Dr.  Theodosius Mar Thoma Metropolitan

 You are heading the Mar Thoma church which is served by 1184 clergy through thirteen dioceses to 1.6 million people. How do you exercise you authority of leading the church in the path of Christ? Pope Francis speaks of synodality as the way, what is your view?

Mar Thoma Church is an Episcopal Church following democratic principles through a constitution and participation of the people. The ministry belongs to the good shepherd. It is to be carried out as a continuation to the Lords ministry with all humility and depending on the grace of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar is governed by a constitution of the Church which gives room for the Episcopal Synod (all bishops included) to deal on faith and faith practices of the Church and guiding the ordained. It also permits the general administration of the Church to be carried out by elected representatives of the laity through the Sabha Council and Sabha Prathinidhi Mandalam. As a reformed Church, the faith and faith practices of the church are determined and revised by the teachings of the Word of God. In all matters the cooperation of the people is important and we celebrate Unity in Diversity.

How do you exercise your authority of leading the church in the path of Christ?

In the tradition and practices of the Mar Thoma Church, the Metropolitan is leading and guiding the church as its head. However, Metropolitan is helped and supported by the Episcopal Synod and in this sense; it is a collective leadership with the concurrence of the people. In this way, we do follow the synodical way.

We cannot even know ourselves or our own religion, unless we know that of others. You have done that in your study of Comparative Religions in ViswaBharathi University, Shanthinikethan. How important in India is that Christian know other religions? And why?

It is important that I studied Comparative Religion in VishwaBharathi University and Religious Hinduism in McMaster University. The Holy Bible gives emphasis to the study of humanity as the God-head relates to all the created beings including humans. A study of humanity is possible only through the study of various cultures and religions. Jesus Christ highlighted the faith he discovered among the Jew and the non-Jew. God is interested in the world first and then only the church. As a religious person I consider the study of other religions as significant to understand God and humans. Knowing other religion is part of knowing and relating with our neighbours in India.

You also studied SreeNarayana Guru, what made you interested in the Guru and what was the result of your study for you? What for you is the uniqueness of Christianity?

The uniqueness of Christianity is Jesus, the Gospel to the whole world. Jesus Christ is the true God and the true man. Jesus is not confined to the teachings of Christianity or the area of our comprehension. I got interested in the study on SreeNarayana Guru as he was the single person who could reform Kerala Society within the last 150 years. He gave more emphasis to humans than to religion. He said that there should be only one caste, one religion, and one God. By this he was teaching the whole world that there is only one God and therefore we are all brothers and sisters. I could read the dynamism with which SreeNarayana Guru could bring transformation in his society.

We are confronted by fundamentalism not only in India but in Kerala as well, even Christians seem to be infected? Why fundamentalism amidst us and what is your response?

Fundamentalism is dangerous. When children are growing up, they are taught to keep fundamental believes and practices. When they grow up, they are supposed to have free thinking to apply fundamentals to the people and time. However, if they do not grow to know the relevance of their fundamentals and do not become open to the existence of other belief systems and values, they tend to be exclusive rather than inclusive. Asserting the monopoly on truth and values by any sects or groups can breed only fundamentalism which is detrimental to others and society. Jesus said that your law should exceed the law of the Pharisees and Scribes of his time. So he interpreted Sabbath observance giving emphasis to humans and their holistic dealing. Similarly, our task is to affirm our fundamentals without condemning or romanticizing the fundamentals of others.

We are confronted by fundamentalism not only in India but in Kerala as well, even Christians seem to be infected? Why fundamentalism amidst us and what is your response? Samuel Huntington sees civilizational conflicts in the world scenario, while Pope Francis follows a path of Saint Francis. Hating the Muslims does not matter far from us. How do you read the signs of the times?

Salvation experience is contemporary and transcends the time. Salvation is for the whole created order. Narrowing it down to parochialism is not right. Viswadharma determines Swadharma. Life is important. Jesus said I have come that you may have life and in abundance. Those who have faith in Jesus Christ is granted eternal life. God is not interested in the eternal condemnation of anything he has created and found good. This includes other creeds, cultures and religions. The phobia created of the other in the name of religion and culture, language and race, is to be understood for its underlying vested interests and addressed by joint effort of likeminded people cutting across various boundaries.

Is the Market economy and its consumer culture making us communal and numb thoughtless people?

Consumer culture makes us numb and thoughtless people, as the spirit of consumerism is only profit and market economy. It doesn’t value human life and human community, other than as a consumer. While market economy and consumer culture promote individualism and autonomy, there are attempts to create consumer community on communal lines with various caste branding and call for boycotting certain products and markets.

Do you think that the Christian leadership in Kerala is failing to give moral leadership to the people of Kerala?

As the leaders become communal and exclusive, Christian leadership is diminishing in its impact in Kerala. The credibility of the Christian leadership is also a challenge and opportunity.  Christian leaders are called to have the qualities of a good shepherd as narrated in John 10:10. Christian leaders should be able to understand the time and the whole creation, including human kind in its totality. It is the responsibility of the Christian leaders to resonate with the interests of the larger public, intervene in life threatening situations and pro-actively promote harmonious and healthy living of all communities.

Ibn’Arabi a Sufi said “There was a time when I rejected my neighbour if his religion was not like mine. Now, my heart has been converted into the receptacle for all religions forms.” As the head of a church in India, how do you look at the future of this country and the church?

The future of the country and the church depends on how inclusive and people oriented the leaders are. All theistic religions believe in God. God is interested in the transformation of the whole creation. Jesus Christ has taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven”. It points to God as the father of all and created beings as interrelated as brothers and sisters. Eradication of sickness, poverty and illiteracy are important for the welfare of all the people in our country. The responsibility to ecology is also to be part of our faith and mission.