William Miller (missionary)
William Miller(1838-1923) was a Scottish educationalist and Free Church of Scotland missionary to Madras. He was also a member of Madras Legislative Council for four terms -- in 1893, 1895, 1899, and 1902.[1][2][3]
He was chiefly notable for transforming Madras Christian College into an ecumenical enterprise and imbibing the minds of Madras Province South Indians with Fulfilment theology -- with an idea of "Christ the fulfiller". He was the recipient of Kaiser-i-Hind and the first LL.D, honored by the Madras University.[2] [4]
Biography
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He was born in the northermost county of Scotland in 1838, and got his education from Aberdeen University and Edinburgh University.[2]
He arrived Madras in 1864 at the age of twenty-four, as the only missionary of the Free Chuch of Scotland in Madras city at the time of his arrival. Initially, as a missionary, he was engaged in outdoor preaching, congregational work, medical aid, and the education of boys and girls.[1][2][4]
Madras Christian college received vitality with the arrival of Miller in 1862, and soon became the greatest architect of the college. In 1863, he envisioned that only Christian education could train the greatest leaders of India, he began to specialize on the institution that later became the Madras Christian College -- A Christian school[General Assembly School] founded on 3 April 1837 by John Anderson (missionary)John Anderson, Scottish missionary and the founder of the mission of the Free Church of Scotland at Madras, later became known as Madras Christian College that grew from the school into a college and then Campus under the leadership of William Miller. After he took over the college succeeding Anderson, within two years of his arrival, he upgraded the school into a college and reoriented the educational policy of the institution. The first college class was formed in 1864, studying for the First examination in Arts(FA) of the university. By 1865, the first class of six students appeared for matriculation examination. And, by 1867, a new class was opened to prepare for the B.A courses. Miller procured the support of leading missions, including Anglican, Wesleyan, and Presbyterian bodies that ultimately turned a small secterian institution into a mammoth and a central Christian college for all South India, and soon to be in the front rank of all institutions in India. Miller transformed the institution into an ecumenical and co-operative enterprise and named it as Madras Christian College on 1 January 1877.[2][3][5][4]
Miller is credited for opening hostels, several academic and cultural associations, that ultimately shaped Madras Christian College into a premier educational institution in South Asia. He later opened up the institution for Hindu students to a Christward direction through education, rather than just conversion of their faith -- Vengal Chakkarai Chetty, P. Chenchiah, and many more were in fact attracted to Christianity under the influence of Miller. [2]ref name="R4"/>[4]
He served as the active principal of Madras Christian College for 45 years, another 16 years as Honorary principal, and helped the government shape its educational policy as an educator in all over India. For his educational work, he won the appreciation and financial aid from the government. [1][3]
He was nominated to Madras Legislative Council consecutively four times in 1893, 1895, 1899, and 1902. In 1896, he was unanimously chosen the moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, the highest honour accorded in the church. He received Kaiser-i-Hind medal and several honorary degrees were confered by the universites of Aberdeen and Edinburgh.[3][2]
He was appointed as Vice-chancellor of the University of Madras in 1901. In 1907, he left India to reside in Edinburgh, Scotland, and died in 1923 at the age of eighty-five.[1][2][3]
Works
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2012) |
- Indian Mission and How to View Them, 1878.
- The Christian College for Madras, a printed memorandum to the Free Church Foreign Mission Committee(FCFMC), 1874.
References
- ^ a b c d e Doyle, Sean (2006). [http://books.google.co.in/books?id=-S7DJLnkwG4C&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=William+Miller,+scottish+missionary,+Madras+Christian+college&source=bl&ots=m_12pE1kpB&sig=GY8RtwiDgB9qBsjSDhA2JQW22u0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=wR29T7StCcbsrAeM17GxDQ&ved=0CFIQ6AEwBzgK#v=o
nepage&q=William%20Miller%2C%20scottish%20missionary%2C%20Madras%20Christian%20college&f=false Synthesizing the Vedanta: The Theology of Pierre Johanns, S.J.] Peter Lang. pp. September. ISBN 3039107089, 9783039107087.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help); Check|url=value (help); line feed character in|url=at position 246 (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h Eddy, Sherwood (1945). Pathfinders of the World Missionary Crusade. Ayer Publishing. pp. 95-. ISBN 083691127X, 9780836911275.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help) - ^ a b c d e "Madras Christian College Milestones". mcc.edu.in. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
Miller becomes the member of the Madras Legislative Council in 1893, and again in 1895, 1899 and 1902.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 18 (help) - ^ a b c d "Madras Christian College - With the support of few other Protestant Missions in Madras, Miller transformed the Institution into an ecumenical, co-operative enterprise, and named it Madras Christian College on January 1, 1877". infinitecourses.com. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
Madras Christian College traces its origin to the General Assembly School founded by Rev. John Anderson, a Missionary from the Church of Scotland, on April 3, 1837.
- ^ "Madras Christian College - Our Legacy". mcc.edu.in. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
Madras Christian College (MCC) began life as a School founded in 1837 by the Rev. John Anderson, a missionary from Scotland. The School became a College in 1865 during Dr. William Miller's dynamic stewardship of the institution
- ^ "CONTENT AND STRUCTURE". mundus.ac.uk. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
Dr William Miller (1838-1923), Principal of Madras Christian College, plus a printed memorandum by Miller to the Free Church Foreign Mission Committee (FCFMC) entitled 'The Christian College for Madras' (1874).
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