A. C. Solomon Raj (born 18 March 1961) is the seventh successor of Frank Whittaker and eighth Bishop in Medak of the Protestant Church of South India Society and shepherds the Diocese from the ''Cathedra'' of the Bishop housed in the Church of South India, CSI-Medak Cathedral in Medak Town, Telangana, India. On 12 October 2016, the Church of South India Synod headquartered in Chennai, appointed Solomon Raj to assume the ecclesiastical Office of the Bishopric of Diocese of Medak, Medak and was consecrated the next day on 13 October 2016 at the Church of South India, CSI-St. George's Cathedral, Chennai, ending four yearsGeorge Conger, ''Four year wait for bishop ends for Central Indian diocese'', Anglican Ink, 20.10.201

of ''sede vacante'' in the Diocese of Medak which was without a bishop during the intervening period of 2012–2016. Solomon Raj is an wikt:eloquent, eloquent speaker with near native fluency in Telugu language, Telugu, Hindi language, Hindi, and English language, English. His sermons centre around the Eschatology, eschatologies of the Eschatology, end times focusing on Jesus Christ, Christ. He spent nearly a decade undergoing spiritual studies under Old Testament Scholars E. C. John, Church of South India, CSI and Gnana Robinson, Church of South India, CSI at the United Theological College, Bangalore, an affiliated seminary of the Senate of Serampore College (University), 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.

/ref> University founded by the Baptist Missions led by Joshua Marshman, William Carey (missionary), William Carey, and William Ward (missionary), William Ward.

Studies and ministerial formation

Telangana

For early schooling and pre-university studies, Solomon Raj enrolled at the educational institutions established by the Christian missions, the English Wesleyan Mission, Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society and studied at Bellampalli, Nizamabad district, Nizamabad and Secunderabad and took a basic degree from a State-run institution in Nizamabad, Telangana, Nizamabad. Solomon Raj first schooled at the Church of South India, CSI-Wesley Boys School on Colonel Prenderghast Road in Secunderabad and later pursued collegiate studies at the Giriraj Government College in Nizamabad district, Nizamabad leading to B.Com.

Karnataka

Spiritual studies

During the Bishopric of the Old Testament Scholar, the Cantabrigian Victor Premasagar, Church of South India, CSI, Solomon Raj was admitted as a ministerial candidate of the Diocese of Medak to discern his avocation towards priesthood and spent a year assisting Presbyters during 1987–1988 in the Diocese of Medak that was predominantly Wesleyan Church, Wesleyan MethodistP. Y. Luke, J. B. Carman, ''Village Christians and Hindu Culture'', Lutterworth Press, Cambridge, 1968, pp.15, 17, 2

/ref> with a couple of Anglican Church, Anglican churches in the urban pastorate. In the ensuing year, the Diocese of Medak sent Solomon Raj to the fully-ecumenicalfully-ecumenical that is Protestant, Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox included. ''Shared Search - Souvenir of the inauguration of the academic collaboration between the United Theological College, Bangalore and the Dharmaram College, Bangalore'', 1975, Bangalore, available at the Archives in the library of Karnataka Theological College, Mangalore]

/ref> United Theological College, Bangalore, United Theological College, a Protestant Regional Theologiate, in Bangalore where he pursued propadeutic studies during 1988–1992K. M. Hiwale (Compiled), ''Directory of the United Theological College 1910–1997'', Bangalore, 1997. Past students of the graduate course, p.77. during the Principalship of the leading Old Testament Scholar The Reverend, The Rev. E. C. John, Church of South India, CSI, a direct student of Old Testament's Master Specialists, Gerhard von Rad and Claus Westermann at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. During the subsequent convocation of the university held in 1993, Solomon Raj was awarded a Bachelor of Divinity degree by India's first University, the Senate of Serampore College (University), Serampore, West Bengal during the Registrarship of the New Testament Scholar, The Reverend, The Rev. D. S. Satyaranjan, Indian Pentecostal Church, IPC. Between 1988 and 1992, in addition to the faculty at the seminary in Bangalore which comprised the Religious scholar, The Reverend, The Rev. G. D. Melanchthon, Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church, AELC, the New Testament scholar The Reverend, The Rev. K. James Carl, South Andhra Lutheran Church, SALC and other notable faculty, Solomon Raj was also benefited by the scholarship of the visiting faculty from the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate-Dharmaram College and the St. Peter's Pontifical Seminary, also in Bangalore. Incidentally, the Homiletics Scholar The Reverend, The Rev. P. Surya Prakash, Church of South India, CSI, also hailing from the Diocese of Medak joined the college faculty in 1991, exactly a year before the final year of studies of Solomon Raj. Seminarians studying during that period included The Reverend, The Rev. Annie Watson, Church of South India, CSI while The Right Reverend, The Rt. Rev. B. D. Prasada Rao, Church of South India, CSI The Reverend, The Rev. H. R. Cabral, Church of South India, CSI The Reverend, The Rev. Jonadob Nathaniel, Church of South India, CSI and The Reverend, The Rev. Daniel Sadananda, Church of South India, CSI were pursuing postgraduate courses. Solomon Raj 2

Advanced spiritual studies

After a period of pastoral ministry, the Diocese of Medak once again re-sent Solomon Raj to the Protestant Regional Theologiate in Bangalore to upgrade his academics where Solomon Raj pursued a postgraduate course in spirituality specializing in Ethics during 1999''70 years of God's Faithfulness: CSI (Medak Diocese) UK Telugu Christians Souvenir commemorating the 70th year of the formation of the Church of South India'', 201

–2001 leading to Master of Theology during the Principalship of the Old Testament Scholar Gnana Robinson, Church of South India, CSI a direct student of Old Testament's Master Specialist, Klaus Koch at the University of Hamburg, Germany. Solomon Raj's postgraduate thesis was entitled ''Can violence be a means of achieving social justice? An ethical evaluation of the Naxalite Movement in Telangana'' and was subsequently published in the ''Bangalore Theological Journal''. During the ensuing annual convocation of the Senate of Serampore College (University) held in 2002, Solomon Raj was awarded the postgraduate degree, again during the Registrarship of the New Testament Scholar, The Reverend, The Rev. D. S. Satyaranjan, Indian Pentecostal Church, IPC.

Ecclesiastical ministry

On completing spiritual studies in Karnataka, Solomon Raj was ordained as a Deacon on 6.10.1992 in the Church of South India Society (comprising Wesleyan Church, Wesleyan Methodist, Congregational and Anglican missionary societies – United Society, SPG, English Wesleyan Mission, WMMS, London Missionary Society, LMS, Church Missionary Society, CMS, and the Church of England) by then Bishop Victor Premasagar, Church of South India, CSI and began his ecclesiastical ministry in the pastorates within the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese of Medak. Subsequently, after a two-year ministry, he was ordained as a Presbyter on 5.4.1994 by the successive Bishop B. P. Sugandhar, Church of South India, CSI.

Pastoral

Solomon Raj as Presbyter served in all the three ecclesiastical District Church Councils of the Diocese of Medak and has been vice-chairperson of the Diocese of Medak for three terms, 2003–2007, 2007-2011 and 2013–2017. Before assuming the ''Cathedra'' in 2016, Solomon Raj was Presbyter, Presbyter – in – charge at the Church of South India, CSI-Holy Trinity Church, Bolarum, Holy Trinity Church, Bolarum, Secunderabad and had also led the Diocese of Medak as its Vice-chairpersonJohn B. Carman, Chilkuri Vasantha Rao, ''Christians in South Indian Villages, 1959-2009: Decline and Revival in Telangana'', William B. Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, 2014

/ref> under the guidance and mentorship of the Systematic theologian, The Most Reverend G. Dyvasirvadam.

Bishopric

In 2012,''The Asian Age'', ''Two CSI groups fight for control'', 10.6.2012
/ref> Bishop T. S. Kanaka Prasad, Church of South India, CSI had to relinquish the ''Cathedra'' as per an ecclesiastical communique from the Church of South India Synod in Chennai resulting in ''sede vacante'' during which time the Medak Diocese was overseen from Chennai by the Church of South India Synod led by then Moderator (town official), Moderator and Systematic theologian, The Most Reverend G. Dyvasirvadam, Church of South India, CSI. After nearly five years of ecclesiastical Regulation, oversight of the Medak Diocese, the Church of South India Synod appointed A. C. Solomon Raj to shepherd the Diocese, consecrating him on Thursday, 13.10.2016 at the Church of South India, CSI-St. George's Cathedral, Chennai where he was principally consecrated by the Systematic theologian, G. Dyvasirvadam, Church of South India, CSI, then Moderator and co-consecrated by Thomas K. Oommen, then Deputy Moderator in the presence of other Bishops including The Right Reverend, The Right Reverend Sister Eggoni Pushpalalitha, CSI Order of Sisters, Diocese of Nandyal, Bishop – in – Nandyal and The Right Reverend Daniel Thiagarajah, Church of South India, CSI Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India, Bishop – in – Jaffna. The consecration of Solomon Raj in Chennai makes him the second bishop from the Diocese of Medak after Frank Whittaker, Church of South India, CSI to have been consecrated as Bishop at the St. George's Cathedral, Chennai and the third bishop – in Diocese of Medak, Medak after H. D. L. Abraham, Church of South India, CSI to have been consecrated as Bishop at a Cathedral other than the Cathedral in Medak. After the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh State in 2014 into Telangana and the residuary Andhra Pradesh, Solomon Raj is the second bishop to have been consecrated in the new Telangana State with the first bishop being The Right Reverend K. Reuben Mark, Church of South India, CSI of the adjoining Diocese of Karimnagar also in the new Telangana State who was consecrated on 4 May 2015CSI Synod News, ''New Bishop consecrated and installed in CSI Karimnagar Diocese,'' Monday, 18 May 2015.

/ref> well after the formation of Telangana State.

Ex-officio endeavours

Near-Ecumenical

Solomon Raj has been a member of the Board of Governors representing the Diocese of Medak in the near-ecumenical Andhra Christian Theological College, Secunderabad comprising a few Protestant Societies that include the Methodists, the Lutherans, the Baptists and the Church of South India (Anglicans, Congregationalists, Wesleyans), since the present period of the Old Testament Scholars The Reverend, The Rev. T. Matthews Emmanuel, CBCNC and The Reverend, The Rev. Ch. Vasantha Rao, Church of South India, CSI. In early 2016 when the annual convocation of the Senate of Serampore College (University) took place in SecunderabadSenate of Serampore College (University), ''Address of the President of the Senate'

/ref> in the presence of the Old Testament Scholar John Sadananda, Church of South India, CSI the Master of the University, after a gap of nearly three and half decades with the earlier convocation having been held in Secunderabad in 1979''Religion and Society'', Volume 26, Issue 2, 1979, p.77
/ref> during the period of the Old Testament Scholars,H. S. Wilson (Edited), ''The Church on the Move: Essays in honour of Victor Premasagar'', Christian Literature Society, Madras, 1988, p.vi

/ref> The Reverend, The Rev. Victor Premasagar, Church of South India, CSI and The Reverend, The Rev. G. Babu Rao, CBCNC, the Diocese of Medak through Solomon Raj as vice-chairperson of the diocese and as member of the Board of Governors of the college had substantially contributed to the logistics ensuring the successful holding of the convocation.

Fully-Ecumenical

Church unity

The Diocese of Medak of the Protestant Church of South India Society is represented on the fully-ecumenical ''Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Federation of Churches'' where Solomon Raj as vice-chairperson and now Bishop continues to represent the Diocese of Medak in the federation consisting of the Catholic Church ''(Catholic Church in India, Latin and Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Syro-Malabar rites)'', Indian Orthodox Church, Protestant Church, the Charismatic Church and, the small and indigenous Churches. At every periodical meeting of the federation held at the St. John's Regional Seminary, St. John's Regional Seminary (Theologiate),Anthoni Raj Thumma, ''Telugu Church leaders call for “visible signs” of Christian unity ''. Matters India, 22 February 201

/ref> Solomon Raj has been active participant working towards Church unity along with fellow Clergy from the Catholic Church, The Most Reverend Doraboina Moses Prakasam, Roman Catholic missionaries, RCM, The Most Reverend Gallela Prasad, Roman Catholic missionaries, RCM, The Most Reverend Innayya Chinna Addagatla, Roman Catholic missionaries, RCM and from the Assemblies of God and other Churches. Incidentally, Solomon Raj's mentor and guide, the Systematic theologian, The Most Reverend G. Dyvasirvadam, Church of South India, CSI has been the President of the fully-ecumenical ''Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Federation of Churches''.

Scriptural

The Bible Society of India Telangana Auxiliary was bifurcated from the Bible Society of India Andhra Pradesh Auxiliary and inaugurated on 2 February 2016Bible Society of India, ''Telangana Auxiliary''.

and takes forward the work of the Bible Society of India in translating and distributing the scriptures. The Bible Society of India has also published the complete Bible with the Deuterocanonical booksGood News Bible with Deuterocanonical books, United Bible Societies, 1979.

/ref> making the scriptures available even to the Catholics. On 5 June 2016, Solomon Raj, as vice-chairperson of the Diocese of Medak participated in the installation mass of the new Auxiliary Secretary, The Reverend, The Rev. P. K. Praveen Prabhu Sudheer, Church of South India, CSI held at the Church of South India, CSI-Wesley Centenary Church in Secunderabad in the presence of the Old Testament Scholar and Bible Society of India General Secretary, M. Mani Chacko, Church of South India, CSI.

Honours

On 8 April 2017, Solomon Raj was conferred with an Honorary degree, honorary doctorate (D.Min.) by the Protestant Regional Theologiate, the near-Ecumenical Andhra Christian Theological College (ACTC), Secunderabad led by The Right Reverend, The Right Rev. G. Dyvasirvadam, Church of South India, CSI, the chairperson of the Board of Governors of ACTC and The Reverend, The Rev. T. Matthews Emmanuel, CBCNC, then Principal of ACTC in the presence of Bishop Emeritus John S. Sadananda, Church of South India, CSI, the Master of the Senate of Serampore College (University).''53rd Graduation Service Booklet of the Andhra Christian Theological College, Secunderabad held on 8 April 2017'', p.11.