United Theological College (UTC) is an

ecumenical Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

mainline

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

founded in 1910. It is situated in the southern city of

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

in the state of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

and affiliated to India's first Theological University, the

Senate of Serampore College (University) The Senate of Serampore College (University) is an ecumenical regulatory and affiliating body for Christian theological education, which works in partnership with Bible colleges, seminaries and theological research institutes in the Indian subco ...

'' ''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 Administrative division, principal administrative authority of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal, created by the Constitution ...

. Renowned for its contributions to Subaltern and Dalit theology, it is a highly respected ecumenical institution in Bangalore. Currently, the principalship is held by the

Old Testament The Old Testament (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 and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

Scholar,

The Rev. The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style given to certain (primarily Western) Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and chur ...

Ch. Vasantha Rao, CSI, Dr.theol. (

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

), an ''

alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...

''K. M. Hiwale (Compiled), ''Directory of the United Theological College 1910–1997'',

, 1998

/ref> of this institution and an acknowledged lead in

studies and

Biblical Hebrew Biblical Hebrew ( or ), also called Classical Hebrew, is an archaic form of the Hebrew language, a language in the Canaanite languages, Canaanitic branch of the Semitic languages spoken by the Israelites in the area known as the Land of Isra ...

language, having been groomed by 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, throughout his

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 ...

period, beginning with his graduate and post-graduate studies, well into his doctoral studies. Vasantha Rao is also known for his continuing association with the fully

Society for Biblical Studies in India (SBSI) right from the

New millennium In contemporary history, the third millennium is the current millennium in the ''Anno Domini'' or Common Era, under the Gregorian calendar. It began on 1 January 2001 ( MMI) and will end on 31 December 3000 ( MMM), spanning the 21st to 30th ...

to the Golden Jubilee conclave held in 2012, where he was elected President, at the

Ecumenical Christian Centre Ecumenical Christian Centre (ECC) was founded in 1963 by M. A. Thomas. ECC is located in Whitefield in Bengaluru on a campus. Taking the total context of the world as "the text" and "the context" of theologizing: > Involving all churche ...

, Whitefield and continues to steer the Society.

The College

Since 1976, it has been granted the status of an

autonomous In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be defi ...

college under Senate of Serampore. The college has welcomed world leaders.

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

visited it in 1927 and declared, ''To live the gospel is the most effective way…I can say that the life of service and uttermost simplicity is the best preaching''. India Post released a centenary commemorative stamp in honor of the United Theological College (UTC) on 8 July 2011.

Motto

UTC's motto comes from

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chinese Elm ''Ulmus parvifolia'' Christianity * Matthew the Apostle, one of ...

20:28 in the

Vulgate The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Bible translations into Latin, Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Diocese of ...

: ''SICUT FILIUS HOMINIS NON VENIT MINISTRARI SED MINISTRARE ET DARE ANIMAM SUAM REDEMPTIONEM PRO MULTIS'' which translates as "Even as the Son of man is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a redemption for many". It is sometimes condensed to ''Not to be Served but to Serve''. In the University emblem the motto is in Greek (not in Latin): ''οὐ... διακονηθῆναι ἀλλὰ διακονῆσαι''

Courses offered

The UTC was granted autonomy in the year 1976 by the

. The following are the courses offered by the College:College Handbook 2008–2009. * Diploma in Women's Studies * Certificate Course in Christian Studies * Diploma for Proficiency in Counselling * Diploma in Young Men's Christian Association Professional Secretaryship *

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

, B.Div. *

Master of Theology Master of Theology (, abbreviated ThM, MTh or MTheol, or ''Sacrae Theologiae Magister''; abbreviated STM) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a ...

, Th.M. *

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor o ...

, Th.D.

Exchange programs

The UTC has exchange programs with the Theological Faculty of the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and the Divinity School of the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It has a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Revd Dr O V Jathanna and Prof Kenneth Brown with the University of Edinburgh wherein a post-graduate student can study a semester in

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

Publications

* ''

Bangalore Theological Forum The ''Bangalore Theological Forum'' is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1967 by the Division of Research and Postgraduate Studies of United Theological College, Bangalore during the tenure of then Principal, Joshua Russel ...

'', an academic journal brought out twice a year.Publications
utcbangalore.in * ''Masihi Sevak'', a pastoral magazine with three releases in a year. * ''Hymns of the Tamil Śaivite Saints'' an English Translation of the

Tiruvacakam ''Thiruvasagam'' () is a volume of Tamil language, Tamil hymns composed by the 3rd century Shaivite ''bhakti'' poet Manikkavasagar. It contains 51 compositions and constitutes the eighth volume of the Tirumurai, the sacred anthology of the Tami ...

, by Francis Kingsbury and GE Phillips (edited by

Fred Goodwill Fred Goodwill (20 February 1874 – 1 May 1969) was a British Methodist missionary stationed in Bangalore, British India, between 1899 and 1924, serving as the superintendent of the Wesleyan Tamil Mission, Bangalore, and Kolar Gold Fields. He i ...

)

Campus life

The college had been a recipient of prizes from the Mysore Horticultural Society, Bengaluru for well-maintained gardens and lawns. Good environment for study purpose.

Library

The college has a large theological library including 200-year-old palm leaf manuscripts. The United States Embassy awarded a grant for preservation of these rare palm leaf manuscripts in 2006.

Present Faculty

Succession of Administrators

Academic administrators who have led the seminary have been designated Principal.''To Serve Not to be Served 1910–1985'', United Theological College, Bangalore, 1985, p.57. Cited in Merithung Tüngoe, ''Administrators, Missionaries and a World Turned Upside Down'', ETC/ISPCK, Jorhat/New Delhi, 2000, p.7

/ref>

Notable people

MAR APREM METROPOLITAN METROPOLITAN OF MALABAR AND ALL INDIA NOW NATHAR KURSIYA

References

External links

{{authority control Seminaries and theological colleges in India Colleges in Bengaluru Educational institutions established in 1910 Reformed church seminaries and theological colleges Anglican seminaries and theological colleges Presbyterian universities and colleges Christian seminaries and theological colleges in India 1910 establishments in India Universities and colleges affiliated with the Church of South India Seminaries and theological colleges affiliated to the Senate of Serampore College (University)

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...