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Open call for evangelisation by IAS officer sparks controversy in Kerala

The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer also predicted mass evangelism in Kerala in the coming days.

Trivandrum: The open call for evangelisation made by Kerala Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson has snowballed into a big controversy in the state with right wing groups demanding his expulsion from the government service and secular parties taking exception to his remarks.
The top bureaucrat made the controversial remark while delivering the key note address at the valedictory session of the bicentenary celebrations of the Orthodox Theological Seminary at Kottayam. Governor Justice P Sathashivam was present at the function.
Thomson, who belongs to the Orthodox Church, said the mission of the Church was to preach gospel and it would become complete only when every member of the Church brings others to Jesus Christ. He termed it as personal evangelisation.
The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer also predicted mass evangelism in Kerala in the coming days. The state will witness a series of incidents of mass evangelism during Bible conventions in the next few days, Thomson said.
The Hindu Aikya Vedi has termed his advice to the Christians as a call for conversion of people from other religions to Christianity and demanded action against him. Vedi secretary Kummanam Rajashekharan said promotion of evangelism by anybody was a serious offence and a strict violation of the Constitution.
The dimension of the offence increases when chief executive of the state act as an evangelist, he said adding that continuation of such a person in government service was untenable. He said the remarks of Thomson amounted to spreading religious terrorism.
The Hindu leader, therefore, urged the governor and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to remove him from the post immediately. He pointed out that the government of Tamil Nadu had taken action against a senior IAS officer in a similar incident.
The chief secretary's remarks have also drawn criticism from secular political parties. Leaders of Left parties said that Thomson's call to members of a particular religion to convert people of other faiths to that religion was against secularism enshrined in the Constitution.
They said that the remarks made at a time when the country is engaged on a debate on religious tolerance were uncalled for and it should have been avoided.
Thomson said that the controversy was the result of misunderstanding. He said that he had not advocated proselytisation. He claimed that he had only tried to reiterate the Church's mission as he was speaking at a Church function.
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