Roger E. Hedlund is an American
pastor
A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...
who has spent more than three decades in
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
as a
theological
Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...
teacher and researcher with major contributions to
missiology
Missiology is the academic study of the Christian mission history and methodology. It began to be developed as an academic discipline in the 19th century.
Definition
Broadly speaking, missiology is "an interdisciplinary field of inquiry into Ch ...
with special reference to Indian ethos.
Education
Hedlund studied at the
Upland College in 1957 and thereafter undertook theological studies at the
Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary where he was awarded the graduate degree of
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies.
...
(B.D.) in 1961. After serving as a missionary in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, Hedlund pursued postgraduate and doctoral studies at the
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an Evangelical seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature.
Fuller has a student body of approximately 2,300 students from 90 countries and ...
,
Pasadena
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...
between 1970 and 1974. In 2004, Hedlund pursued another doctorate at the State-run
University of Madras
The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...
.
Career
Hedlund taught at the
Union Biblical Seminary, both at
Yeotmal and at
Pune
Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
from 1974 to 1978 and also at the
Serampore College
Serampore College is located in Serampore, in West Bengal, India. Established in 1818, it is the fourth oldest college in the country after Old Seminary,
Kottayam (Established 1815), CMS College, Kottayam and Presidency College in Kolkata, a ...
from 1994 to 1997. He is associated with ''Dharma Deepika: A South Asian Journal of Missiological Research'' and with the Mylapore Institute for Indigenous Studies (
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
).
[Roger E. Hedlund, ''Response to Persecution and Suffering in the History of Christian Mission'' in Mark T. B. Laing (Edited), ''Persecution and Suffering: Christian Reflections and Responses'', published for the Centre for Mission Studies, Union Biblical Seminary, Pune by the ISPCK, New Delhi, 2007.] Hedlund edited the ''Oxford Encyclopedia of South Asian Christianity''.
Hedlund has been prominent in the theological circles in India and known in the Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Charismatic circles serving the cause of missiological research.
The papers and correspondence of Roger E. Hedlund have been preserved and made digitally available by the
Asbury Theological Seminary
Asbury Theological Seminary is a Christian Wesleyan seminary in the historical Methodist tradition located in Wilmore, Kentucky. It is the largest seminary of the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. It is known for its advocacy of egalitarianism, giv ...
,
Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
.
Selected works
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[Reviews of ''Christianity Made in India'':
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hedlund, Roger E.
Missiologists
Indian Christian theologians
Living people
University of Madras alumni
Fuller Theological Seminary alumni
Baptist writers
1935 births
Missional Christianity
Academic staff of the Senate of Serampore College (University)
American expatriate academics
Academic staff of Union Biblical Seminary, Pune