Pilgrim Echoes - Cross Perspective

  Missionaries, Modern India, and the Truth Behind Education By Joshua Thangaraj Gnanasekar - Chief Editor, Pilgrim Echoes Introduction During the centenary celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Dr. Mohan Bhagwat remarked that India’s education system was shaped primarily by foreign rulers who wanted to dominate, not develop. He urged that independent India must instill pride by teaching its children about their heritage. There is truth in his observation. From the Delhi Sultans to the Mughal emperors to the British crown, rulers generally focused on  tax collection, military dominance, and political power . Yet the story is bigger—and far more hopeful—than that. India’s true modern awakening did not come from kings, emperors, or zamindars. It came from  missionaries inspired by the Bible , who labored not to rule but to serve. Their vision of education, human dignity, and social reform laid the foundations of the India we know today. Indigenous Kings and...

  Are We Jonah? A Prophetic Call to the Church Today By: Joshua Thangaraj Gnanasekar - Chief editor, Pilgrim Echoes 1. The Jonah Mirror The book of Jonah is more than a Sunday school story about a runaway prophet and a giant fish. It is a mirror that God holds up to His people. Jonah knew the heart of God, yet resisted it. He knew the power of God’s Word, yet withheld it. He knew that Nineveh could repent, yet he would rather see it burn. And so the haunting question rises for today’s Church: Are we Jonah? We know that our world is plunging into deeper darkness—morally, spiritually, ethically. We see it in families broken, nations divided, greed unchecked, injustice normalized, and sin celebrated. Scripture foretells that these things will worsen. But is our role merely to observe, shake our heads, and wait for judgment? Or are we called, like Jonah, to run into the heart of the city with God’s warning—and God’s mercy? 2. The Messiah’s Model: Isaiah 61 Jesus ...