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The centenary of the birth of the late ecumenical leader and Indian theologian Dr M.M. Thomas (1916–1996) was celebrated in a seminar at his home state in Kerala, India on 31 August, organized by his home church, the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, in India. The participants paid tributes to Thomas’ significant contribution to the ecumenical movement.
Thomas served as moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee from 1968 to 1975. His work as a WCC moderator for the Church and Society Commission, as well as his services for other ecumenical organizations, was recalled by seminar participants. The first member of the laity to serve as WCC moderator, Thomas was director of the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society in Bangalore from 1962 to 1975 and served as governor of the Indian state of Nagaland from 1990 to 1992.
Rev. Dr Hielke Wolters, associate general secretary of the WCC, delivered the keynote address at the seminar. He stated that “contributions from M.M. Thomas were not confined within the four walls of the church. His profound theological and ecumenical thoughts created ripples in society thereby fostering a change in ‘doing theology’.” The presentation by Wolters addressed the theme “Dr M.M. Thomas’ theology of Prophetic Participation in Salvation and the Struggle for Humanization” and highlighted dimensions of justice and peace in faith as practiced and promoted by Thomas.
Wolters mentioned aspects of M.M. Thomas’ theological articulations, which he said are “still helpful in fulfilling the WCC vision of a pilgrimage of justice and peace”. Wolters said that upon “studying his writings, one discovers that M.M.’s theological methodology shows a refinement which might be helpful for a pilgrimage of justice and peace”.
Rev. Dr Joseph Mar Thoma, Metropolitan of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, said that “M.M. Thomas was a man of deep commitments, faith and ideological convictions which enabled him to lead a simple but profound life committed to ecumenism that upholds the values of humanization.” Metropolitan Joseph Mar Thoma officially inaugurated the birth centenary celebrations of Thomas.
Dr Mathews George Chunakara, general secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), spoke about contributions by Thomas to the worldwide ecumenical movement. He highlighted Thomas’ contributions in shaping the WCC’s ideological and theological values.
“M.M. Thomas gave new insights to the ecumenical movement which have sharpened the WCC and CCA’s programmatic directions over time and helped these ecumenical bodies in taking radical action to address the emerging concerns in the world,” he said.
The Rev. Dr T.M. Philip, a biblical scholar and contemporary of Thomas, gave a presentation on “Encounters between theology and ideology” in which he highlighted theological developments made by M.M. Thomas in his work and their relevance to the present context.
Bishop Thomas K. Oommen, deputy moderator of the Church of South India, Rev. Dr K.M. George of the Malankara Orthodox Church and Bishop Dr Zacharias Mar Theophilus Suffragan Metropolitan chaired various sessions of the seminar.
The seminar took place a day before the annual meeting of the Representative Assembly of the Mar Thoma Church, which had the theme "Faith and Witness in the Public Space". This meeting was attended by over 1000 delegates and participants. Rev. Dr Hielke Wolters participated in the opening session and delivered a devotional talk. He highlighted the significance of the theme for the WCC Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace.
More information: Birth Centenary Celebration of Dr M.M. Thomas
