J. W. Gladstone

infobox bishopbiog
name = John Wilson Gladstone


religion=Christian
See =Church of South India| Title =Bishop in South Kerala
Period = 1997—"Incumbent"
consecration = 16 September 1997
Predecessor =
Successor = "Incumbent"
post = Professor of Church History, Kerala United Theological Seminary, Trivandrum
ordination = 20 July 1975
date of birth = 25 December 1945
place of birth = Neyyattinkara, Kerala, India
date of death =
place of death=

John Wilson Gladstone (25 December1945—) is the present Moderator of the Church of South India [Anglican Communion: Primates of the Anglican Communion [http://www.anglicancommunion.org/communion/primates/biog/details.cfm?ID=6939] ] as well as Bishop-in-South Kerala, in the state of Kerala in India [Anglican Communion, Provincial Directory: South Kerala [http://www.anglicancommunion.org/tour/diocese.cfm?Idind=503&view=alpha] ] .

The Bishop is well versed in German as well as Malayalam, Greek and English.

Early years

John Wilson Gladstone was born on 25 December 1945 in Kerala [Prof. J. M. Stewart in Profile of the Bishop in Mateer Memorial Church, Trivandrum, Kerala [http://mateermemorialchurch.com/bishop1.html] ] into a pastoral family. His father, J. Wilson, was a Pastor of the CSI [Canterbury Christ Church University, Biographies of new Honorary Fellows [http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/news/newsRelease.asp?newsPk=1029] ] .

He had an inclination towards priesthood - the ultimate professon. After his schooling, he pursued Bachelors and Masters degrees in Economics ["ibid."] in Trivandrum.

Divinity & higher studies

In 1969, Gladstone joined the United Theological College [UTC, Bangalore - "the only autonomous college under the Senate of Serampore College (University)"] where he received a B.D. degree. ["ibid."] After successfully finishing his studies in divinity in 1972, he enrolled himself at UTC again where he obtained in 1975 a M.Th. degree in the discipline of Church History ["ibid."] .

Ordination & Lecturership

After returning from Bangalore, Gladstone was ordained as a Priest of the Diocese of South Kerala of the Church of South India on 20 July 1975 [Prof. J. M. Stewart, "op. cit."] .

The diocese designated him as Youth Pastor [Canterbury Christ Church University, "op. cit."] and thereafter, Gladstone was assigned a teaching task at the Kerala United Theological Seminary [Senate of Serampore College, Graduate and Post-graduate colleges affiliated [http://www.senateofseramporecollege.org/affiliation/graduate.htm] ] , " [KUTS - affiliated to the Senate of Serampore College (University)] " Trivandrum.

Research studies

Later in the year 1978 [Canterbury Christ Church University, "op. cit."] , Rev. Gladstone took study leave from KUTS and proceeded to the University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany for research studies in Church History.

While at Hamburg, his university mates from India also included Rev. G. Babu Rao [G. Babu Rao was Professor of Old Testament in ACTC from 1977 to 1999 and a member of the Society for Biblical Studies in India. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Grbpradeep/Babu_Rao] ] from the Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad and Rev. Dr. D. Dhanaraj [Dhanaraj is Professor of Old Testament in KTC. Dhanaraj was also a member of the Syndicate of the University of Mangalore [http://www.hindu.com/2004/10/05/stories/2004100512710300.htm] ] of the Karnataka Theological College, Mangalore.

In the year 1983 [Canterbury Christ Church University, "op. cit."] , the University of Hamburg awarded him the doctoral degree of Doctorate of Theology "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, Trivandrum in the year 1984 [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, [http://books.google.co.in/books?id=cecLBU_oRTcC&pg=PA182&lpg=PA182&dq=gladstone+protestant+christianity+and+peoples+movements&source=web&ots=cS6jbHKqy1&sig=cWmHeKWvToStsAqsqEWqaJwKnhc&hl=en#PPA182,M1] ] .

Return to KUTS

Subsequently, Rev. Dr. Gladstone returned to Trivandrum to resume his teaching responsibilities. In the year 1991, he became Principal of the KUTS, Trivandrum [Prof. J. M. Stewart, "op. cit."] .

Works

Church Historian

Dr. Gladstone is a member of the elite Church History Association of India (CHAI), the body of Church Historians and has more than a hundred published articles to his credit ["ibid."] .

Senate responsibilities

Rev. Dr. J. W. Gladstone served as the President of the Senate of Serampore College (University), India's first University from 2000 to 2005 [Senate of Serampore College (University), Presidents and Convenors of the Senate [http://www.senateofseramporecollege.org/fame/senate.htm] ] He was preceded and succeeded Old Testament Scholars, Rev. Dr. Gnana Robinson and Rev. Dr. John S. Sadananda.

Memberships & honours

Memberships

* Church History Association of India

Honours

In the year 2008, the Canterbury Christ Church University "(established in 1962 by the Church of England with degree granting authority)", admitted Gladstone to its honorary fellowship at Canterbury Cathedral on 1 February 2008 [Canterbury Christ Church University, "op. cit."] .

Bishopric

On 16 September 1997, Rev. Dr. J. W. Gladstone was consecrated as the Bishop in South Kerala [Prof. J. M. Stewart, "op. cit."] .

Moderatorship

During the XXXI session of the Synod of the CSI held in Visakhapatnam from 11 - 14 January 2008, Bishop Gladstone was elected as the Moderator of the CSI for a biennium [Asia Pacific Ecumenical News, 20 May 2008, Indian Protestant Church elects new Moderator. Internet, accessed 20 May 2008 [http://apenews.org/newsread.asp?nid=106] ] . He succeeded the Most Reverend B. P. Sugandhar (Bishop-in-Medak).

References

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box | before=Rev. Dr. Gnana Robinson
title=President
Senate of Serampore College (University)
West Bengal|after=Rev. Dr. John S. Sadananda
years=2000-2005succession box | before=
title=Honorary Fellow
Canterbury Christ Church University
England|after=
years=2008
###@@@KEY@@@###succession box | before=The Most Reverend
B. P. Sugandhar| title=Moderator
Church of South India|after="Incumbent"| years=11 January 2008–10 January 2010succession box | before=| title=Bishop in South Kerala
Church of South India|after="Incumbent"| years=1997–Incumbentsuccession box | before=| title=Youth PastorDiocese of South Kerala
Church of South India|after=| years=1975-1978
###@@@KEY@@@###succession box | before=| title=PrincipalKerala United Theological Seminary
Trivandrum|after=Rev. Dr. K. P. Kuruvilla| years=1991–1997succession box | before=| title=Lecturer-in-Church HistoryKerala United Theological Seminary
Trivandrum|after=| years=–1997

Further reading

* cite journal
author=
title=
year=
volume=
issue=
url =