KINGDOM COME

The Kingdom of God is the basis of the Church’s involvement in Communities. Since “the Kingdom of God is both present and future, both societal and individual, both physical and spiritual,” René Padilla shares that “eschatology is not an encouragement to escape into the distant future, but an incentive ‘to infuse the world with hope, for both this age and the next...this means that we must...respond to immediate human needs, and press for social transformation.”

 

 

This reflection comes out of the excitement I had in allowing my mind to get rattled and in allowing it to think out of the mundane. I just stepped out of the Seminar UBS had arranged with The Faraday Institute of Science and Religion . I told myself and also sort of helped my associates to be open-minded on the whole approach on “Creation or Evolution---Do we have to Choose?” Earlier the question was to choose either one i.e. to take stand for one. But now well meaning Christian Scientist ( for that matter some who are the best in the world) are enabling us to peep into this whole world of scientific developments and then try to make us understand / realise that "the need is for many types of explanations to do justice to the complex phenomenon". In other words the guidance is to look at the Scientific model along with the Ethical, Aesthetic and Theological models; complementary models to give explanations to issues regarding ‘Life.’ (I am not quoting but reflecting on the t...

Introduction On the 22nd May 1936, eighty representatives of the depressed class also referred as untouchables met in Lucknow. An important decision they arrived at wholeheartedly was that they would sever their connection with Hinduism and join another religion which gave them worth and dignity. Though there was no decision as to which religion they would embrace, among the many choices Christianity was not very much favoured. The reason is reflected in the question raised by Dr B.R. Ambedkar to Dr. Stanley Jones “If you Christians had succeeded in wholly wiping out caste distinction we should turn towards you, but you have not done it particularly in South India” [1] This episode reveals a lot of issues yet to be answered both by our country India and the Indian Church with regards to Caste and its derogative distinctions. The political acceptance of their equality with the rest of the Indian population by the Indian Constitution has not even to this day removed the stigma infl...

I just walked into one of that old Nationalised bank after a long time, perhaps with lot of apprehensions. Will I get the transactions get done in time. I prepared myself for the worst and pulled in enough air to my lungs so that i wouldn’t suffocate inside that old dilapidated building.                            But lo and behold the inside corridor’s of this 200+  year old bank even in a little city of mine worked wonders. I realised very soon that there was lot of smiles and ample room to skid this beautifully floored miracle.Updated in work and modernised to suit the need! Change We can. By the way some older banks have not just updated their inside but also have changed even from the outside. Changes to be relevant even to a post modern gen to bank with a “nationalised” bank. Some have changed their logo as well-a radical step indeed- and yet moved ahead successfully. So how’s that with us-UESI. Especially when we work with the post-modern Gen- shouldnt that be an Auto-updating? ...

We’d soon be leaving from Haryana after 8+ years of ministry with UESI. So, it’s reminiscence time! My mind recollects a lot of events. Soon we’d be missing this place and its people. But wait a minute did I ever tell you I’ll miss out the Parathas [1] here. Now if parathas taste better here than anywhere else, it’s because of the taste of the Wheat!   Punjab & Haryana for that matter produces the best wheat grain. This golden brown grain shines best only in this part of the country. So 8 years ago I collected a few stalks of this grain right from the field, dried it and these rather proud and tall stalks shares a rather prominent place in our showcase! These few stalks would serve me a memory of those mouth watering Parathas I savored. Except for some cobwebs (our ineptitude) those stalks are as healthy since I got it from the field … and I believe it would remain so for years to come. I would always show my friends these stalks and would also pride in this collection! Yet la...