and Inclusiveness Revd Dr. Johnson Thomaskutty Page

Introduction

During a postnormal and postmodern context of ours, a pedagogy that takes into account relational and dialogical methods can persuade students from varied backgrounds toward a transformative life and livelihood. In a context where education is the monopoly of the affluent and the privileged, a pedagogy that emancipates the oppressed and those who are in the periphery can be paradigmatic and contextually relevant. A teacher-andstudent dialogue that facilitates the thought-patterns of the student and acknowledges the cognition of the teacher shall guide all the interlocutors toward a new space of interaction and accommodation. A teacher can visualize and work constantly toward a gender-balanced, racially inclusive, and regionally comprehensive dialogue that can catch the attention of all levels of people groups irrespective of their diverse backgrounds.

A teacher is supposed to function as one who facilitates dialogue with people and their concepts, ideologies, and backgrounds to neutralize the system of education for the benefit of all sorts of participants. Rather than developing a hierarchical model, a platform of the equals can be facilitated between those who are at the learning end and the learned. As ancient schools such as Peripatetic Greek school, Confucius’ Chinese school, and Indian Gurukula school developed an interactive and oneon-one method, the contemporary schools can incorporate dialogic and interactive methods in their pedagogy. The school of Jesus in the Gospel traditions foregrounds a new way forward in its pedagogy through oral delivery (parables and teachings) and praxis (miracles and signs). An interactive, dialogical, and demonstrative method of pedagogy can have the power of transformation in the contemporary global scenario.

Pedagogy of Togetherness

Teaching is the breath and life of a committed academician that enables her/him to take the students along to the life realities far more than a hypothetical thought-world. Jeffrey A. Kottler, Stanley J. Zehm, and Ellen Kottler suggest several significant aspects on being a teacher, such as being a learner, a relationship specialist, an effective communicator, a helper, one struggling with challenges of the profession and managing the stress situations, and one who is reflective and passionately committed.10 They state in their elaboration about the art of teaching and the lifestyle of a teacher. We can add further to the list the aspects such as the God-factor, moral and ethical persuasion through life lessons, and paradigmatic lessons through accommodation and association. Though the traditional pedagogical methods with teacher-centric paradigms have a greater role to play, student-centric paradigms are more effective when a teacher becomes a facilitator, helper, and motivator to develop the intrinsic skills of a student and to equip her/him to achieve expected goals. The role of ‘learner outcome’ is significant in that level as the teacher has to prefigure the outcome of the teaching by taking into consideration various levels of students within the classroom setting. We should implement a teaching methodology that can be followed by all levels of people irrespective of their caste, class, race, region, gender, and other existential stratifications in the world. A methodology of learning together and learning with others can be considered as a great method in our pedagogy.

The pedagogy of Jesus can be worth mentioning here as He adopted a method that was inclusive, dynamic, and persuasive by incorporating both oral explanations and practical demonstrations. As a teacher par-excellence, Jesus implemented a pastaffirming, present-experimented, and future- oriented model of teaching with a liberative intent where all the human-made barriers are broken down, dehumanizing tendencies are alleviated, and elevating the marginal communities to the center. By equipping the marginalized communities and emboldening them to stand on solid grounds, we can develop a pedagogy of the oppressed to transform the church and society. As pedagogy can be considered as one of the best forms of Christian witness, mission, and evangelism, educators should adopt innovative teaching methods to alleviate all sorts of boundaries and endeavor for a borderless community of the equals. The method of ‘withnessing’ is a significant approach in pedagogy when people from the margin are at the receiving end. In such a context, a pedagogy of the people, for the people, and with the people can be considered ideal and persuasive. Thus, learning together and learning from one another can be used as ideal pedagogical methods.

Pedagogy of Transformation

It is a well known fact that Christian theology for a long period of time or until the later period of the twentieth century was remained as a monopoly of a selected group of scholars mostly from the elite strata of the society or belonged to the scholars from the Christian majority world.11 The understanding has been that concepts about God and religion cannot be understood by all and therefore has to be limited to those who are the so-called ‘brilliant and intellectual’ who can only fathom the mysteries of God.12 This anomaly is now challenged by scholars from the underrepresented communities.13 K. C. Abraham suggested that,

“the experience of the marginalized in every context, their suffering and longing for a newer life demand a new paradigm of theologizing.”14 In order to counter the earlier approaches, a new way forward is introduced in theological brainstorming with the inclusion of dialogical, integrative, and interdisciplinary approaches. The formative factors of theology such as scripture, tradition, reason, revelation, inspiration, and contemporary human experiences and pathos are counted as part and parcel of theological education. In that sense, theological pedagogy should take a new framework without biased tendencies and exclusive attitudes. The voices of all levels of people (panta ta ethne, Matthew 28:19) including women and racially ‘other’ should find space in our theologizing.

The following aspects are significant to consider in the process of theologizing in the contemporary context: first, developing a pedagogical method that enhances servant-leadership and scholar-sainthood in the church and the society; second, creating an environment of equality of people from different castes, races, genders, physical abilities, national and regional backgrounds, and linguistic and ethnic differences in our syllabi and curriculum by eliminating all forms of violence and discrimination; third, affirming and respecting cultural identities of various people who belong to Black and White, Dalit, Tribal, Minjung, and Indigenous backgrounds; fourth, bridging the gap between clergy and laity, urban and rural, rich and poor, young and old, and other similar categories for a transformed and inclusive pedagogy; fifth, emphasizing the unity of the church as one, universal, and catholic church in our academic deliberations; sixth, creating new curricula and methodologies in theological pedagogy that deters exclusion, prejudice, and marginalization; and seventh, engaging in inter-denominational, inter-religious, inter-cultural, and inter-contextual exchanges and networking in order to attune the students toward a wider spectrum of ideas and experiences. As Paulo Freire states,

Teachers and students (leadership and people), cointent on reality, are both Subjects, not only in the task of unveiling that reality, and thereby coming to know it critically, but in the task of re-creating that knowledge. As they attain this knowledge of reality through common reflection and action, they discover themselves as its permanent re-creators. In this way, the presence of the oppressed in the struggle for their liberation will be what it should be: not pseudo-participation, but committed involvement.

A pedagogy that is participatory in action, ordinary in persuasion, accommodative in style, and hermeneutical in implementation should be orchestrated in the contemporary context. A teacher and student dialogue and exchange of ideas are essential. The majority and minority conflict within the ecclesia and the academia alerts a teacher to keep a safe balance between the threatening majority voice and the existent minority ethos and pathos and suggest a reconciliatory ‘third’ alternative. In the context of persecution and marginalization, a teacher can function as a mediator between the conflicting groups to enhance peace and harmony in her/his theologizing. In the context of mission and ministry, a teacher can facilitate pastoral and theological voice in the ordinary human situations, stand firm for equality and freedom when women are marginalized, develop people-oriented homilies, construct context-based liturgies, and defensive missiologies. We should affirm preferential option to the voices of women and the underprivileged to sustain freedom, equality, and fraternity.

Pedagogy of Inclusiveness

The paradigms of postnormal times deal with the temporal and spatial realities of human struggles. Within its hypothetical framework, some of the well-known alliterations such as the 4Ss (speed, scope, scale, and simultaneity) and the 3Cs (complexity, chaos, and contradictions), are noteworthy.15 As the existential and behavioral aspects are rapidly changing, a teacher can attune her/his students to the new expectations of the current life and prepare them for new challenges lying ahead. A teacher can foresee the unthought futures as a visionary to develop a new generation of pastors, leaders, and theologians so that they can align themselves with the speed, scope, scale and simultaneity both in the local and global settings. By taking into consideration the rapidly changing scenario, teachers should take up the following aspects with significance: first, a conglomeration of teaching methods such as lecturing, one-on-one interactions, dialoguing in groups, demonstrations and life testimonies, and other methods rooted in global ethical standards and other inclusive methodologies shall enable the class room setup more vibrant and cognitive than monotonous; second, grass root level discussions and experiments, on-site visitations and interactions, focus on the vulnerable communities in churches and societies and their challenges, and adopting methodologies with and without modern equipments as per the demand and requirement of the situations enable a teacher to be inclusive in her/his approach to teaching; third, in contexts where modern equipments are necessary, use them for giving students wider spectrum of understanding and cognition, and contexts where modern equipments are not necessary, use one-on-one or group-centric discussions; fourth, do not restrict education exclusively in the class room setting, but rather it can be facilitated in “open ended” fashion by sharing, associating, enhancing, caring, guiding, and implementing moral and ethical values wherever that is possible; and fifth, education should enable students to be fit in the ekklēsia and in the academia as responsible believers and citizens through the means of the mentoring and the holistic training they acquire from the teachers. Teachers should adopt inclusive and diverse methods as students are diverse in their comprehension, family backgrounds, national and regional standards, physical and mental abilities, and racial and gender orientations.

Conclusion

The above discussion is a recapitulation of what we can visualize and put into praxis when we approach the discipline of teaching. As the postmodern context is rapidly changing and the globe as a whole is conceptualized as a village, we should take up new challenges and accept the emerging realities when we approach pedagogy. In the process of developing teaching plans, syllabi, and curriculum, we can build them upon a paradigm that conglomerates the divine, human, ecclesial, and cosmic aspects to shape our ideologies and practical implications with an inclusive outlook. This integrative approach enables us to impart a holistic understanding of theology to the students with practical implications. We should visualize a transformed situation of human beings, a borderless and inclusive ekklēsia, a Godcentered and morally equipped academia, and a divinely enthused and liberated world order. We believe that the power of the Holy Spirit can ignite us to be channels of change in the contemporary world. A pedagogy of learning together can be facilitated in the contemporary scenario for the benefit of all levels of people without any discrimination and for the glory of God.

References

1. Jeffrey A. Kottler, Stanley J. Zehm, and Ellen Kottler,

On Being a Teacher: The Human Dimension, Third

Edition (Thousand Oaks, CA.: Corwin Press, 2005). 2. V. V. Thomas, Dalit and Tribal Christians of India: Issues and Challenges (Nilambur, Kerala: Focus India

Trust, 2014), 12. 3. See Thomas, Dalit and Tribal Christians of India, 1213. 4. Douglas Patterson comments that, “To be relevant, theology simply must respond to the questions that the poor are asking.” Douglas Patterson, “The Kingdom of

God and the Hermeneutical Circle: Pentecostal Praxis in the Third World,” Called and Empowered: Global

Mission in Pentecostal Perspective, eds. Murray W.

Dempster, Byron D. Klaus, and Douglas Patterson (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1991), cited in Walter J.

Hollenwerger, Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide, 208. 5. K. C. Abraham, Transforming Visions: Theological-

Methodological Paradigm Shifts (Thiruvalla: CSS, 2006), 14. 6. Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Thirtieth

Anniversary Edition (New York/London: Continuum, 2005), 69. 7. J. R. Ravetz and S. O. Funtowics, “Post-normal Science: An Insight now maturing,” Futures 31/7 (1999), 641-646; also see J. R. Ravetz, “Science for the Postnormal Age,” Futures 25/7 (1993), 735-755.

[Rev. Dr. Johnson Thomaskutty is Professor of New Testament at The United Theological College, Bengaluru, India. Formerly, he served as Lecturer of New Testament at Serampore College, Hooghly, West Bengal (2001-2004) and Dean and Associate Professor of New Testament at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, Maharashtra (2008-2021).]

Obituary:

SUSAN G. ZACHARIAH, VIENNA, VA (1936-2022)

Susan G. Zachariah, age 86, wife of the late Dr. George Zachariah, passed away peacefully on September 5, 2022 in her home in Vienna, Virginia, U.S.A., surrounded by her family. She was born February 14, 1936 to Edicheria Geevarghese and Sosamma Varghese in Karunagappally, Kerala, India. She was the oldest of four children. She was very proud of her heritage growing up in the Mar Thoma Church, Kozhikode, which was built on land donated by her grandparents. Susan studied at Nicholson Syrian Girls Higher Secondary School in Thiruvalla, Kerala and Fatima Mata National College (Kollam, Kerala). Upon graduation from college with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics, she accepted a position as a Government Officer in Kerala.

Susan married George Zachariah (whom she called Joychayan) in 1958 and joined him in the U.S. where she studied in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate school of business until the birth of their son, Abe. The family moved to Buffalo, New York in 1961 where their daughter, Libby, and son, Mohan, were born. In their early years in America, there was scarcely an Indian to be found, let alone any family on whom to rely. It was a time when British curry powder sold in tiny bottles was the closest to Indian spice that they could find. The trips back home to Kerala every four or five years were never enough. Thankfully, from the beginning they were blessed with good friends in the U.S., who embraced them as family and taught them much about life in this country, including the Puryear, Sloan, and Kartha families.

In 1972, the family moved to Maryland where Susan continued to raise her family. Susan was a capable and resourceful woman with skills to fix most things around the house, stretch a dollar, recite any Mother Goose nursery rhyme, harvest vegetables from a thriving garden, pickle any fruit, vegetable, or seafood, prepare daily school lunches and treats for her children to enjoy after school, and keep her family grounded and feeling loved and secure. With just a phone call from George, Susan was known to whip up many an impromptu Indian meal. With the children in tow, she frequently went on foot to the grocery store to have a tasty meal on the table a few hours later. In her devotion to family and friends, she often prepared both Indian and American meals to please everyone’s palette. When Mohan was in elementary school, Susan began working for the Recreation Department of Montgomery County, Maryland with several of her friends from Twinbrook Baptist Church. She was very proud that she earned enough credits to qualify for Social Security benefits based on her own employment record and when she was selected for jury duty. Susan and George remained in Maryland until 2006 when they moved to Virginia where they lived until their deaths.

Susan and George hosted many friends, family, clergy, and other guests in their home. They were active in local churches as they moved around, including Lafayette Presbyterian and United Methodist in Buffalo, the Jacobite congregation of DC, the National Swedenborgian Church in DC, and finally Twinbrook Baptist Church in Rockville, Maryland before they became founding and active members of the Mar Thoma Church of Greater Washington.

Susan was preceded in death by her husband, George, on Dec. 31, 2020 after 62 years of marriage, and her sister, Mariamma Varghese (Varghese) of Trivandrum, Kerala, India, on April 20, 2022. Susan is survived by her brothers Alex Varghese (Grace) of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and George Varghese (Mariamma) of Allentown, Pennsylvania, and her children Abe Zachariah (Bindhu) of Vienna, Virginia, Libby Varghese (John) of Vienna, Virginia, and Mohan Zachariah (Susan) of Glenview, Illinois, and her grandchildren Noah, Eva, Josiah (Isabella), Jay, Nathan, Maya, and Alisha. May her soul rest in peace and rise in glory.

FOCUS Editorial Board