G. D. Melanchthon (20 November 1934 – 22 September 1994) was a Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Society priest who taught religion,Israel Selvanayagam, The Dynamics of Hindu Traditions: The Teape Lectures on Sacrifice, Gīta and Dialogue, Asian Trading Corporation, Bangalore, 1996, p.14. at United Theological College, Bangalore from 1968 until the latter half of the 1980s, with his career being brought to an abrupt end in 1988 when he was stricken with paralysis. Melanchthon used to be quite active among the academic community along with Chrysostom Arangaden, Arvind P. Nirmal and others in not only delivering scholarly talks,National Council of Churches Review, Volume 90, p.119. but also in contributing research articles and reviewing new titles.Bangalore Theological Forum, Volume IX, Number 1, January–June 1977, pp.54-58. G. D. Melanchthon (Reviewed): S. J. Samartha (Edited), Towards World Community: the Colombo Papers, World Council of Churches, Geneva, 1975.
Melanchthon was born in Ramachandrapuram, East Godavari (Andhra Pradesh) into a Christian family and was raised in accordance with Lutheran traditions. The history of ChristianityW. Francis, et al., Gazetteer of South India, Volume 1, Mittal Publications, New Delhi, 1989, p.293. in Ramachandrapuram is attributed to the French JesuitsC. B. Firth, An Introduction to Indian Church History, SSC/ISPCK, Serampore/New Delhi, 1961, p.119. and the Canadian Baptists,The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India, Volume 1, 1982, p.108. dating to the latter half of the nineteenth century. In 1892Baptist Missionary Review, Volume 22, 1916, pp.98, 175, 291 the Canadian Baptist Ministries began their ministry through an integral mission comprising spiritual, educational and healing components with a church (1892), an all-girls Raja Cockshutt School (1898),G. Beulah Pearl Sunanda, The Missionary Enterprise of the Canadian Baptist Church in Andhra Pradesh - An Appraisal, Dissertation submitted to Acharya Nagarjuna University, Nagarjunanagar, 2012, pp.151, 234. and J. D. Kellock Home for LepersC. E. Macleod (Edited), Baptist Year Book 1916: For Ontario, Quebec and Western Canada, Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec, Toronto, 1916, p.36. (1903). Imperial Gazetteer of India, Volume XII, 1908, Trübner and Co., London, 1886, p.297. Not only did the emerging Christian missions through Canadian Baptist Ministries mould Melanchthon's growth in Christianity, but as an adolescent, he also came under the influence of the popular evangelist, A. B. Masilamani, CBCNC, who was ministering as a priest between 1944 and 1947G. Isaiah (Edited), Centenary Souvenir of Yesu Premalayam Church, Ramachandrapuram, 2000, p.16 in Ramachandrapuram. Masilamani's ability to make use of Homiletics made a definitive impact on the faith journey of early Telugu Christians, a fact recollected by the Old Testament scholar, G. Babu Rao,G. Babu Rao, Content Analysis of Theological Syllabi – Old Testament in Religion and Society, Volume XXXII, Number 3, September 1985. CBCNC.G. Babu Rao, in Souvenir of Birth Centenary Greetings of Rev. Dr. A. B. Masilamani, New Life Associates, Hyderabad, 2014, p.19
Studies After completing schooling from Ramachandrapuram, Melanchthon proceeded to AELC-Andhra Christian College, Guntur, for pre-university and undergraduate studies leading to B.A. This was during the tenure of Rao Saheb T. S. Paulus,The Commonwealth Year Book, Volume 2, 1956, p.518 as principal. Continuing his academics, Melanchthon proceeded to Waltair and enrolled for a postgraduate programme leading to M.A. at Andhra University. Incidentally, the geologist, Bunyan Edmund Vijayam, was also studying at the university during the same time, and the two were contemporaries. The university was headed by Vice-chancellor V. S. Krishna during that period. Initially, after his postgraduate studies, Melanchthon worked in the Andhra Pradesh Government serving in a Mandal Office. Around this time, he found his calling towards full-time priesthood. Much like Saint Ambrose of Milan, the Early Church Father, Melanchthon resigned from government service and proceeded to the office of the president of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Society headquartered in Guntur, which was headed by G. Devasahayam, AELC and conveyed his interest in the vocation of priesthood.
Basic spiritual studies By 1958, Melanchthon enrolled at Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, Chennai, an affiliated seminary of the Senate of Serampore College, India's firstSankar Ray in Business Line, 11 April 2008 Almost a century later, the charter was endorsed officially under the Bengal Govt Act IV of 1918. Internet, accessed 30 November 2008. University founded by the Baptist Missions led by Joshua Marshman, William Carey, and William Ward. He pursued a graduate programme in B. D. studying under notable faculty consisting of Sigfrid Estborn,Paul H. von Tucher, Nationalism, Case and Crisis in Missions: German Missions in British India, 1939-1946, 1980, p.128. who was teaching History of Christianity and Ecumenism, P. DavidIndian Journal of Theology, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp.116-122 teaching religions, R. A. MartinR. A. Martin, The Date of the Cleansing of the Temple in John 2 : 13-22 in Indian Journal of Theology, Volume 15, Issue 2, pp.52-56. who was teaching biblical studies and Jacob KumaresanIndian Church History Review, Volumes 6-7, 1972, p.70 teaching systematic theology. His companions were Kambar Manickam, TELC, K. James Carl, SALC, G. Emmanuel, AELC and also M. Victor Paul, AELC, :de:Johnson Gnanabaranam, TELC, T. B. D. Prakasa Rao, CSI, among others, who were studying at the seminary at varying periods of study. By the end of the three-year course in 1961, Melanchthon performed well in his examinations and secured two university-level prizes, viz., George Howells Prize in History of Religions and Senators' Prize in Biblical Studies and was awarded a Bachelor of Divinity degree by the Senate of Serampore College (University) in the ensuing convocation of 1962 led by its registrar, C. Devasahayam, CBCNC.
Advanced spiritual studies After a couple of years of parish ministry between 1961 and 1965, Melanchthon returned to his Alma mater to pursue a postgraduate course leading to M. Th., specializing in religions, between 1965 and 1967,Zaihmingthanga (Compiled), Thesis Titles - M.Th., M.R.S., D.D., D.Th, Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College, Bangalore, 1991, p.29. where he worked out a thesis entitled A study of the idea and meaning of God with special reference to the 11th chapter of Bhagavad Gita in the context of Renascent Hinduism under the guidance of P. David. As part of his two-year course, Melanchthon also became a research student at the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, Bangalore.Religion and Society, Volume 12, Number 1, March 1965, p.83 The institute was headed by M. M. Thomas, then directorBoston University, Thomas, M(adathilparampil) M(ammen) (1916-1996) - Indian Church Leader and World Ecumenical Leader. and Herbert Jai Singh, then assistant director.
When the 1970s began, Melanchthon got qualified to pursue doctoral studies and availed study leave from the United Theological College, Bangalore. He enrolled with the Senate of Serampore College (University) to undertake studies leading to D. Th.,Joshua Russell Chandran (Compiled), Annual Report 1973-1974, UTC, Bangalore, 1974. From Archives of Gossner Mission, 1970-1974 at Berlin. specializing in religions. He was a recipient of a study scholarship in 1972World Council of Churches, Archives Inventory - Asia - India. Reference code 4213.3.1.13bis, 1970-1977. from the World Council of Churches (Theological Education Fund), which he utilized to proceed on research exposure to Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in the United States. In the ensuing year, by September 1973, he moved to Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham (United Kingdom), where he continued his research under able scholars from 1973 to 1975.Esther Suhasini-Williams, Women on the move - Her story, LWF Archives. Also see, Edmond Yee, P. Paul Rajashekar (Edited and Compiled), Abundant Harvest: stories of Asian Lutherans, Lutheran University Press, Minneapolis, 2012, p.306-308. However, by the turn of the academic year 1975–1976, Melanchthon had to return to Bangalore to resume his teaching duties as his request for extension of leave was not granted, a move which brought an endThere have been instances of doctoral students being asked to return to their institutions ending their doctoral programme abruptly. Rene Van de Walle, Ryder Devapriam, Kambar Manickam, G. D. V. Prasad, G. Dyvasirvadam, Ravela Joseph and others had to leave their doctoral programme mid-way. Similarly, B. V. Subbamma too was asked to return from her doctoral studies in the United States, but she could make efforts to fast-track her doctoral programme and was able to complete it before her return to India. to his doctoral programme.
Career as pastor and teacher After Melanchthon stepped out of the portals of his seminary in 1961, he was ordained as a pastor of Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Society by K. Krupadanam, AELC, then president. Melanchthon then began to minister in Konaseema region at Kothapeta, East Godavari district in the 1960s, where Christianity was propagated in the Delta regionMartin Luther Dolbeer, The Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church: A Brief History, Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Society, Rajahmundry, 1951, p.49. by the Lutheran missions in the late 19th century led by a German missionary, Rudolph F. A. Arps.Minutes of the Eleventh Biennial Convention of the United Lutheran Church in America, Volumes 11-12, United Lutheran Church in America, Board of Publication of the United Lutheran Church in America, 1938, p.155. Parishioners were Agricultural labourersCensus of India, 1961, Volume 2, 1962, p.102. and access to Kothapeta, in Konaseema area used to be through a ferry across the Gautami-Godavari River, one of the estuaries of Godavari River, from KapileswarapuramSir William Wilson Hunter, Imperial Gazetteer of India, Volume 7, Second Edition, Trübner and Co., London, 1886, p.440. on the opposite bank. After serving as a pastor, Melanchthon returned to his alma mater in 1965 to take up a postgraduate course.
In 1968, during the principalship of Joshua Russell Chandran, Melanchthon joined as faculty member at United Theological College, Bangalore, where Melanchthon used to teach Religions in India for students pursuing B. D. for nearly two decades until 1988. Many of his graduate students have contributed to the full spectrum of the ministries of the Church in India, who include, R. S. Sugirtharajah, J. W. Gladstone, P. J. Lawrence, S. J. Theodore, Timotheas Hembrom, Dharmakkan Dhanaraj, Paul Rajashekar, H. S. Wilson, Elizabeth Paul, Basil Rebera, Christopher Asir, John Sadananda, Sydney Salins, P. Surya Prakash, D. N. Premnath, M. Mani Chacko, K. David Udayakumar, Evangeline Anderson-Rajkumar, K. Reuben Mark, Ch. Vasantha Rao,Ch. Vasantha Rao, About Rajula Annie-Watson and others. Among his notable students who specialized in religions, the name of D. I. Hans stands out.