From
Dr.Anil Wilson
Former Principal St Stephen's College Delhi
Former Vice Chancellor Himachal University Shimla
*
Good Folk,
Thank you for your emails giving the situation as it is brewing in the American College.
In your email you have quoted Prof A. Winfred as saying that the struggle is not between two individuals but between the Bishop and the College.
I beg to differ.
It is not a struggle between any two individuals or two offices -- it is the result of a situation where the Bishopric, all over, is aggressively trying to reinvent itself in worldly terms: in terms of power, pelf, and show. The Bishops are seeking to reinvent themselves as CEO of the corporate world.
This is the fundamental reason why some of the leading Christian institutions in the country are in the throes of serious trouble. For example:
1. St Stephen's College Delhi has been in the eye of a storm for over one year. No regular meeting of the Governing Body has been held for almost one year now (whereas there has to be one meeting every quarter) For more than a year there is no regular Principal of this College and all authority has been illegally usurped by the Chairman and his cohorts.
2. Baring Union Christian College Batala, one of the finest colleges in North India, has similarly been without a Principal for over one and a half years and the Chairman (again a Bishop) with the ex-principal have usurped all authority
3. St John's College Agra is similarly in the throes of serious problems about the ownership of its land which came to light when attempts were made to alienate its properties.
4. Christian Medical College Ludhiana is in serious trouble where the concerned people saw that Chairman (again a Bishop) as the cause of the rapid deterioration in the hospital and the college. They were so agitated that they gheraoed the Chairman and forced him to resign from the Chairmanship. Now the famous CMC Ludhiana is without a Chairman.
5. We all know what is happening in the American College, another outstanding Christian College.
The above is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The Christian schools are even in a worse siuation, again due to misuse of authority from the top. For example the former Bishop of Delhi forced every school in his Diocese to give him a car. Those Principals who did so were allowed to work unhampered -- those who did not were hounded in so many ways. Resultantly the said Bishop had a number of cars -- all luxury models -- but unfortunately he could ride only in one car at a time !! The Bishop of another Diocese gave the order that all admissions would be done by his office and no Principal dares to object. In another Diocese the Bishop fixes two to three meetings in every town/ city during a single visit to that town/city so that he can draw TA and DA from every institution.
Such instances are innumerable. The answer to this sad situation in our Church is not just to fight these individual cases of corruption (which of course must be done) but to address the basic issue: the role, functions and duties of Bishops and in this context to ponder over the question: Is it necessary that Bishops should be Chairmen of diocesan institutions? Should they not be concentrating on their fundamental duty which is pastoral work? Why is there so much disparity between the life-styles and salaries of Bishops and the rest of the clergy
If we do not address these questions, will only be adressing the symptom but ignoring the disease.?
Kindly feel free to share my views with others.
Yours sincerely,
Anil Wilson (Dr)
Former Principal St Stephen's College Delhi
Former Vice Chancellor Himachal University Shimla
*
2 comments:
The problem is historical as well. Here is a quote from Spinoza in the year 1677.
I have often wondered, that persons who make a boast of professing the Christian religion, namely, love, joy, peace, temperance, and charity to all men, should quarrel with such rancorous animosity, and display daily towards one another such bitter hatred, that this, rather than the virtues they claim, is the readiest criterion of their faith. Matters have long since come to such a pass, that one can only pronounce a man Christian, Turk, Jew, or Heathen, by his general appearance and attire, by his frequenting this or that place of worship, or employing the phraseology of a particular sect - as for manner of life, it is in all cases the same. Inquiry into the cause of this anomaly leads me unhesitatingly to ascribe it to the fact, that the ministries of the Church are regarded by the masses merely as dignities, her offices as posts of emolument - in short, popular religion may be summed up as respect for ecclesiastics. The spread of this misconception inflamed every worthless fellow with an intense desire to enter holy orders, and thus the love of diffusing God's religion degenerated into sordid avarice and ambition. Every church became a theatre, where orators, instead of church teachers, harangued, caring not to instruct the people, but striving to attract admiration, to bring opponents to public scorn, and to preach only novelties and paradoxes, such as would tickle the ears of their congregation. This state of things necessarily stirred up an amount of controversy, envy, and hatred, which no lapse of time could appease; so that we can scarcely wonder that of the old religion nothing survives but its outward forms (even these, in the mouth of the multitude, seem rather adulation than adoration of the Deity), and that faith has become a mere compound of credulity and prejudices - aye, prejudices too, which degrade man from rational being to beast, which completely stifle the power of judgment between true and false, which seem, in fact, carefully fostered for the purpose of extinguishing the last spark of reason! Piety, great God! and religion are become a tissue of ridiculous mysteries; men, who flatly despise reason, who reject and turn away from understanding as naturally corrupt, these, I say, these of all men, are thought, 0 lie most horrible! to possess light from on High. Verily, if they had but one spark of light from on High, they would not insolently rave, but would learn to worship God more wisely, and would be as marked among their fellows for mercy as they now are for malice; if they were concerned for their opponents' souls, instead of for their own reputations, they would no longer fiercely persecute, but rather be filled with pity and compassion.
Tractatus Theologico-Politicus.
Baruch Spinoza
Thank you for the continuous updates - do keep up the good work and let us know through this website about how alumni may be able to help in this matter.
Nelson
96COM
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