Marbaniang, Domenic

DR. KURIEN THOMAS (1922-2000) was a pioneer of the Pentecostal movement in central India. He came to Itarsi, the heart of India, in 1945 and laid the foundation of the Pentecostal Church there. In 1962, he began the Bharosa Bible School which grew on to be known today as Central India Theological Seminary. In 1967, he became the first Chairman of the Fellowship of the Pentecostal Churches in India. Dr. Thomas was a prolific writer in Hindi, English, and Malayalam. He was editor of Satyadoot , a continuing Hindi Christian monthly, and was author of several books. Kurien Thomas: God’s Trailblazer in India and Around the World , written in 1986, was his autobiography. Kurien Thomas was born on 9 January 1922 at Ranny, Kerala, into a Keralite Syrian Orthodox family that traced its origins to the first converts of Thomas the apostle of Christ. In 1939, during a gospel meeting in his village in Kerala in which the renowned Pastor K.E. Abraham ministered, Kurien gave his life to Jesus. Hungr...

Sundar Singh (1889-?) was born into a Sikh family in Punjab. At that time, the British were ruling over India and Christian missionaries ran English medium schools into which many well-to-do families sent their children for education. Sundar Singh was sent into one such school. Sundar hated reading lessons from the English New Testament which was read as a daily textbook in the Mission School where he went. Of course, at the beginning he did like the teachings of Christ; but, he abhorred the fact that the New Testament was given too special a preference. When Sundar was 14 years old, his mother, who was a model of piety for him, died. Sundar's life was shaken. He began to grow bitter against Christianity and the teachings of Christ. In a rage of anger, one day, while he was in his early teenage years, he got hold of the English New Testament and set it to fire  (Later, after he had came to know Christ, he grievously mourned this act as a grave sin). But, Sundar had no peace in his...

From "20th Century Christian Contribution to Philosophy" (ACTS, 2004; Basileia, 2008) As one of the foremost Christian apologists of this century, Ravi Zacharias ’ specialization in Western, Eastern, and Middle-Eastern philosophy takes him to numerous academic circles all over the world. Through his rich literature, broadcast, and record ministry, he has addressed millions of people all over the world. Most of his books and lectures address the present condition of the Western man which he diagnoses as caused by the invasion of rationalistic atheism and secularism in the once Christian societies. Ravi has shown that the invasion of secularism, existentialism, and Eastern philosophy has led to the relativizing of truth in present day society. His apologetic is against the agnostic and skeptic stance one takes with respect to truth. He says, ‘truth by definition is exclusive. If truth were all-inclusive, nothing would be false. And if nothing were false, what would be the meani...

For about 40 years now, Zac Poonen has ministered to the Church in India and worldwide through the ministry of teaching by voice and by letter. In an age when commercialization of ministry is on rise and the hype culture seems to consume the meaning of Christian virtues, Zac stands for integrity and sincerity to the Word of Truth. The story of his walk with Christ is recorded in his book The Day of Small Beginnings  (2007).  Zac follows the Lord in the holiness tradition and had close connections with Hebron and with Brother Bakht  Singh, who also performed Zac's wedding with Annie. Zac is honest about his experiences with God. In chapter 21 of The Day of Small Beginnings, he makes some daring confessions: The period from mid 1971 to end 1974 (when I was 31 to 35 years old) was the period during which my fame grew rapidly in my public ministry. It was also the period during which I backslid the most in my personal life. Popularity and backsliding go together in the lives ...

This young man was a ferocious drunkard and a violent police officer in Punjab. But, his life didn't just get better. Karamchand Hans became one of the most influential evangelists and Christian leaders in Punjab. He spearheaded a powerful indigenous church movement that proclaimed faith as the foundation of ministry, forbade salaries, and saw great signs and wonders following their ministry as thousands thronged into the Kingdom of God; all because one woman prayed for her son to be saved. Over four decades ago, Karamchand's mother came to Christ through a miraculous healing of her daughter. Her conversion was repulsive to Karamchand. He warned her not to allow the Western missionaries and began to become violently aggressive. But, his mother prayed. One day, this mother's piety became too unbearable for the young man. He punched her, pushed a cot over her, and began hitting her aggressively. All the time, the mother prayed and loved him. He left her saying he would never ...

"My desire is to be an exhibition of His power, an extension of His life, and an expression of His love," says Dr. Matthew K. Thomas. Presently, the President of Central India Theological Seminary, the Chairman of the Fellowship of Pentecostal Churches in India, and Secretary of Pentecostal World Fellowship, he looks back at his younger days and remembers the toils through which his family had been. "We sat on the ground in school and wrote with barru ," he says to the younger generation. "My dad didn't have a few paise to buy me a ticket to Hoshangabad, so we bi-cycled to the place.... We patched our torn trousers and wore it to school....." His father, the late Dr. Kurien Thomas, had this humble confession about the birth of Matthew: On the 2nd of November, 1948, our second son was born. He was delivered in the house attended by a village midwife. One of the believers, a sister, was also present. She told me that according to the custom of the place,...

Adversary of the Gnostics Significance: Doctrine of Christ’s Incarnation, Union of Natures, and Recapitulation theory of Atonement . The church is one and universal, and it confesses one and the same faith throughout the world. The common faith is confessed at baptism, at which one act the believer receives forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit. “Canon of truth” referred to the “rule of faith”, the content of the apostolic preaching in summary form that served as a norm for interpreting Scripture and determining the apostolic faith. Took church at Rome as the representative church in his argument for apostolic succession (from one teacher to the next; not, from ordainer to ordained). The apostolic faith was preserved at Rome. Affirmed the reality of the physical presence of Christ in the Eucharist against the Gnostic depreciation of material elements. Mary, in reversing the disobedience of Eve, found a place in Irenaeus’s doctrine of recapitulation.

Apologist and Martyr. “For I myself, too, when I was delighting in the doctrines of Plato, and heard the Christians slandered, and saw them fearless of death … perceived that it was impossible that they could be living in wickedness and pleasure” (2Apol.12) Significance • One of the first highly educated Gentiles to use his learning to defend Christianity even before the emperor himself. o His writings use citations from Euripides, Xenophon, and above all Plato to strengthen his case for Christianity. • Opposed rival teacher Marcion who taught that the New Testament contradicted the Old Testament. • Logos-theology: Even before the coming of Christ, the logos was manifested partially in such Greek philosophers as Socrates and Heraclitus, and in such Hebrews as Abraham, Ananias, Azarias, Misael, and Elijah (1st Apology). Plato’s truth was dependent on Moses (chs.59-60). o The seed of God’s logos ( logos spermatikos ) was disseminated to all men in their God-given capacity to respond to t...

Fed to lions during the reign of Trajan (AD 98-117). Wrote 6 letters en route to Rome. Significance: • First to use the word Christianismos (Christianity, Ign.Rom 3:3; Magn.10:3) • Opposed Docetism (Trallians 9;11-2; Smyr.1-3) • First to stress the concept of “monepiscopacy” (or monarchical episcopacy): a single bishop in a given city presides over the 3-fold ministry of (i) bishop (ii) presbyters (iii) deacons o The bishop presides in the place of God (Magn.6:1; Tral.3:1) o Submission to bishop is necessary to achieve henosis (“unity,” Ign.Eph.5:1). o Even when a bishop is youthful as at Magnesia (Magn.3:1) or is silent as at Ephesus (Ign.Eph.5:1) or at Philadelphia (Philad.1:1), they are not to be despised, for silence is a characteristic of God Himself. • First to use the word katholikos (“universal”) of the church (Smyr 8:2) “Set on unity” (Philad.8:1). Urges Polycarp (1:2) “care for unity your concern for there is nothing better”. • First to maintain that either the bishop or h...

HE hung, his ankles tied together and fastened to a pole several feet above the floor. The pain was excruciating, unimaginably. The prison smelt vermin infested “death”. By dawn he was so stiff and numb, he could barely walk. Though separated from her husband, his wife managed to smuggle in food to him by bribing the guards. These efforts were curtailed, however, within no great time. His location was to be changed. The journey was gruesome. He was terribly weak from the confinement, and the gravel road, sharp, hurt his barefoot. Some of the other prisoners with him died along the road. The pain was unbearable, but he continued on, vowing to live if only for Ann and the baby. Two years later, his wife would die. Ten years from now, he would present this land of his persecution, the Kingdom of Ava (the land of the Burmese), the greatest gift they could ever receive: the Bible in the Burmese language. A Skeptic turns to the Savior Adoniram Judson was born on the 9 th of August, 1788, t...

‘Whom having not seen, ye love.’ (Peter, 1 Peter 1:8) The crowd watched in desperation as the old man was violently conducted into the stadium. Old Polycarp, pastor of the Church at Smyrna and disciple of John, walked silently as the tumult grew greater. ‘Think of your old age. Swear and I will let you go: deny Christ,’ the Proconsul said. ‘Eighty and six years’ replied Polycarp boldly, ‘have I served Him, and He never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King and my Savior?’ There was exchange of words, persuasive and compelling; but old Polycarp stood adamant in His faith. The Proconsul realized that more words were futile, so he threatened to throw him to the beasts. The old Christian wasn’t intimidated. Finally, the sentence was passed: Polycarp was to be burnt at stake. The customary Roman practice of executing criminals by fire was to first nail them to the stake to prevent escape. However, Polycarp was not nailed but simply bound as he assured the executioners that h...

The Story of Kurien Thomas, as retold by Domenic Marbaniang The fire of the Spirit ran into my bones. I fell to the ground as words of the heavenly language burst from my lips. They flowed incessantly. The believers around were awestruck as, they said, a glorious light enveloped my body. I spoke in tongues for 8 hours that night from 2 to 10 am. My little village was soon ignited with this news and people streamed to the church to see what had happened. God had asked me moments before He gave me this baptism of fire “Son, I am going to fill you with the power of the Holy Spirit; but what will you do with it?” What does one do with God’s power? I bowed down on my knees and confessed “Lord, give it to me and I will serve you with it. I will live not for the fading glory of the worldly kingdoms but for your eternal Kingdom and serve you in this land of India.” God had answered instantly and inundated me with His blessing and my heart was filled with zeal and enthusiasm. But the next day, ...

Søren Aabye Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher and religious thinker, is generally considered one of the founders of existentialism. His philosophy was mainly “an answer to the challenge of theological nihilism – the dead orthodoxy of a dead Church.” 1 It was an attack on the rationalist’s desire for proofs as an evasion of the claim of revelation. Kierkegaard has become popular more recently due to the uprise of secular existentialism and Christian existentialism; both of which find their origins in his ideas. Yet, “it would be inaccurate to call Kierkegaard an existentialist. He himself was concerned to understand how to become a Christian, whereas existentialism is concerned with what it is to be a human being.” 2 In his Philosophical Fragments (1844), Kierkegaard goes on to explain that it is always better and appropriate to reason from existence and that existence is never subject to demonstration. The person who attempts to demonstrate the existence of God...