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Hindu scholar Rambachan to address World Council of Churches

By David Gonnerman '90
February 7, 2006

St. Olaf Professor of Religion Anantanand Rambachan, one of the nation's leading Hindu scholars, has been invited to address the World Council of Churches 9th Assembly that will be held Feb. 14-23 in Brazil. The assembly, held once every seven years, is the legislative body of the WCC. Rambachan is one of 15 guests from non-Christian religions have been invited to attend.

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Rambachan is looking forward to this year's WCC assembly. "Coming from [the Hindu] tradition that is both structurally decentralized and without central institutions, the assembly is an important learning experience for me," he says.
Rambachan says that attending the assembly will present him with an opportunity to understand better the issues that are important to the Christian church. "At the same time, the presence and involvement of people of other faiths reminds us all of the multi-religious character of our world and of our need for each other," he says. "As a Hindu scholar, I have a unique opportunity to bring to the attention of the gathering some of the concerns of Hindus and to offer a Hindu perspective on various issues."

More than 700 delegates and their advisors (representing 340 Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox and united and other churches with a combined total of 550 million members) will attend the plenary sessions, hearings and committee meetings that are part of this year's assembly. Rambachan calls the assembly "a powerful reminder" of both the tremendous diversity of the Christian tradition and its unity.

Rambachan, who has taught at St. Olaf since 1985, has been working on interfaith issues for more than 25 years, including a long involvement with the WCC and writing for Current Dialogue, the council's interfaith journal. "I represent a Hindu perspective, but one that has been shaped by having grown up in the western world and teaching within the liberal arts context of St. Olaf," he says.

St. Olaf student Tyler Hauger '08 is also in attendance at the asembly, serving as a steward with other young adults from around world. Read more of his story here.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.