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* [[Lambeth Conferences#Sixth: 1920|1920 Lambeth Conferences]]
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* [[Oxford Movement]]
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* [[Cambridge Mission#History|History of Cambridge Mission]]


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 13:46, 27 June 2012

Jack Copley Winslow (1882 – 1974), also known by names John Copley Winslow or J.C. Winslow or John C. Winslow or Jack C. Winslow, was an English Society for the Propagation of the Gospel(SPG) missionary to Konkan and Pune, then-Poona -- both part of then-Bombay Presidency. He was an evangelist, hymnist, and the founder of Christa Seva Sangh-- interpreted as Community of the Servants of Christ or The Fellowship of the Servants of Christ and/or The Christian Fellowship of Service.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

He authored several books, notably, The Eucharist in India a Plea for a Distinctive Liturgy for the Indian Church with a Suggested Form, The Christian approach to the Hindu, Jagadguru, Or the World Significance of Jesus Christ, and alike. As a hymn-writer, he wrote hymns that were published in his Garland of Verse in 1961 and various other hymns for school and church published in various other hymnals like Psalter Hymnal, Hymns Ancient and Modern. [1][4][5][7][9]

Biography

Early life

He was born on 18 August 1882 in a religious and evangelists family in the village of Hanworth in Middlesex, England; his father was an Anglican clergyman and Mary Winslow, one of his great-grandmothers, was a renowned evangelist of the nineteenth century.[1][4][5][6][7][9]

He was educated at Eton, and did his graduation in Balliol College, Oxford. While studying at Balliol College between 1902 and 1905, he came under the influence of Edward Caird, neo-Hegelian philosopher; Charles Gore, Anglo-Catholic scholar and editor of Lux Mundi; and Edwin James Palmer, chaplain of Balliol and later Bishop of Bombay(present Mumbai).[1][4][5][6][7][9]

While preparing for ordination after he finished his graduation, he visited India. He looks been impressed by the work of Anglican missionary, who were presenting Christianity in terms of Hindu culture, especially to Western-educated in Delhi and Calcutta. While in Delhi, he met Cambridge Mission missionary to Delhi C.F. Andrews, who later became his mentor. Association with C.F. Andrews had later proven to be decisivie factor in his missionary work in Bombay Presidency, especially in establishing the ashram. After he returned England, he spent an year at Wells Theological College, Salisbury, and later worked for four years in the parish of Wimbledon. In 1907, he became a deacon, was ordained a priest in 1908, and then worked as a lecturer for three years preparing new candidates for ordination and overseas service in St Augustine's College, Canterbury.[1][4][5][6][7][9]

Missionary work

In 1914, he was sent as a Society for the Propagation of the Gospel(SPG) missionary to Konkan of Bombay Presidency; initially, he was stationed at Dapoli of Konkan region, 100 miles south of Bombay, where he devoted most of his time in learning Marathi language. Between 1915 and 1919, he served as principal of Mission high school, Ahmednagar, where he got acquainted with Narayan Waman Tilak, an Indian Christian poet in Bhakti tradition who lived in Ahmednagar and was also minister of the American Marathi Mission. From Tilak, he learnt the significance of bhakti, singing bhajans, and Indian devotional songs, for Christian worship and evangelism.[4][1][6][8]

He returned to England after twenty years of missionary service between 1914 and 1934 due to conflicts within the ashram and joined Moral Rearmament, an Oxford Group Movement. While in England, he took up parish work, broadcasting and writing work. Later, he became chaplain of Bryanstone School between 1942 and 1948. Between 1948 and 1962, he served as the first chaplain to an evangelical center at Lee Abbey, North Devon. At an age of 92, he died on 29 May[1 April] 1974 at Godalming, Surrey.[1][4][5]

Christa Seva Sangha ashram

While on furlough in England in 1919, as mentioned in his autobiography, he seems to have had "mysterious experiences"[sic] as "revelation or divine guidance"[sic] which forcibly implanted upon his mind the importance of ashrams for the Indian church -- the factors that aided to shape his conviction were like - Inspiration and influence of C.F. Andrews, Sundar Singh, Narayan Waman Tilak, and Thomas Christians in Kerala to enter deeply into the spirit of India and to identify with its people - With rise of Indian nationalism, he perceived that a Western church with Colonial British Raj support could never win the heart of India; hence, he beleived Indian church could show that it welcomed desirable things of Indian religions and culture - Important factor of all, the impact of Jallianwalla Bagh massacre in Amritsar in 1919.[1][4][6]

Winslow, having initially decided to start an Anglo-Indian ashram before Jallianwalla Bagh massacre, changed his stance to establish Christa Seva Sangh, a Christian ashram, to heal inter-racial strife. He saw the ashram as a reparation for the racial arrogance among the missionaries. He believed that Christian ashram would enable British and Indian Christians live side by side. In his own words:

I had been trifling with my fancy for an Anglo-Indian ashram before Amritsar. Amritsar sealed it for ever. I . . . [saw] it as an answer to Amritsar. It's the opposite of Amritsar. An ashram where British and Indians live side by side.......[1][4][6]

Upon his return to India in 1920, he garnered a small group of Indian christians at Ahmednagar to form the initial nucleus of the ashram community called Christa Seva Sangha, The fellowship of the Servants of God and/or The Christian fellowship of Service -- literally, it could be interpreted as Christ Service Society - the Society of the Servants belonging to Christ. The Christian ashram Christa Seva Sangha was inaugurated on 11 June 1922 at St. Barnabas' Church, a SPG missionary station. The aims of the society were bhakti devotion and study of sacred texts; and service, especially for the sick and suffering, including evangelical work. Initially, the ashram had only Winslow as a foreigner and rest as Indian christians, known to him from his work in Ahmednagar. The ashram purpose was to provide a small fellowship where Indians and Europeans could live together in Indian style and spend half the year in study and training at Central ashram and other half in touring for evangelical work. In brief, its object was more on meditation, study of the scriptures, and the development of Indian ways for the expression of Christian life and worship, rather than on social work.[1][4][6][2][5][8]

Having sensed Christa Seva Sangha community would collapse in 1926, he used his furlough opportuniy in England to raise funds and recruit new community members. He met William Strawan Robertson aka Father Algy at Student Christian Movement(SCM) held in Swanwick; Robertson, an Anglo-Catholic; a travelling SCM secretary; and had already worked with W.E.S. Holland at St. Paul's College, Calcutta, looped-in two more SCM friends Verrier Elwin and Fielding-Clarke from Oxford and several laymen to join Winslow in his new ashram.[10][6]In his own words of Verrie Elwin after joining the ashram:

I joined the Christa Seva Sangh because I understood that its main interests were scholarship, mysticism [and] reparation.[1][4]

The new community members from Oxford, Cambridge, and several alike joined Christa Seva Sangha with a permanent ashram established at Pune in November 1927. By 1930, the community grew to thirty.The community expanded its ashram activities from prayer, study, evangelism, and service to sick by undertaking literary and educational work in Pune. Winslow having seen his "ashram's role as an interpreter of the ancient Christian church to India, and of the India to the Christian church of the West."[sic] begun giving lectures in the city, holding retreats, and running student hostel, and building up the Federation of International Fellowship -- for bringing together groups of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and other alike religious groups for prayer and discussion on social, economic, and political problems the country was facing.[1][4][6]

Bibliography

In his biography on Narayan Waman Tilak entitled Narayan Vaman Tilak, the Christian poet of Maharashtra, Winslow testified the influence of Tilak on him and how Tilak persuaded him of the importance of Indian ways and ideals for Christian mission. It was also through Tilak's infuence, he realized the conribution the church in India had to offer to the world. Winslow quoted Tilak's prophecy as:

Yea, at the end of pregnant strife, Enthroned as Guru of the earth, This land of Hind shall teach the worth Of Christian faith and Christian life.[1][4]

When Winslow became convinced towards the end of his missionary work at Ahmednagar that Indian christians needed a Eucharistic liturgy that was more Indian in form and spirit than the Anglican liturgy of the Book of Common Prayer, he published new Indian liturgy in 1920 entitled The Eucharist in India a Plea for a Distinctive Liturgy for the Indian Church with a Suggested Form. This liturgy was framed on Oriental models, encouraging Indian converts to develop their own forms of worship. This liturgy was subsequently approved by Liturgical Committee of the Lambeth Conference in 1920. This liturgy was used in any diocese of the Indian church, Church of South India, and later used by the compilers of the liturgies for the church in Sri Lanka.[1][4][6]

Works

  • The Eucharist in India a Plea for a Distinctive Liturgy for the Indian Church with a Suggested Form.
  • The Lee Abbey story.
  • The Christian approach to the Hindu.
  • Narayan Vaman Tilak, the Christian poet of Maharashtra.
  • The dawn of Indian freedom.
  • Christa Seva Sangha.
  • The Indian mystic: some thoughts on India's contribution to Christianity.
  • Christian yoga: or, The threefold path of union with God.
  • Jagadguru, Or the World Significance of Jesus Christ.
  • The eyelids of the dawn: memories, reflections, and hopes.
  • Modern miracles.
  • A garland of verse.
  • Why I believe in the Oxford group.[11][3][8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "The legacy of John Copley Winslow". thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved June 19, 2012. John "Jack" Copley Winslow (1882-1974), the son of an Anglican clergyman, was raised in a comfortable country rectory in the village of Hanworth in Middlesex, England.
  2. ^ a b Schouten, Jan Peter (2008). Jesus as Guru: The Image of Christ Among Hindus and Christians in India. Rodopi. pp. 160–180. ISBN 9042024437, 9789042024434. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  3. ^ a b "books of Author: winslow jack copley". abebooks.com. Retrieved January 19, 2012. Jack C. (John Copley) Winslow
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "The legacy of John Copley Winslow" (PDF). strategicnetwork.org. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Rev. John 'Jack' Copley WINSLOW". boston.com. george-powell.co.uk. January 13, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "CHRISTA SEVA SANGHA: Winslow's 'Shewing.'" (PDF). boston.com. tssf.org.uk. January 13, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  7. ^ a b c d e Routley, Erik (2005). An English-Speaking Hymnal Guide. GIA Publications. p. 110. ISBN 1579993540, 9781579993542. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ a b c d Schouten, Jan Peter (2008). Jesus as Guru: The Image of Christ Among Hindus and Christians in India. Rodopi. pp. 168–190. ISBN 9042024437, 9789042024434. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  9. ^ a b c d "Lord of Creation, to You Be All Praise". hymnary.org. Retrieved June25, 2012. John (Jack) Copley Winslow (b. Hanworth, Middlesex, England, 1882; d. Godalming, Surrey, England, 1974) wrote this hymn of dedication and first published it in his Garland of Verse (1961). Alterations to the text have been made in various hymnals, including the Psalter Hymnal. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  10. ^ Anderson, Gerald H. (1999). Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 199. ISBN 0802846807, 9780802846808. Elwin, H(arry) Verrier H(olman) {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  11. ^ "List of Books by Jack Copley Winslow". paperbackswap.com. Retrieved June 19, 2012. ISBN-13: 9781152053373 - ISBN-10: 115205337X
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