Felix Wilfred reshaped Indian Christian theology, challenging complacency and urging deeper social engagement. This cover story explores his enduring influence, highlighting his call for critical faith, justice, and a Church rooted in real-world concerns.
I came to know Felix when he was transitioning from a seminary professor to a university professor. The chair in Christian Studies (later Department) in the University of Madras was an initiative of the farsighted clergy of the Archdiocese of Madras Mylapore. The initiative of Fr Dr Thomas George, the first director and head, paved the way for the emergence of Dr Felix Wilfred as a secular theologian. He dared to engage with secular thinking and ideological developments within the departments at the university. The Headship of the Department and that of the School of Religion and Philosophy that came to him became all the more positions from which he succeeded to give visibility to Christian Studies and Scripture, Theology and Philosophy. His career provided a pivotal position in creating a dialogue within the churches. The thinking within the Church and its traditional concerns came face to face with an emerging openness toward the secular world and ideologies, recognizing their unique contributions. He showed the way and provided an impetus to engage with social sciences. His life trajectory was a tightrope walking: on the one hand, making religious studies, especially Christian studies, palatable within a secular ambient, and on the other, challenging Christian thinking to be drawn outwards and as willing to engage with secular sciences in search of contemporary relevance.
Fr George Thadathil SDB
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