Shantilal Premchand Bhagat | |
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Born | 1923 India |
Died | 7 July 2017 La Verne, California, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Director of Eco-Justice Concerns, Minister |
Organization | Church of the Brethren |
Notable work | Creation in Crisis (1990), Racism & the Church: Overcoming the Idolatry (1995) |
Part of a series on the |
Schwarzenau Brethren (the German Baptists or Dunkers) |
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Background |
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Defunct groups |
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Shantilal Premchand Bhagat [1] (1923 [2] – 7 July 2017 [3] ) was the Director of Eco-Justice Concerns for the Church of the Brethren and the denomination's representative to the United Nations. [1] He was an ordained minister in the denomination. [4] He was also the Brethren representative to the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA's Eco-Justice Working Group. [5]
Bhagat was from India. For sixteen years, he worked at the Rural Service Center in Anklesvar. He moved to the United States to work for the General Board. He took on a variety of roles for the organization including coordinator of Social Services for the Foreign Mission Commission, Community Development consultant, Asia representative, United Nations representative, Global Justice consultant, Education/Economic Justice consultant, staff, and then director of Eco-Justice and Rural/Small Church Concerns. He continued with the General Board for over 30 years before his retirement. [3]
Bhagat sought to expand upon the traditional Brethren support for pacifism to include environmental concerns, saying "Working on these... issues is part of the Brethren peace witness because we cannot be at peace unless we're at peace with the earth." [6] In 1990, Bhagat's book, Creation in Crisis was published. The book was especially designed for use as Sunday school material and small group discussion with study and discussion questions included, although it can also be read individually. [7] Creation in Crisis was part of a wave of Ecotheology works which began in the 1980s and continued strongly in the 1990s. [8] The book is included in many Ecotheology bibliographies. [9] [10] [11] [8] [12] [13]
The Parish Ministries Commission of the Church of the Brethren General Board commissioned Bhagat to write about racism and Christianity, culminating in his 1995 two-part work, Racism & the Church: Overcoming the Idolatry. [14] In the same year, he was honored by the Black Church Committee[ clarification needed ] in appreciation for his published works on the topic of race. [3]
In published his book, Your Health and the Environment: A Christian Perspective. For Earth Day 1998, the National Council of Churches sent a packet to each congregation of each of its member denominations, 73,000 congregations in total. This packet included Bhagat's book, a two-session adult study guide for the book, and additional resources. [15]
Bhagat participated in the 29 November 1970 ceremony which founded the Church of North India as a representative of the Church of the Brethren. [16] From 2000 to 2001, Bhagat was part of a delegation from the American Church of the Brethren General Board which explored recognition of Brethren in that country who had joined the Church of North India in 1970 but later withdrew. [17]
In his role as director of Eco-Justice Concerns for the Church of the Brethren General Board, Bhagat produced a newsletter entitled Between the Flood and the Rainbow. This was the first periodical published by the General Board to be published online. [18] It ceased publication in 1997 but resumed in 2002 under the non-profit Ecumenical Eco-Justice Network with Bhagat continuing his editorial role. [19]
Bhagat died on July 7, 2017, in La Verne, California, where he had lived the last years of his life. [3]
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The Church of the Brethren is an Anabaptist Christian denomination in the Schwarzenau Brethren tradition that was organized in 1708 by Alexander Mack in Schwarzenau, Germany during the Radical Pietist revival. The denomination holds the New Testament as its only creed. Historically, the church has taken a strong stance for nonresistance or Christian pacifism—it is one of the three historic peace churches, alongside the Mennonites and Quakers. Distinctive practices include believer's baptism by forward trine immersion; a threefold love feast consisting of feet washing, a fellowship meal, and communion; anointing for healing; and the holy kiss. Its headquarters are in Elgin, Illinois, United States.
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Ecotheology is a form of constructive theology that focuses on the interrelationships of religion and nature, particularly in the light of environmental concerns. Ecotheology generally starts from the premise that a relationship exists between human religious/spiritual worldviews and the degradation or restoration and preservation of nature. It explores the interaction between ecological values, such as sustainability, and the human domination of nature. The movement has produced numerous religious-environmental projects around the world.
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