Louis F. Knoll (died 2004) was an American Baptist missionaryPeter Penner Russians, North Americans and Telegus: the Mennonite Brethren p390 1997 "Louis F. Knoll of the American Baptist Society, then located in Madras, was given power of attorney." who taught Christian Ethics at the Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad, affiliated with the Senate of Serampore College (University).
Robert Eric Frykenberg, Professor Emeritus of History & South Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison writes that Louis F. Knoll believed that the British Rule in India was a major obstacle to the spread of Christianity in India.Robert Eric Frykenberg, Oxford History of the Christian Church, Oxford University Press, 2008. p.287.
Leadership India Knoll was the co-founder of the Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad. Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches ran their seminary in Ramayapatnam. At first in 1967, the B. D. section of the Ramayapatnam Baptist Theological College, of which he was the Principal, was made to be situated on the same campus of Andhra Christian Theological College before it was fully integrated into the Andhra Christian Theological College in 1972 through an Act of Integration performed by Louis F. Knoll and then acting Principal William P. Peery.Foundations, Volume 11, American Baptist Historical Society, 1968. p. 321. Talathoti Punnaiah who underwent a 1-year spirituality course as an Aspirant at the Ramayapatnam Baptist Theological Seminary affirms the fact that it was Knoll as President of the Ramayapatnam Seminary who integrated the graduate section of the Ramayapatnam Seminary into the Andhra Christian Theological College.Talathoti Punnaiah, My Memoir, Ministry and Message: (60 years Life Experiences 1950-2010), Self-published by the Author, Kakinada, 2010, p.11
The Mennonite Brethren Mission also sought Knoll to consolidate its organizational structurePeter Penner, Russians, North Americans and Telegus: the Mennonite Brethren mission in India, 1885–1975, Issue 10 of Perspectives on Mennonite life and thought, Volume 10 of Russians North Americans & Telagus, Kindred Productions, 1997. p. 276. In 1978, when the Telugu movie Karunamayudu was released, the movie acknowledged the contribution of Knoll as a financial adviser displayed during the opening titles.
Overseas After Knoll left India, he served as Vice President of the American Baptist Seminary of the West from 1978 to 1985.
Writings 1951 – The Abrahamic covenant in the Light of HistoryLouis Fred Knoll, The Abrahamic covenant in the Light of History, Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1951. 1959 – The Role of the Depressed Classes in Andhra PradeshLouis Fred Knoll, The Role of the Depressed Classes in Andhra Pradesh, University of California, Berkeley, 1959. 1967 – Now We are TogetherLouis F. Knoll, Now We are Together. Cited in Indian Church History Review, Church History Association of India, 1980. Volume 14. p.132. 1968 – Population Trends and the Mission of the Church in Andhra PradeshLouis F. Knoll, Population Trends and the Mission of the Church in Andhra Pradesh in National Christian Council Review, Volume 88, Wesley Press, 1968. 1971 – State and Religions in British India: 1814 to 1865Louis F. Knoll, State and Religions in British India: 1814 to 1865, Graduate Theological Union, 1971. 1975 - A Christian understanding of Hinduism (in Telugu)Louis F. Knoll, A Christian understanding of Hinduism (in Telugu), Telugu Theological Literature Board, Secunderabad, 1975. Cited in Ravela Joseph, Suneel Bhanu (Compiled), Bibliography of Original Christian Writings in India in Telugu, BTESSC, Bangalore, 1993, p.59.
Studies After pursuing doctoral studies at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California, Knoll was awarded the doctoral degree in 1971. His doctoral thesis is preserved in microfilmSyed Yusuf Shah, Higher Education and Politics in Colonial India: A Study of Aligarh Muslim University, 1875–1920, Renaissance, 1996. pp. 53 and 298. and kept at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in New Delhi.
University academic Knoll became a member of the Council of Senate of Serampore College (University) in 1966,Serampore College, The story of Serampore and its college, Council of Serampore College, 1961, fourth edition 2005, pp.129-138. a position in which he continued until his resignation in 1986. In 1972, Knoll became the Master of the University.
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