteer Movement (later the Student Christian Movement). Bishop Azariah, who was also the first Indian secretary in the history of the YMCA, worked in its national and international capacities for nearly fourteen years. The legendary figures like K.T. Paul, S.K. Datta, B.C. Sarkar, and Augustine Rallaram were also the contributions of the SCM-YMCA movements during the same period.

Bishop Azariah’s radical contribution to Indian missionary history lies in his championing of indigenization. He believed that the church in India should be shaped by its local context, not solely by Western models. A landmark event was the founding of the Indian Missionary Society of Tirunelveli in 1903, inspired by the missionary movement of Tamil Christians in Ceylon. Through the IMS, Azariah launched his first mission work in Dornakal.

The concept of a national Indian church paralleled the rise of Indian nationalism. The Indian Political Association (1876) and the Indian National Congress (1885) had already sown the seeds of a national identity. This led to the formation of several indigenous Christian associations, such as the National Church of Madras (1886) and the Madura Home Missionary Society (1904). It was within this context of burgeoning national consciousness that the National Missionary Society (NMS) was formed on Christmas Day in 1905.

Bishop Azariah was the founding leader and first General Secretary of the National Missionary Society (NMS). The church unity efforts led by Bishop Azariah and others, including K.T. Paul, laid the foundation for the formation of the Church of South India. The history of Christian Ashram movements is also not different from this. Bishop Azariah’s interventions in defining the parameters of ecumenism at the Edinburgh Conferences of 1910 and 1939 were historic. As David Carter points out in his book ‘The Ecumenical Movement in Early Years’, ‘when the World Council of Churches was formed in 1948, it had only one achievement to declare: the formation of the Church of South India’. Bishop Azariah’s commitment to ecumenism stemmed from his deep roots in the missionary movement. His unwavering dedication to indigenization, church unity, and social justice continues to inspire Christians in India and across the globe. Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah, a pioneering figure in Indian Christianity, played a central role in shaping its trajectory during the early 20th century.

In 1909, Bishop Henry Whitehead ordained Samuel Azariah as a deacon. Later, in 1912, Azariah’s historic ordination as the first Indian bishop in the Anglican Communion took place, despite facing opposition from both Indian and foreign missionaries. The ceremony was attended by Dr. John R. Mott and Sherwood Eddy, who had been lifelong mentors and inspirations to Azariah. He then assumed the role of assistant bishop of the Dornakal Diocese. In 1916, at the invitation of the newly ordained Bishop Azariah, the Anglican Church Men’s Union began mission work in Parkal. This year (2024) marks the centenary of the Parkal Mission (1924-2024).

The book ‘Christ in the Indian Villages’, co-authored by Bishop Azariah and Bishop Henry Whitehead in 1930, is considered the first book to identify the socio-cultural context of mission work. In its introduction, Dr. John R. Mott states that nine out of ten people in India at that time lived in poor villages. Bishop Azariah and Bishop Henry Whitehead based their mission work on the available social and economic data from these villages. Bishop Azariah’s missionary vision was rooted in social justice. It brought about radical changes in the social lives of the people, and hence they had to face political challenges. Mahatma Gandhi had described Bishop Azariah, who stood for the indigenization of the Christian mission and the Indian National Church, as his ‘first enemy’. This was because Gandhi feared the impact that the conversion of lower-caste people would have on the Hindu social order.

As Sister Carol Graham noted, Azariah believed that Christian witness must translate into tangible improvements in people’s lives. Additionally, J.Z. Hodge described him as the ‘Apostle of Church Unity’ in his biography, ‘Bishop Azariah of Dornakal’ (1946). Bishop Azariah has a prime place among those who witnessed Christ on Indian soil through his extraordinary life. His life was a vision and practice that transformed mission into a mass movement and differences into a church. That blessed life is also a remedy for the crises of the institutionalized church today and for the mission concepts that have been treated as mere charity.

References:-

• Appasamy, A. J. The Legacy of Bishop V. S. Azariah. Christian Literature Society, 1945.
• Azariah, V. S., and Henry Whitehead. Christ in the Indian Villages. Student Christian Movement Press, 1930.
• Caldwell, Robert. The Tinnevelly Shanars: A Sketch of Their Religion and Their Moral Condition and Characteristics as a Caste. Christian Knowledge Society’s Press, 1849.
• Carter, David. “The Ecumenical Movement in Its Early Years.” The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, vol. 49, no. 3, July 1998, pp. 465–85. Cambridge University Press, published online 1 July 1998
• Chelliah, A. R. Bishop V. S. Azariah: A Life in Indigenisation. ISPCK, 2016.
• Daughrity, Dyron B. A Brief History of Missions in Tirunelveli. Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, 2008.
• Graham, Carol. Azariah of Dornakal. SCM Press, 1946.
• Harper, Susan Billington. In the Shadow of the Mahatma: Bishop V. S. Azariah and the Travails of Christianity in British India. Eerdmans, 2000.
• Hodge, J. Z. Bishop Azariah of Dornakal. SPCK, 1946.
• Thomas, M. M. Bishop V. S. Azariah: A Profile. CLS, 1998

The Land That Has Not Yet Died: Theological Islands of Hope

 

Shibi Peter

 "Humans merely share the earth. We can only protect the land, not own it." — Chief Seattle

It is with profound joy and an even deeper sense of pride that I completed the reading of the volume The Earth That Has Not Yet Died: Green Bible Studies (Malayalam, Ed. Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnakkad). While the joy is derived from the fact that the volume is a collective effort of ten theological scholars from the Madhya Kerala Diocese, the pride stems from the depth of vision and the distinctive theological insights reflected in each essay, which collectively represent the intellectual-theological sensibility of the Church.

In many Christian contexts, ecological issues and projects are either viewed as mechanical or treated as fashionable trends. In contrast, the Church of South India (CSI) distinguishes itself by formulating theologically grounded and contextually relevant ecological visions and practices that have become exemplary even for global Christian communities. Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnakkad’s role in cultivating this ecological consciousness, particularly within the CSI and the Madhya Kerala Diocese, is of enduring historical significance. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first theological compilation of its kind within this regional ecclesial setting.

As noted in the introduction, the theological foundation of this volume is closely aligned with the Earth Bible project edited by Australian theologian Norman C. Habel, particularly its interpretative methodology of "readings from the perspective of the Earth." The essays, therefore, are not anthropocentric readings of Scripture, but attempt a re-reading from the vantage point of the Earth itself.

It is a widely acknowledged historical fact that biblical hermeneutics has evolved under various philosophical influences throughout history—most notably, Greek metaphysics. The dualistic opposition between humans and nature, central to Greco-European thought, has deeply shaped Christian theology. Thinkers from Cornelius Agrippa to Francis Bacon and René Descartes placed humanity above nature. In contrast, the Hebrew worldview as reflected in the Bible does not situate humanity as distinct or superior to nature, but rather within the web of mutuality and redemption shared by all of creation.

There exists a dominant anti-intellectual tendency to dismiss theological and philosophical discourses as "elitist" or "intellectualist." What is often forgotten is that our everyday desires, actions, and decisions are deeply influenced—consciously or not—by foundational epistemic structures. The anthropocentric frameworks that placed humans above the earth also served as the ideological womb of colonialism and the ecological catastrophes of the modern world. In this context, The Earth That Has Not Yet Died reclaims the wholeness of creation as a central theological concern, reaffirming it as the heart of faith.

While all ten essays merit careful study, space constraints permit me to highlight only four. First, the essay by Rev. Dr. Viji Varghese Eapen (Editor, With Many Voices: Liturgies in Contexts, CWM/ISPCK), titled “Isaian Prophecy: An Ecological Theological Reading,” stands out for its scholarly depth. Rejecting anthropocentric readings, Eapen argues for an expansive moral-ecological canvas rooted in the vision of the Earth Bible. His essay is not a speculative ecological theology but is grounded in the lived experiences and resistance of earth-communities who are victims of ecological exploitation and colonial violence. He concludes with an imagination of an alternative civilization—a “new heaven and a new earth.”

Second, “The Ecological Vision of the Lord’s Prayer” by Rev. Shibin Varghese is perhaps one of the most emotionally resonant essays I have read in recent years. It reveals the intellectual depth of a young priest, who succeeds in translating complex theological ideas into a language accessible to the devotional consciousness of the faithful. His treatment of the Lord’s Prayer as an ecological text offers a critical re-reading of current theological and homiletic practices, underscoring the need for academically engaged theological narration.

Third, the essay by Rev. Nirmal Cheriyan, “Ecological Justice: The Right to Survive,” resonated with me on a personal level. While justice is often treated as a relative or abstract ideal, the author roots it in a coherent and non-traditional moral framework. Drawing from Murray Bookchin—misunderstood by many as an anarchist—Cheriyan reconstructs a vision of ecological justice that challenges conventional social paradigms. His reading of Hagar as a theological paradigm is particularly noteworthy. By turning away from epistemologies rooted in domination, this essay calls for a prophetic spirituality that seeks the integrity of justice revealed in Scripture.

Fourth, although placed eighth in the volume, the essay “Creation, Fall, and the Groaning Toward Restoration” by Rev. Shaji Jacob Thomas should be considered the prologue to the volume. This essay provides a comprehensive overview of Christian ecological consciousness and its theological responses. It should be read alongside “The Cry of the Earth” by Rev. Shaji M. Johnson, which introduces newcomers to this theological discourse with clarity and purpose. Together, these two essays offer an effective gateway into the field of ecological theology.

The essays by Dr. Sophia Shine Mathew, Rev. Varghese Enadickal Varkey, Rev. C.Y. Thomas, Ms. Dolly Johny, and Rev. Sandeep Jacob further enhance the intellectual richness and credibility of this volume.

As the Bishop notes in the foreword, this work is not only a milestone for the Madhya Kerala Diocese, but also a theological asset for the broader Malayali Christian reading community.

The title of the volume is inspired by O.N.V. Kurup’s famous poem A Requiem for Earth. Yet, while ONV’s poem resonates with grief and loss, this collection proclaims an unmistakable theological hope: “There is still hope”—a refrain echoed in Rev. Shaji M. Johnson’s essay. Indeed, this volume creates theological islands of hope in the turbulent sea of ecological despair. It offers readers not only analysis, but also imagination—for a new earth, a renewed theology, and a faith rooted in justice.

CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese Takes Herstorical Steps Toward Gender Justice

Shibi Peter 

“Can we honestly expect the total contribution of women to the life of the Church? This is the crucial question which the Church has to face today.”
— Sr. Carol Graham, Women in the Indian Church (1948)

The 73rd Council Meeting of the CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese, which concluded on 15 December 2023 in Kottayam, marked a significant turning point in the Church’s journey toward gender justice. For the first time in its 76-year history, the Diocese took three remarkable and progressive steps:

1. Election of the First Woman Registrar

In a historic decision, Advocate Sheeba Tharakan was elected as the Registrar of the Diocese—the first woman to hold this office. This groundbreaking moment highlights the Church’s growing commitment to inclusive leadership.

2. Implementation of the POSH Act

The Council unanimously passed a resolution to implement a policy in line with the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act (POSH, 2013). The motion was introduced by two dynamic young women councillors, Ms. Neethu Jose and Ms. Neethu Sajeesh. This is the first known instance of any church in Kerala formally adopting the POSH framework—setting a new benchmark for gender justice and women’s safety in ecclesiastical institutions.

3. Call for Women's Ordination

Bishop Dr. Malayil Sabu Koshy Cherian, in his presidential address, made a heartfelt appeal to the Council to reopen and act upon the long-pending issue of women ordination. Although the Church of South India officially approved the ordination of women in 1984, the Madhya Kerala Diocese has yet to implement it. The bishop's call comes at a symbolic time, as the Women's Fellowship celebrates 75 years of devoted service—making it a timely and bold prophetic gesture.

Adv. Sheeba Tharakan: A Trailblazer in Church Leadership

Adv. Sheeba Tharakan is a distinguished legal professional and a long-time leader within the Church. She has served on the Diocesan Executive Committee and several key boards and was a member of the Synod Executive Committee of the Church of South India. Born into a Jacobite Christian family, she is the daughter of Adv. K.C. Philipose Tharakan (Olassa Kalappurackal) and Ms. Shanta Thomas. She joined the CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese after her marriage to Mr. Madhu John in 1994.

An alumna of CMS College, Kottayam, and a law graduate from Mangalore University, she is also a member of the Kerala Bar Council and a prominent advocate for women's rights in both ecclesiastical and public spheres.

Her election as Registrar reflects a larger movement toward empowering women to fully participate in the life of the Church. While the Church of South India already ensures 33% reservation for women, her leadership will undoubtedly inspire more women to assume active roles in Church governance.

POSH Policy: A Landmark for Churches in India

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, enacted in 2013 by the Government of India, was a landmark in safeguarding women from workplace misconduct. The Diocesan Council’s adoption of this policy demonstrates its commitment to gender-sensitive ministry and workplace ethics.

Earlier this year, the Diocese also showcased its openness to gender diversity by inviting Rev. Esther Bharathi, India’s first transgender priest, as the chief guest for the Women’s Fellowship’s 75th Jubilee celebrations in Kottayam—a gesture that reflected theological courage and radical hospitality.

Women’s Ordination: A Kairos Moment for the Diocese

While the Church of South India approved women's ordination four decades ago, the Madhya Kerala Diocese has remained resistant. Nevertheless, multiple efforts have been made over the years by clergy and laity alike to raise this concern. In this context, Bishop Cherian’s statement is both timely and theologically significant. It aligns with the Diocese’s evolving vision for a more inclusive and egalitarian church community.

As the Women's Fellowship celebrates its legacy, the call for women's ordination stands as a prophetic sign of renewal and hope—inviting the Diocese to live into the fullness of its mission.

A Church in Transition: The Spirit of Equity and Mission

The question Sr. Carol Graham raised nearly 75 years ago—regarding women’s full participation in Church life—remains central to the Church of South India’s understanding of justice and discipleship. However, the path forward demands continued theological dialogue and cultural discernment.

The CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese has long stood as a beacon of progressive Christian witness—embodying the missionary spirit and democratic ethos of the Church of South India. The recent decisions taken by its Council not only mark a new chapter in the Diocese’s history but also serve as a model for Christian communities across the country.

Remembering Dr. M. Kunhaman

 

Shibi Peter

The recent recollections by Dr. Sarosh Koshy of Dr. M. Kunhaman’s association with Student Christian Movement (SCM) during the late 1980s and early 1990s inspired this reflection. For those of us who joined the SCM in the early 1990s (I joined in 1992), Dr. Kunhaman remained a consistent and influential presence, not only as an academician but also as a critical voice in Christian social thought and Christian social movements in Kerala.

His involvement in the CSI Youth Movement, the People Faith Liberation Movement, and ecumenical platforms placed him within the critical intellectual genealogy of Christian interventions in Kerala’s public sphere. I first encountered him as a school student in 1990 during one of Navachetana's regular study sessions—a memory that still resonates. That program was led by Mr. Joy Joseph and Mr. K.M. Thomas, two prominent lay theologians and activists..

Although Dr. Kunhaman, alongside Dr. Sivanandan, was a familiar academic voice in economics-related engagements, what distinguished Kunhaman Master was his ideological and pedagogical solidarity with grassroots Christian and subaltern formations. His engagements marked a fundamental shift in how theological movements understood the intersections of economy, caste, and public theology.

The period to which Dr. Sarosh refers was particularly significant in the intellectual history of Christian interventions in Kerala. Even E.M.S. Namboodiripad, in his Collected Works, acknowledged the dialogical engagements between liberation theology movements and the ideological Left. However, these engagements were not free from conflict. Particularly in matters related to caste and gender, there existed deep divergences between institutional Left politics and the subaltern perspectives articulated by Christian social movements. While liberation theology initiatives attempted to interpret caste and gender through a faith-based lens—see for example Rev. M.J. Joseph’s The Golden Calf (1982)—these efforts often struggled to fully integrate into the dominant economic and political theoretical frameworks.

Dr. Kunhaman’s contributions emerged precisely in response to this epistemological impasse. His approach moved beyond classical categories of production to interrogate the asymmetries within production relations themselves—foregrounding caste as a structural determinant. In doing so, he developed a distinctive critique of development economics that offered new analytical vocabularies to popular movements navigating an ambivalent relationship with Marxist traditions. In this respect, his work parallels and complements that of Dr. Sivanandan, especially his essay Class, Caste and Economic Opportunity in Kerala (1979). Inspired by this intellectual trajectory, Rev. M.J. Joseph authored Class, Caste, Church and the Left (1988), which critically examined the uneasy alliance between the church and Left political formations.

Dr. Kunhaman’s framework, premised on the triad of resources, power, and knowledge (as elaborated in Crises of Development, CISRS), marks a paradigmatic intervention in Indian economic thought. However, the dimensions of power and knowledge were not fully engaged by liberation theology movements—largely due to the communitarian and denominational limits of their representational imagination. Rather than aligning with anti-Brahmanical epistemologies or Ambedkarite frameworks—as seen in the writings of Dr. M.M. Thomas—they often remained tethered to Marxist intellectual resources (Stop Proceed, PSA, 1990). It was only in the late 1980s, with the increasing influence of Gramscian studies (Navachetana, 1989), that Christian movements began to critically reorient their theoretical frameworks. This shift would later be amplified with the publication of Gramscian Vicharaviplavam in the mid-1990s.

The caste atrocities and anti-Dalit violence of the early 1990s—particularly the Tsunduru massacre—further intensified this intellectual ferment. In response, the Varthamanam magazine in 1991 published a special issue on caste, featuring the influential essay Dalit Ideology by Mr. K.M. Thomas, marking a historic turn in Christian Dalit discourse. The same year, the 75th conference of the CSI Youth Movement initiated profound discussions on resources, power, and representation, setting the stage for the emergence of Dalit subjectivity within church-based youth politics. The interventions of Mr. K.M. Salimkumar were pivotal in these early discourses.

Dr. Kunhaman’s intellectual contributions were foundational to this shift. What some have retrospectively described as a “crisis” in people’s movements was, in reality, a moment of epistemic rupture and subaltern assertion. This transition was further theorized by Prof. T.M. Yesudasan in works such as Towards a Prologue to Dalit Studies (with Lovely Stephen, DWS, 1993) and Dalit Identity and the Question of Power (1997), where the triad of resources, power, and representation was systematized into a coherent epistemological and political project.

It is worth noting that Dr. Kunhaman’s perspectives on resource-power dynamics remain under-theorized in academic discourse. He stands among the most organic intelletual and social critics India has produced—an intellectual who offered a language and vision to communities struggling for voice, justice, and historical agency.

Rev. A.P. Jacob: A Priest Who Lived Dangerously for Justice and Peace

Shibi Peter

For nearly a decade until the early 1990s, I had believed that Rev. A.P. Jacob was a presbyter of the CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese. This assumption was shaped by his frequent presence in most of the parishes where my father ministered. However, it was his vibrant participation in the People’s Faith Liberation Movement and the CSI Madhya Kerala Diocesan Youth Movement that truly confirmed this impression.

At a time when priests who fearlessly stood on the side of justice were rare, Rev. A.P. Jacob distinguished himself for precisely that reason. His unwavering faith in the Kingdom of God and the fellowship nurtured through grassroots collectives gave him the courage to take such a stand. The unique affinity he shared with the people and various movements of the Madhya Kerala Diocese played a formative role in shaping his mission and theological outlook.

Rev. A.P. Jacob served as the General Secretary of the Kerala Christian Council (KCC) during the presidency of Rt. Rev. T.S. Joseph Thirumeni. Under Thirumeni's initiative, he also served as the Project Officer of the BPDC, a program launched for the development of underprivileged communities. This role, undertaken at the recommendation of Metropolitan Yuhanon Mar Thoma, significantly deepened his understanding of the socio-cultural realities of the diocese.

The practical beginnings of what would later be defined within the framework of Liberation Theology can be traced to the Dynamic Commune for Liberation, a movement based in Kayamkulam and Puthuppally. Rev. A.P. Jacob was a leading figure in organizing these efforts, alongside young leaders such as Dr. M.P. Joseph, Philip George, and P.J. Johnson. During the Emergency (1975–77), he collaborated with Rev. M.J. Joseph under the guidance of Dr. M.M. Thomas, engaging in bold and risky interventions that have since become a noteworthy part of Kerala’s socio-political history. At a time when many Christian churches in India either supported or remained silent about the Emergency, Rev. Jacob helped form the Clergy Fellowship for Human Rights, offering legal and moral support to imprisoned workers. These efforts critically shaped the progressive current within the ecumenical movement in India.

It would be a distortion of history to portray Rev. A.P. Jacob as a mere representative of the conservative wing of the Mar Thoma Church. Even before embracing liberation theology or Marxist thought, he developed a distinct pastoral theology rooted in the everyday struggles of the people. In an era when positions of power could be easily attained, he chose instead to live dangerously, bearing witness to Christ through a life of risk and solidarity. Rare are such priests, whose life testimony illuminated the values of justice, democracy, and secular vision within the Christian church and its ecumenical expressions.

It was this commitment that led him to Liberation Theology and to active participation in people’s movements. He believed that Christian witness is not a religious ritual, but a solidarity forged by sharing in the suffering and struggles of the people. His was a priesthood defined not by ecclesiastical ritual but by its prophetic embodiment.

Rev. A.P. Jacob and Rev. M.J. Joseph were known for appearing at public events without clerical robes. Yet, in deeply charged and widely attended gatherings, they would deliberately wear the cassock, symbolically declaring their commitment to prophetic ministry beyond church walls — in streets and in the midst of people’s struggles. Rev. A.P. Jacob's passing resounds as the end of an era — a chapter of ecclesial and social history marked by radical commitment. He was a comrade and companion to so many movements and leaders — including my own generation, whose paths were illuminated by his courage.

We are made of soil, Lord Christ,
A stream of tears this earth remains —
Yet we stretch our arms to the One
Who is Lord of Earth and Heaven —
That He may wipe every tear.

A tearful tribute to a beloved priest who lived dangerously for justice and peace.