“Assuring Future for the Girl Child” Disclaimer : the Author of Each Article Published in This Magazine Owns His Or Her Own Words
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...................................................................Magazine of the Church of South India November 2020 | Whitsuntide-Advent Volume XVIII | Issue 11 | Rs. 150/Annum “Assuring Future for the Girl Child” www.csi1947.com Disclaimer : The Author of each article published in this magazine owns his or her own words. The opinions, believes and viewpoints expressed by the various 2 November 2020authors on this magazine do not reflect the opinions, belief and view points of the official policies of the CSI SYNOD. | Cover Painting By: Mr. Sacheendran Karadka Girl Children- the Image of God that Urges Us to Protect them EDITOR’S DESK and Assure a Bright Future ear brothers and sisters, Women and Church It is appreciable that many Greetings in the name of In God’s creation, a woman was among us have already engaged DLord Jesus Christ. made in His very own image and themselves in women and child likeness. She was created as an development and we pray that God I am glad to communicate to you equal partner and helper for man. almighty may reward their efforts. through this letter. Though India God blessed the woman He created continues to report a trend of the and gave her authority. Further, However, it is time to initiate steady decline of active COVID-19 it is also revealed in the roles efforts to bring changes in the cases, still there are many pockets that God had ordained to women attitude of the individuals, where the novel Coronavirus is in accomplishing His eternal families, institutions and society spreading. Let us continue to purposes at pivotal moments. at large to stop violence against uphold all those who are involved The genealogy list that Matthew women and children. The church in the frontline in combating the narrates in the gospel records an as an institution and its people virus. illuminating fact that how women in ordained and lay ministry were used as instruments by God must be prepared to respond Recently we all heard the shocking in the life and ministry of His Son to situations of violence. The news that a 19-year-old Dalit Jesus. Right from introducing the Church should break the silence woman was gang-raped in Uttar genealogy of Lord Jesus Christ till on violence and also provide Pradesh, who after fighting for her the end of His life at the cross, we education for prevention. It is life for two weeks, died in a Delhi can find the prime role which God the commitment of the church to hospital. Even though the woman has ordained for women. ensure care, provide for education in her statement to the Magistrate, and create accountability, pray named four members, as per the In ancient India, we can find a few for healing, wisdom, guidance and victim’s brother claimed that no women who enjoyed equal status the courage to face the issues. Let arrests were made in the first 10 with men in all aspects of life. On us come together to put in place days after the incident took place. the other hand, the majority of and enforce policies and practices After her death, the victim was the women were deprived of their that promote the enabling of cremated by the police without privileges and rights. Though a lot the environment for women and the consent of her family and this of development and progress has children. claim is denied by the police. taken place during this period, still there a long and challenging Let me draw your attention to the Whenever we hear such news, journey for women in the present words of Dr Denis Mukwege, a it haunts our minds and insists age. doctor who treats rape victims and us to take at least some efforts who was awarded the Noble Prize to stop such incidents. We as Violence affects women in many for Peace in the year 2018, “the Christians are expected to look different ways throughout their credibility of the Gospel in the 21st unto our Master and Lord to follow lives. Right from the time of her century, to liberate the grace that His footsteps in dealing with such birth or even before, a girl could we have received by making the incidents. As our Lord honoured, become victim or target and it Church a light that still shines in respected women and resisted continues throughout all phases this world of darkness through our violence, we who are serving the in her lifetime. In all these phases struggles for justice, truth, law, God of Love shall exhibit it by women quietly suffer or even if freedom, in short, the dignity of valuing and respecting each one. raises her voice it is silenced or man and woman”. suppressed. www.csi1947.com November 2020 3 Church and the physically challenged Physically challenged people are affected just as any other average person. They experience, hurt, pain, sorrow, joy, happiness and other emotions. This physically challenged position can limit their ability to actively participate in the worship services at church and it also can affect the person spiritually. These limitations can leave a person with many negative feelings and attitude. Whereas we from our experience can find that such persons rely more upon Christ and His promises for their existence. Accommodating these special people of God with genuine care and concern should be one of the top priorities of the Church. It is the “moral” obligation of the church to bring God’s message to those with special needs. Through improvements, the disabled people will feel more at home, have enhanced self-esteem and become more involved with the church’s activities. The church leaders can guide their congregation to accept and assist all, especially those with special needs. The greatest news that God promises to His faithful followers is newness in Him. One day all His people will be changed and created new. “Individuals in this world, who are mentally and physically challenged, will no longer have to deal with their disabilities. The blind and lame will see, hear and run like deer on the new earth. There will be no more sorrow, death or pain.” Revelation 21:4 With these thoughts let me conclude this letter and may God bless and protect each one of us in this perilous time. C. Fernandas Rathina Raja General Secretary, CSI www.csi1947.com 4 November 2020 Church Needs to be Open to the Contextual Challenges the beginning months not. Concurrently, we should of the deadly pandemic remember that evaluations, In COVID 19, there was questions, and criticisms are utter confusion among people blessings for the church to that whether the virus was a advance its understanding of naturally mutated one or a well- ministry and mission. designed human endeavour to resume a bio war surreptitiously. This is not the first time the Fortunately, until this time, church is addressing the issues there is no apparent evidence that emerged in the contexts of that supports the suspicion that plagues or pandemics. There the creation of the virus was a were periods in the history of human endeavour. At the same the church, that explains how time, the impact of the spread of the church had gone through in this tiny virus was beyond the similar contexts. It is necessary imagination of human faculty, to say that these kinds of issues and the current understanding of made a positive and negative medical treatment and scientific impact on the church. Very analysis. It questioned all spheres often, these kinds of problems of life, especially the religious life raise questions and challenges of people. Churches and other against the structure of the religious institutions fully closed church, method of mission and for several months due to the patterns of ministry and serve lockdown. Some people criticized – as an agent to restructure and What is the need for churches and reframe the understanding of the pastors? What is their distinctive church. In his article “Religious role in our lives? We know how Responses to the Black Death,” to live in this world without Joshua Mark described the having the ministry of pastors outbreak of the infamous plague and churches. Some of them in the medieval world from 1347 severely criticized that churches, through 1352. Since the cause of Rev. Dr Prinstone Ben temples and mosques saying the plague was unknown to the is currently serving that they are built exclusively people of the Middle Age, they as the Director of the for the survival of the priests. attributed to supernatural powers, Department of Pastoral Simultaneously, on the other side, particularly to God. Through Concerns of the Church there is a large group of people the lens of different worldviews, of South India (CSI) who are very much interested to Christians and Muslims viewed Synod. He is an ordained enjoy the ministry of the churches the spread of the deadly plague. minister of the South continuously prayed for resuming Christians understood it mainly Kerala Diocese of the worships and ministry of the as punishment from God for the CSI. church. But the above-mentioned sin of human beings and either it criticisms, give us an indication could also be caused by ‘bad air,’ that the church must consider the or witchcraft and sorcery and lack criticisms seriously and evaluate of piety. At the same time, Muslims whether the present church is able believed “the plague as a merciful enough to address the questions gift from God which provided of the people appropriately or martyrdom for the faithful, whose www.csi1947.com November 2020 5 souls were instantly transferred community that prevailed in the are complex ones, the answer to paradise.” Christians believed medieval period challenged and may also be multiple ones, but that the only way to overcome this criticized the church and its role, complement each other to serve deadly plague is to repent their it is interesting to see that such a clear response to the issue.