The Trigger Church as a Catalyst of Development (Mar Thoma Church: a Case Study)

Dr. Salomon Kalarikkal offers an excellent treatise on the theology of development in which he explores the possibility of re-imagining church as a catalyst for development in a world marked by marginalization and discrimination. An ordained minister of the Mar Thoma Church and a renowned theologian of this era, Dr. Salomon has succeeded in his effort in formulating a profound theology of human development and the mission strategy of the church founded on the kingdom values of justice, equality and fraternity. It is a significant document of the history of social theories and developmental activities in the global scenario and at the same offers an insight into the contemporary political theology of justice, peace and integrity of creation.

Rev. Dr. Salomon Kalarikkal is an ordained priest in the Mar Thoma Church. He is an accomplished Theologian and social scientist. He has completed Bachelor of Divinity (B Div.) from the Mar Thoma Theological Seminary, Kottayam. He achieved multiple post-graduate degrees - Masters in Social Work and Sociology (MSW) from the University of Kerala, Masters in applied psychology (MA) from Annamalai University. He secured a Doctorate in Social Work (Ph.D.) from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam.

His pastoral ministry in the Mar Thoma church for the last 23 years includes serving in many parishes in India and abroad. He is a proven leader who has initiated successful development projects under the Development Department (Community Development) and other social service initiatives of the church. He is a voracious reader and keen observer of societal trends, social developments starting at grass root to international level from the perspective of a student of theology and sociology.

Self preservation is, arguably, the primal desire of human beings. Even the most altruistic relationship can be deemed as an extension of this characteristic. At some point in human existence, it becomes evident that self preservation is practically impossible without the group/community's preservation. There cannot be a king without subjects. This realization of the inextricable mutual dependence for survival may be the genesis of 'Development.' Character, meaning and modes of 'Development' have evolved from its amorphous past over the ages arriving at its current form of an empirical field of study with predictable outcomes.

Concepts of development gained steam after the second world war. During the first and second development decades (1960-70 & 1970-80), development has been the subject of active discussion at the international, national and local levels, not only in the socio- political sphere but also in the Church forums. During 1977, the second decade of development, the 'Mar Thoma' Church initiated its developmental department and it's Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) - Christian Agency for Rural Development (CARD) to provide its developmental activities in the community. The Christian Agency for Rural Development (CARD) and the 'Mar Thoma' Church Developmental Department have spearheaded numerous activities and worked towards the upliftment of the backward community. Since 2000, the Developmental Department has been working in the local parishes, through its units and gave priority to bringing development ideas to the people from the indigenous zones. Dr. Salomon has served as the Director of the Developmental Department at this stage and has worked industriously to proliferate and transfer the ideas among the members of the Church particularly and to the society. He completed his Doctoral studies from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, and conducted research on "Church as an agent of Development: Mar Thoma Church a case study." Following the latter, he was conferred his PhD in 2013.

This book is the outcome of a search for the meaning of sustainable development in a swiftly evolving society. Development is one of the fundamental obligations of the modern world. The last seven or eight decades can be labelled as the "Age of Development." The meaning of development varies in different people, times and places. The 2020 Human Development Report (HDR) was published by UNDP during the unprecedented period in history, the Covid-19 pandemics. The other pressing predicaments include but not limited to, climate crisis, biodiversity collapse, global warming, ocean acidification, the list is long and growing longer. Many believe that instead of the planet shaping humans, humans are perceptively shaping the planet. This is the Anthropocene - the Age of Humans - a new geological epoch. The virus Covid-19, which almost certainly sprang from animals to humans, offers a frightening future prospect, in which the strain on our planet mirrors the strain facing the societies. It took very little time to expose and exploit overlapping inequalities, as well as weaknesses in social, economic, and political systems, and threaten reversals in human development. The challenges of planetary and societal imbalance are intertwined: they interact in a vicious circle, each reshaping the other for the worse.

**Contents and Sample Pages**