King Ahaz of Judah faced the intimidating Syro-Ephramite alliance marching out to defeat him. The sign of deliverance that the Lord gave him through the prophet Isaiah was, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, NIV). However, to Ahaz, this radical alternative brought no comfort. …
In the housing society where I live, there are only a handful of Christians. However, many more families hang up Christmas stars, and the society management consistently organises a combined function celebrating both Christmas and New Year’s Eve. While no spiritual content is present in these celebrations, this practice subtly mainstreams Christianity and Christians at …
Art, for many, is viewed as entertainment, an escape, or a relaxing hobby. But could it hold a greater purpose, especially in serving God? This was a notion most of us student artists dismissed before attending the TRACI Art Residency organized by Art for Change. The residency, a collaboration between the Theological Research and Communication …
We spend a third of our lives in the workplace, so it’s important to get the workplace right. As Christians we know the ideal workplace would be fashioned after God’s own work and instructions about work. God created, delighted in His work, and rested. He delegated the ongoing work of stewarding creation to humans to …
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM TRACI REFLECTION: “CASTE CONUNDRUM: CHURCH – COMPLICIT OR CATALYST FOR CHANGE? On the 26th of July 2024, the Theological Research and Communication Institute (TRACI), grappled the pressing issue of caste within the church and society in its ongoing Reflection series. The reflection featured a panel of distinguished speakers who shared their insights …
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Now that the new government has been formed and the newly elected Lok Sabha members have been sworn in, the question that may be uppermost in many people’s mind would be as to how the PM’s third term will be different from his previous two terms. Will dependence upon alliance partners for the survival of …
Christians in some parts of India have been facing growing persecution on account of their faith at different times due to the rise of religious fundamentalism and the proliferation of hate against religious minorities in India. In 1998, Christians in the Dangs District of Gujarat suffered intense persecution and attacks on Christian institutions. In 2008, …
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Imagine the consternation of the Romans in the 1st century, when Christians called themselves the ‘ecclesia of the Christ.’ To them this meant they were claiming to be ‘the public legislative assembly of the Liberator.’ Christians were therefore immediately perceived a threat to the Roman empire, who proceeded to put to death thousands of those …
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas that began with a brutal terror attack by the latter and the disproportionate retaliation by the former has so far led to the death of about 9,000 individuals including a substantial number of women and children, 25,000 wounded, 200 plus Israeli hostages and the displacement of lakhs of …
I was pretty exhausted and brain-fried after a day’s work and two hours of class when a participant in TRACI’s Gender and Biblical Equality Course brought this up. We were on our 7th session and she asked a question that most of us would probably have had for a while: If the church and society …
Read more ““WHY TRY?”: A REFLECTION ON WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO DISRUPT THE ‘PEACE’”