K.P. Aleaz

Rev. K.P. Aleaz teaches Religions at Bishops College, Calcutta, India.

His paper "Vision for Church and Society" discuss the convergence of a Christiological Humanism as it is manifesting out of the ecumenical movement, with the movement of Dalit theology. (scroll down for link)

Rev. K.P. Aleaz's "Vision for Church and Society" discusses the WCC and it's CCIA (Commission of the Churches on International Affairs). Aleaz notes some examples of the CCIAs mission in sociopolitical affairs, i.e. the WCC support of Southern African liberation movements beginning  in the 1970s and it's involvement in the Isreali-Palestinian conflict.

The article is an impressive example of summing up the liberation theology of the WCC, taking the reader along a 'river walk' along the shores of the WCC's christian ganges, gently leading the way to simply logical conclusions about the direction of the ecumenical currents in the world (in stark contrast to so many shrill 'christian' voices demanding socialism and justice I might add).

Aleaz refers to M.M. Thomas' view that if " 'Classical ecumenism' meant dialogue among the churches on faith and order, 'contemporary ecumenism' means Christian openness to other religions and secular ideologies." Thomas raised the possibility of forming Christ centered fellowships within Hinduism... "D.A. Thanga Swami observes: There are enough indications that the Universal Church of the future will be the church of one Lord and perhaps one truth but not of one 'birth' if that means Baptism." (M.M. Thomas served as WCC Central Committee Chairperson from 1968-1975).

The point being to support Thomas' view that Christ centered humanism is the most promising place to start towards renewal of religious values in light of secular human values and the renewal of secularism in the light of religious spirituality, i.e. an open secularism or secular anthropology.

This expression of direction stems from long observing the inter-christian communal issues of competition between denominations and of the forming of covert political parties in Kerala, Tamilnadu etc. Aleaz refers to S.J Samartha, author of One Christ, many religions: Toward a revised Christology (Faith meets faith), and first Director of the WCC sub-unit "Dialogue with People of Living Faiths and Ideologies". By invoking Samartha's view's, one can sense being steered back to a faint echo of shrill voices in the halls of social justice theology. Not suprisingly, Samartha, (who received a BA from Jesuit-run St. Aloysius College a U of Madras affiliation) is  linked to Raimon Panikkar, a Jesuit school educated and later ordained Roman Catholic priest. M.M Thomas,  S.J. Samartha, and Raimon Panikkar are considered the "Great Three" by western scholars on Hinduism, a term used by Jan Peter Schouten.

See Also: Paul David Devanandan

"Vision for Church and Society"

Link to related topics Christianity in India