P. Kambar Manickam is a

Priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

of the

Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church The Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church is a Christian denomination in south India, which was established in 1919 and has approximately 200,000 members. Its headquarters is in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. It is one of the prominent mainline Lutheran chu ...

and current

Asia Pacific Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific Is ...

representative of the International Council on Pastoral Care and Counselling.

Contribution

Christian Yoga

In the 1970s, Manickam researched on

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

as a means for finding

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

, thereby espousing the cause for a Christian Yoga and its contribution to Indian Christian spirituality. During the successive decades, Research scholars have also espoused the cause of Yoga as a means to find oneness with

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. Justin O'Brien (1996), finds that oneness with

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

could be attained only through

for which he quotes

Swami Rama Swami Rama (; 1925 – 13 November 1996) was an Indian yoga guru. He moved to America in 1969, initially teaching yoga at the YMCA, and founding the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy in Illinois in 1971; its headquarters moved to ...

, who found that

was the only means in attaining it. Susan Bordenkirche (2006) has called for a

-centric Yoga while

Cyprian Consiglio Cyprian Consiglio, O.S.B. Cam., is an American composer, musician, Camaldolese monk and Catholic priest. He is noted for his musical work to support the practice of meditation. He is the author of two books. Life He was born in 1958 as Phillip ...

, OSB Cam. (2015) had strived for a revisitation of Indian spirituality as strived by

Bede Griffiths Bede Griffiths OSB Cam (17 December 1906 – 13 May 1993), born Alan Richard Griffiths and also known by the end of his life as Swami Dayananda ("bliss of compassion"), was a British-born priest and Benedictine monk who lived in ashrams in Sou ...

, OSB Cam., Henri Le Saux, OSB and others with special reference to

Third world dependency and the case for Indian ethos

Muthyala Theophilus, CBCNC (1895-1946) then

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

of the

Senate of Serampore College (University) The Senate of Serampore College (University) is located in Serampore in West Bengal, India. Serampore was granted the status of university in 1829, making it India's first institution to have the status of a university.Government of India, Mini ...

was the pivot for the formation of the

Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars The Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars (CBCNC) is a Baptist Christian denomination in north coastal Andhra Pradesh. The churches are part of the Telugu Christian community of Southern India. Its language is Telugu. It is affilia ...

as a direct Indian successor of the

Canadian Baptist Ministries Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM) or ''Ministères Baptistes Canadiens'' is a federation of four regional Baptist denominations in Canada. The federation is a member of the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarter is in Mississauga, Ontario. Hist ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

and towed the line of Indian ethos in Missiological leadership in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and had been more practical that saw periodical reduction in overseas contribution to the missions in

. Similarly, the

Bible Society of India The Bible Society of India is a Christian body that is authorized to translate, produce, distribute and market the Bible and is a member of the United Bible Societies. The motto of the Society is to translate the word of God into languages, which ...

, since the 1960s was also instrumental from the time of the rural

Pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

, A. E. Inbanathan, CSI in being able to tide over overseas support and build up contributions from within the country by means of an effective fund raising system. James A. Berquist who once taught at the

Gurukul Lutheran Theological College Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute is an ecumenical seminary situated in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, South India. It is affiliated to the Senate of Serampore College (University).Indiaedunews.neNepal Christians to renew ties ...

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, together with Kambar Manickam brought out a study in 1976 entitled ''The crisis of dependency in third world ministries: a critique of inherited missionary forms in India'', that sought to see the volume of dependency on partner countries and build up the case for indigenous support for the

Christian mission A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such ...

. P. Solomon Raj, AELC (2003), P. Solomon Raj, ''New Wine Skins: The Story of the Indigenous Missions in coastal Andhra Pradesh'', published by the ISPCK, New Delhi for the Mylapore Institute for Indigenous Studies, Madras, 2003.

Roger E. Hedlund Roger E. Hedlund is an American pastor who has spent more than three decades in India as a Theology, theological teacher and researcher with major contributions to missiology with special reference to Indian ethos. Education Hedlund studied at ...

, SBM (1999) had also conducted studies on the new and indigenous Churches in

that were centred around

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

but independent of any western influence which even the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

Scholar

Victor Premasagar Victor Premasagar (1927–2005) was the fourth successor of Frank Whittaker as Bishop in Medak. He was an Indian churchman and Old Testament scholar who made major contributions to research on the Old Testament and to the field of theology. Prem ...

, CSI (2003) heaped praises on such indigenous missions as not only espousing the

but also the Indian ethos.

Writings

*1972, ''Toward an Indian Christian spirituality : A case for Christian yoga'',P. Kambar Manickam, ''Toward an Indian Christian spirituality : A case for Christian

'',

Luther Seminary Luther Seminary is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is the largest seminary of the ELCA. It also accepts and educates students of 41 other denominations and traditions. It is accredited ...

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

, 197

/ref> *1976 (with James A. Bergquist), ''The crisis of dependency in third world ministries: a critique of inherited missionary forms in India'',James A. Bergquist, P. Kambar Manickam, ''The crisis of dependency in third world ministries: a critique of inherited missionary forms in India'', Christian Literature Society, Madras, 197

/ref> *1977, ''

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

and

Psychotherapy Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...

: Their relevance for Pastoral Counselling'', *1979, ''Mental Health and Meditation'', *1990 (with Christoffer Grundmann and Daniel Manohar), ''Selected writings of Martin Luther'' (

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

) - Volume 1, *1994 (with Christoffer Grundmann), ''Selected writings of

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...

'' (

) - Volume 2,

Studies

After general studies leading to graduation at the

University of Madras The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigiou ...

, Kambar Manickam entered the ministry of the Church as a ministerial candidate of the

(TELC), the direct successor of the first Protestant mission founded by

Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg (10 July 1682 – 23 February 1719) was a member of the Lutheran clergy and the first Pietist missionary to India. Early life Ziegenbalg was born in Pulsnitz, Saxony, on 10 July 1682 in a devout Christian family. His f ...

and underwent

Spiritual formation Spiritual formation may refer either to the process and practices by which a person may progress in one's spiritual or religious life or to a movement in Protestant Christianity that emphasizes these processes and practices. The processes may inc ...

at one of the affiliated seminaries of the

, founded by the

Baptist missions Baptist Missions (BM) is a Baptist Mission (Christian), mission organisation and a department of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland (ABC). It is located in the Baptist Centre and is shared with ABC. The scope of their activities is in ...

led by

Joshua Marshman Joshua Marshman (20 April 1768 – 6 December 1837) was a British Christian missionary in Bengal, India. His mission involved social reforms and intellectual debates with educated Hindus such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy. Origins Joshua Marshman was b ...

, William Carey and William Ward, and was ordained by the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC) and served as a

. During 1971-1973, Manickam underwent advanced spiritual studies at the

specializing in

Pastoral counseling Pastoral counseling is a branch of counseling in which psychologically trained ministers, rabbis, priests, imams, and other persons provide therapy services. Pastoral counselors often integrate modern psychological thought and method with traditi ...

studying along with

M. Victor Paul M. Victor Paul (7 April 1935 – 14 October 2013) was a biblical scholar who served as President of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1993 to 1997. Early years and education Victor Paul was born on 7 April 1935 into a pastoral famil ...

, AELC.

Ministry

Pastoral

Manickam pastored parishes within the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the

Society for nearly eight years'.

Teaching

Manickam was a

Teacher at the

Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary (TTS) is an ecumenical venture of Tamil churches in Arasaradi, Madurai, South India. TTS is affiliated with the Senate of Serampore College and Madurai Kamaraj University. The Principal is Rev. Dr. Margaret Kal ...

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

and became Principal in 1987 succeeding the

Scholar,

Gnana Robinson Gnana Robinson (17 March 1935 – 3 February 2019) was an Indian Biblical scholar who studied the Old Testament. Biography Robinson was born into a Christian family who were communicant members of what was then the South India United Church. ...

, CSI and stepped down in 1998Dhyanchand Carr, ''Invitation to reread the Bible''
/ref> on attaining superannuation paving way for the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

Scholar, Dhyanchand Carr, CSI who succeeded him as Principal. In 1995, Manickam participated in the

United Nations Commission on Human Rights The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. It was a subsidiary body of t ...

held in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

as a representative of the

University administration

By virtue of being the Principal at the

, Manickam became an

Ex officio member An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

of the

, the nation's first University, the

'' ''with degree-granting authority validated by a Danish Charter and ratified by the

Government of West Bengal The Government of West Bengal also known as the West Bengal Government, is the subnational government of the Indian state of West Bengal , created by the National Constitution as the state's legislative, executive and judicial authority. The ...

coinciding with the Registarship of D. S. Satyaranjan, IPC, and as a Senate Commission member, he along with

, CSI, had visited the Mennonite Brethren Centenary Bible College,

Shamshabad Shamshabad is a city in the Indian state of Telangana. It is located in Shamshabad mandal of Rajendranagar revenue division. The international airport of Hyderabad is located here. History In former times the area was known as Sedanti village, ...

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...

in the 1990s for looking into the case for feasibility of affiliation of the College to the

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

and also revisiting the Protestant Regional Theologiate in

Secunderabad Secunderabad, also spelled as Sikandarabad (, ), is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It ...

for conducting periodical affiliation regimen at the

Andhra Christian Theological College Andhra Christian Theological College (ACTC) is a seminary in Telangana which was founded in 1964. It is affiliated with India's first university, the Senate of Serampore College (University) (a university under section 2(f) of the University G ...

during the Principalship of R. Yesurathnam, CSI coinciding with the presence of the founding member of the

Association of Theologically Trained Women in India The Association of Theologically Trained Women of India (ATTWI) is an association of Indian women theologians which was constituted in 1979 in Chennai. It is an ecumenical organisation with more than 500 members. History In 1977, Shanti Solomon ...

,ATTWI Handbook
/ref> Johanna Rose Ratnavathi,K. M. Hiwale (Compiled), ''Directory of the United Theological College 1910–1997'',

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

, 1998

/ref> AELC.'' Peoples Reporter'', Volume 26, Issue 5, 2013, p.

/ref>

Contribution

Christian Yoga

Third world dependency and the case for Indian ethos

Writings

Studies

Ministry

Pastoral

Teaching

University administration

References

Further reading