South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies

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South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS)
Established1982
FounderDr. Graham Houghton
Religious affiliation
Academic affiliations
PrincipalDr. Prabhu Singh
Location
Bengaluru
,
Karnataka
,
India

South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS /ˈsaɪæks/), is an ecumenical institution for progressive Christian studies in Bangalore, India. The motto of SAIACS is: "Excellence for service."[1][2]

History

SAIACS was founded in 1982, by Graham Houghton and fellow New Zealander, Bruce Nicholls.[3] Initially, the college offered a two-year Master of Theology (MTh) programme in Missiology which was offered under the umbrella of the Association of Evangelical Theological Education in India (AETEI), in partnership with Madras Bible Seminary in Chennai (formerly, Madras). In the year 1983 the programme was moved permanently to Bangalore and sought and received accreditation from Asia Theological Association (ATA) under its own name.[4]

SAIACS offers degrees within several specialisations accommodating more than 100 students on campus each year. SAIACS has one of the largest theological library in India with thousands of volumes. SAIACS is now a largely residential research institute and offers postgraduate degree programmes for an MA, M.Div., M.Th., Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Currently there are six departmental specialisations being offered at SAIACS; namely, New Testament (NT), Old Testament (OT), Theology and History (TH), Intercultural and Religious Studies, Pastoral Theology and Counselling (PTC) and Church History.[5]

SAIACS also provides cohort based D.Min programs where students can earn a fully accredited degree from Asbury Theological Seminary.[6][7][8]

Leadership

The first principal of SAIACS was Graham Houghton.[9][10] In 2004, Ashish Chrispal took over as principal. He was followed by F. Hrangkhuma as Principal from 2006-2008, Dr. Ian Payne, from 2008-2018.[11]

The current principal is Dr. Prabhu Singh, a native of Tamil Nadu and a renowned Tamil itinerant preacher and anthropologist who got his Ph.D. from the Asbury Theological Seminary, USA. After completing his studies at Asbury, Dr. Prabhu Singh had many opportunities to work in the USA instead he sacrificially chose to go to Bangalore and apply for teaching opportunities at SAIACS even though he had not heard about SAIACS until he applied.[12] Dr. Prabhu Singh was instrumental in giving exemplary leadership to the institution. New faculties from Mainline Protestant churches was hired. Under his leadership SAIACS had for the first time all Indian permanent faculty. He brought in largest ever donation in the history of SAIACS. Dr. Prabhu Singh's encouragement and support enabled tenured faculties to publish books, articles and research materials through SAIACS Press and other renowned academic publishers. He took initiative in revamping and beautifying the campus with lawns and gardens and also expanded buildings in order to cater to larger student body. He introduced smart classrooms in SAIACS and also modernised the chapel and dinning facilities. Under Dr. Prabhu Singh's initiative SAIACS purchased a land and constructed a research center at Mysore so that SAIACS can work closely with Mysore University. Dr. Prabhu Singh also took initiative in buying few acres of land for SAIACS near Doddaballapur on the outskirts of Bangalore to enable the expansion of SAIACS as a world class institution. Prabhu Singh for the first time partnered SAIACS with the bishops of mainline Protestant church such as Church of South India, Church of North India and Methodist Church, as a result SAIACS will start Bachelor of Divinity in affiliation with Senate of Serampore College to train bishops of mainline churches. Under his guidance SAIACS moved from an Evangelical seminary to a Mainline Protestant Seminary. Dr. Prabhu Singh also serves as a board of trustee of Asbury Theological Seminary.

The SAIACS Trust, composed of members of Mainline Protestant denominations, oversees the functioning of SAIACS.[13][14]

Location

SAIACS main campus is located in Kothanur, North Bangalore, in the state of Karnataka, India.[15] Its Mysore campus is located in 1st Phase, Kuvempunagar, Mysuru, in the state of Karnataka, India.[16]

Accreditation and partnership

SAIACS degrees are accredited by Asia Theological Association.[17]

In June 1997, SAIACS was recognized by the University of Mysore as an accredited research institution of the university where students can enroll for a Ph.D. program under University of Mysore.[18]

In June 2011, it marked the coming together of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) and SAIACS, with the establishing of the RZIM Chair of Apologetics at SAIACS.[19]

In June 2011, the University of Mysore further recognized SAIACS as a Centre for Specialized Studies to offer MA in Theology where students can graduate with MA degree from the University of Mysore after writing Mysore University examination.[20]

Similarly, in June 2012, the MPhil programme, which is identical to the MTh programme, was recognised by the University of Mysore.[21]

In June 2013, Asbury Theological Seminary (Kentucky/Florida, US) seminary signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SAIACS to "facilitate greater partnership between the two institutions. The partnership involves students and faculty exchange, resources sharing and joint classroom interaction."[22]

In June 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Asbury Theological Seminary to offer the Doctor of Ministry degree, focusing on leadership in ministry where students can graduate with a D.Min. from Asbury Seminary.[23]

Academic programs

SAIACS offers residential degree programs under Asbury Seminary and ATA for

  • Masters of Arts in Christianity (MA),
  • Master of Divinity (M.Div),
  • Master of Theology (M.Th.),
  • Doctor of Missiology (D.Miss.),
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.),
  • and a non-residential Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.).

The residency requirement for the M.A. and the M.Th. programs is two academic years. This period may be extended where equivalency course requirements are added to a student's M.Th. program. Doctoral programs involve longer periods.

In addition SAIACS also provides online courses.

Students

Majority of students to SAIACS come from the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu and are sent by their supporting church or organisation and are already under appointment to continue their service upon completion of their studies at SAIACS. Many students have served as ordained ministers, theological teachers or Christian workers in churches in Asia. SAIACS has also trained students from countries like Australia, Bhutan, Brazil, Canada, China, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, and USA.[24]

SAIACS Press

SAIACS Press is the publishing arm of SAIACS, and it aims to publish research that challenge the church in South Asia. Most of its publications are written or revised for India. There are primarily two types of publications; the Dome Series and the Spire Series. The Dome Series publications are scholarly works. Spire Series books are more popular guides to Christian thought and living.[25]

SAIACS CEO Centre

In 2005, the Continuing Education Opportunities Centre (or CEO Centre) was started at SAIACS with the aim to generate scholarships for deserving SAIACS students. The CEO Centre is a premium conference centre and management training site, built right next to SAIACS.[26]

References

  1. ^ "Mission – SAIACS".
  2. ^ "Theological Distinctives – SAIACS".
  3. ^ Kurian, George Thomas, and Mark A. Lamport, eds. Encyclopedia of Christian education. Vol. 3. Rowman & Littlefield, 2015.
  4. ^ SAIACS: The First Thirty Years. Bangalore: SAIACS Press. 2012. pp. 29–35. ISBN 9788187712282.
  5. ^ "Academics at SAIACS". SAIACS.org. Archived from the original on 2015-06-10.
  6. ^ "Asbury Theological Seminary and the South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies Form New Partnership". 5 July 2013.
  7. ^ https://ats-edu.storage.googleapis.com/uploads/strategic-plan-3-1.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  8. ^ Wilcox, Heidi (24 March 2022). "Asbury Theological Seminary signs MOU with SAIACS in India". Asbury Theological Seminary.
  9. ^ "Dr. Graham Houghton - SAIACS Legacy".
  10. ^ Houghton, Graham. "Caste and the Protestant Church: A Historical Perspective." Transformation 2, no. 2 (1985): 30-33.
  11. ^ Payne, Ian W. Wouldn't You Love to Know?: Trinitarian Epistemology and Pedagogy. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2014.
  12. ^ "About Us – SAIACS".
  13. ^ "SAIACS Trust – SAIACS".
  14. ^ "A history of the beginning – SAIACS".
  15. ^ "Location on Google Maps". Google Maps.
  16. ^ https://uni-mysore.ac.in/english-version/sites/default/files/content/change_of_address-christian_studies.pdf
  17. ^ "Accreditation – SAIACS".
  18. ^ Official Documents of University of Mysore. "No. CDC/F-153/96-97". University of Mysore.
  19. ^ "SAIACS – Excellence for Service".
  20. ^ Official Documents of University of Mysore. "No. PMEB/13 - South/2010 - 11/13". University of Mysore.
  21. ^ Official Documents of University of Mysore. "No. PMEB/13-South/2010-11/199". University of Mysore.
  22. ^ "Asbury SAIACS Partnership". Asburyseminary.edu. 5 July 2013.
  23. ^ Wilcox, Heidi (24 March 2022). "Asbury Theological Seminary signs MOU with SAIACS in India". Asbury Theological Seminary.
  24. ^ "SAIACS Student details". SAIACS.org. Archived from the original on 2015-06-10.
  25. ^ "SAIACS Press". SAIACS.org. Archived from the original on 2015-02-23.
  26. ^ "CEO Centre". SAIACS.org. Archived from the original on 2015-06-10.

External links

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