John Gladstone (bishop)
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John Wilson Gladstone (born 25 December 1945) is the present Moderator of the Church of South India[1] as well as Bishop of South Kerala.[2].
Early years
Rev. Dr. Gladstone was born on 25 December 1945 in Kerala. [3] into a pastoral family. His father, Rev. J. Wilson, was a Pastor of the CSI[4]
He had an inclination towards priesthood and after his schooling pursued bachelor and master degrees in economics[4] in Thiruvananthapuram.
Divinity and higher studies
In 1969, Rev. Dr. Gladstone joined the United Theological College [UTC, Bangalore - the only autonomous college under the Senate of Serampore College (University)] where he received a Bachelor of Divinity degree. [4] After finishing his studies in divinity in 1972 he again enrolled at UTC where, in 1975, he obtained a Master of Theology degree in the discipline of church history. [4]
Ordination and lecturership
After returning from Bangalore, Rev. Dr. Gladstone was ordained as a priest of the Diocese of South Kerala of the Church of South India on 20 July 1975. [3]
The diocese designated him as Youth Pastor[4] and thereafter, Gladstone was assigned a teaching task at the Kerala United Theological Seminary, [5] [KUTS - affiliated to the Senate of Serampore College (University)] Thiruvananthapuram.
Research studies
Later in the year 1978[4], Rev. Dr. Gladstone took study leave from KUTS and proceeded to the University of Hamburg in Germany for research studies in church history.
In 1983[4], the University of Hamburg awarded him a Doctorate of Theology degree magna cum laude. His doctoral thesis was entitled Protestant Christianity and People's Movements in Kerala, 1850-1936 which was later published by the KUTS, Thiruvananthapuram in 1984 [6].
Return to KUTS
Subsequently, Rev. Dr. Gladstone returned to Thiruvananthapuram to resume his teaching responsibilities. In 1991 he became Principal of the KUTS, Thiruvananthapuram.[3]
Works
Church historian
Rev. Dr. Gladstone is a member of the Church History Association of India (CHAI), a body of church historians and has published more than 100 articles.[3].
Senate responsibilities
Rev. Dr. Gladstone served as the President of the Senate of Serampore College (University), India's first university, from 2000 to 2005[7]
Memberships and honours
Memberships
Honours
In 2005, Rev. Vinod Victor and Rev. Gideon Sobhanam brought out a festschrift in honour of Gladstone entitled Shepherd of a Pilgrim People: Essays in Honour of Bishop J. W. Gladstone[8]
In 2008 Canterbury Christ Church University, (established in 1962 by the Church of England with degree granting authority), admitted Rev. Dr. Gladstone to its honorary fellowship at Canterbury Cathedral on 1 February.[4]
Bishopric
On 16 September 1997, Rev. Dr. Gladstone was consecrated as the Bishop in South Kerala.[3]
Moderatorship
During the XXXI session of the synod of the CSI held in Visakhapatnam from 11 - 14 January 2008, Rev. Dr. Gladstone was elected as the Moderator of the CSI for a biennium. [9]. He succeeded the Most Reverend B. P. Sugandhar (Bishop-in-Medak).
References
- ^ Anglican Communion: Primates of the Anglican Communion[1]
- ^ Anglican Communion, Provincial Directory: South Kerala [2]
- ^ a b c d e Prof. J. M. Stewart in Profile of the Bishop in Mateer Memorial Church, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala [3]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Canterbury Christ Church University, Biographies of new Honorary Fellows [4]
- ^ Senate of Serampore College, Graduate and Post-graduate colleges affiliated [5]
- ^ Cited in Susan Billington Harper's The Shadow of the Mahatma: Bishop V. S. Azaraiah and the travails of Christianity in British India, Eerdmans and Curzon Press, p. 182, [6]
- ^ Senate of Serampore College (University), Presidents and Convenors of the Senate [7]
- ^ Vinod Victor, Gideon Sobhanam, et al., Shepherd of a Pilgrim People: Essays in Honour of Bishop J. W. Gladstone, Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, New Delhi, 2005. [8]
- ^ Asia Pacific Ecumenical News, 20 May 2008, Indian Protestant Church elects new Moderator. Internet, accessed 20 May 2008[9]
- People from Kerala
- Malayalam people
- 20th-century Anglican bishops
- 21st-century Anglican bishops
- Indian bishops
- Anglican bishops by diocese in India and Asia
- Indian Anglicans
- 1945 births
- Living people
- Indian priests
- Indian theologians
- Indian clergy
- University of Hamburg alumni
- Senate of Serampore College (University) Alumni