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Revision as of 11:13, 17 April 2013 by Benedictdilton (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| K.P. Yohannan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1950 Kerala, India |
| Occupation | President of Gospel for Asia |
| Website | www.gfa.org |
K.P. Yohannan is the founder and president of Gospel for Asia, a Christian organization based in Carrollton, Texas, and the Metropolitan of Believers Church,
Biography
Early life
K.P. Yohannan was born in 1951 and raised in a St. Thomas Syrian Christian family in Kerala, India. He was 16 when he joined Operation Mobilization, an evangelical missions movement, and served with them for eight years on the Indian subcontinent.
Education
K.P. Yohannan went to the United States for theological studies at Criswell College (at the time Criswell Bible Institute) in Dallas, Texas. He graduated with a B.A. in Biblical Studies, becoming the school’s first international student to graduate. He was also conferred an honorary degree of divinity by Hindustan Bible College in Chennai, India.
Ministry
During his early years in Dallas, Texas, K.P. became an ordained clergy and served as a pastor of a Native American Southern Baptist church for four years. Although being the shepherd of his local church was greatly rewarding, he could not forget the millions of suffering and needy people in India and the neighboring nations. Then in 1979, he resigned from his church to give full attention to mission work in Asia and to share the love of Christ among the unreached peoples.
He and his wife Gisela decided to give away their own possessions to help spread the good news of Jesus on the Indian subcontinent. They started by helping 2 dozen national workers in the first year. Then in 1979, K.P. and Gisela officially founded Gospel for Asia. After three decades the organization, now serves in 17 nations. Yohannan argues that Western missionaries are ineffective, and that it is more appropriate to provide financial support to missionaries from the relevant country; Gospel for Asia does this.
Yohannan was consecrated a bishop by K. J. Samuel, moderator of the Church of South India, which resulted in some controversy.
Family
K.P. Yohannan is married to Gisela, who served with him in Operation Mobilization. They met in 1973. In 1974, they were married in Germany, Gisela’s country of birth. They have two children, Daniel and Sarah.
Controversies
1) Kerala Government files petition aganist K P Yohannan - The Kerala government has filed a petition in the High Court, seeking to direct plantation company Harrisons Malayalam Ltd and 'Gospel for Asia' founder Dr KP Yohannan to deposit profits accrued to them by utilising government lands in their possession, reports PTI.
The government on Friday also sought a direction to deposit the profits either in the state treasury or the High Court.
A division bench, comprising Justices Thothathil B Ramakrishnan and AV Ramakrishna Pillai, posted the case to 13th December for filing a counter.
The government contended that Yohannan, head 'Gospel of Asia, a Christian missionary organisation at Thiruvalla, holds its land and alleged that during pendency of the case, the respondents had illegally transfered various estates in favour of other companies.
Gospel of Asia was also appropriating yield from the government lands in their illegal possession, it was stated.
The Government submitted that the entire land held by the two respondents belongs to it.
2) An archbishop’s spiritual factory Tue Jun 17 2008, 22:24 hrs - Indian Express.
While carrying out its drive against fake godmen and street-side spirituality retailers, investigating agencies in Kerala stumbled on the empire of Kerala-based evangelist and self-consecrated archbishop Dr K.P. Yohannan.
Last week, Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had revealed that Believers' Church, founded by Yohannan, had received foreign remittances of Rs 1,040 crore in the last 18 years. "The state will seek a probe by a Central agency to look into the foreign funds Yohannan received," he said.
Yohannan has been a Pentecostal follower and president of Gospel for Asia (GFA), a group set up in the early eighties to promote biblical teachings. Yohannan's highly spirited preaching won him lakhs of followers across the world. Athmeeya Yathra, one of the dozen trusts Yohannan set up, has been broadcasting religious radio programmes. Yohannan's GFA has 54 Bible colleges in various countries, where over 8,000 missionaries train to spread the word of Christ. The GFA Biblical Seminary near Thiruvalla houses students from 31 different evangelical denominations. His GFA had faced the wrath of Hindu organisations several times in the past, over forced conversions.
But Yohannan's real tryst with controversy began after he set up Believers' Church about eight years ago at Thiruvalla, the NRI town in Pathanamthitta district. It was then that this preacher decided he was cut for higher things in life. He voluntarily donned the garb of a bishop and hired the service of K.J. Samuel, a bishop of a sister church. In normal course, only a priest can become a bishop and his action stunned his community. Both the Church of South India and the Church of North India pulled up their bishops for conducting the installation ceremony, the nature of which had been unprecedented in Christian circles. But Yohannan wouldn't stop at that. He later upgraded his post to that of an archbishop and appointed six other junior bishops.
"Prayer and money makes Believers' Church. Yohannan has become an archbishop by bypassing the traditional route," said Kerala Congress(S) MLA P.C. George.
Archbishop Yohannan now heads over a dozen charitable trusts. A major chunk of Yohannan's followers are outside his home state, particularly in the northeast. Believers' Church claims a flock of 15 lakh in India, with Kerala accounting for a mere 15,000. Like other churches, Yohannan's church also runs a posh school, housing 1,800 students.
Yohannan's real estate interest came to the fore in 2005 when Believers' Church purchased 2,263 acres of rubber estate from Harrison Malayalam Limited for Rs 63 crore. He also owned Cheruvally estate, one of the best-managed rubber estates in Kerala. Besides, his church owns several tracts of land, paddy fields and islands with tourism potential in various parts of central Kerala. The land tracts were purchased on behalf of the trusts Yohannan headed. Nobody was under any illusion that the rubber estate and paddy fields were meant for sowing the seeds of gospel.
Yohannan got into many more controversies, among them over the alleged misuse of a tsunami rehabilitation fund. But political parties have rarely bothered to look into the transactions of the Church.
Despite the police probe and controversies, Yohannan's team at Thiruvalla remains unfazed. According to Church sources, the self-styled archbishop is engaged in relief activities in the cyclone-hit Myanmar.
"We welcome any kind of investigation. Our accounts are transparent," said Jacob Pothan, central administrative officer of Believers Church. "It is true that the Church has received Rs 1,040 crore since 1990. But only 144 crore has been diverted for real estate dealings in Kerala. The rest has gone into charity," said Pothan, who took a voluntary retirement from the Rubber Board to join Yohannan's spiritual company.
Pothan said the Church carries out rehabilitation projects for poor children, Dalits and backward communities, irrespective of their religious moorings. "We also financially support over 10,000 families. However, conversion has never been on our agenda," Pothan claimed. He justified the Church's real estate investments, saying such projects have to be seen as income-generating ventures to carry out charity work.
DGP (Intelligence) Jacob Punoose told The Indian Express that a state-level probe would be held into the funds that Believers' Church got. "Our investigation has revealed that the church maintains accounts about the money that had flowed into its kitty. However, they have to probe where the money has been deployed," Punoose said.
Besides, the State Revenue Department has initiated a probe into land dealings by the Church. "The Government and media have been trying to tarnish and destroy a nation-building organisation," said Pothan.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/an-archbishop-s-spiritual-factory/323561
Print and radio
Dr. Yohannan is the author of eight books published in the US and has authored more than 200 books published in India. His book Revolution In World Missions, has over 2 million copies in print.
K.P. Yohannan’s radio broadcast, "Road to Reality," is heard on over 800 radio stations throughout the USA, Canada, U.K., New Zealand and Australia. He has also been heard on the Athmeeya Yathra (Spiritual Journey) daily broadcast for the past 25 years. This is broadcast in 14 nations in 110 Asian languages. His television channel in the name of AY Broadcast Foundation aired on 31 May 2011.
In his book Armies Of God: A Study In Militant Christianity, British-born, Malaysia-based academic Iain Buchanan has criticized K.P. Yohannan for welcoming the 2004 tsunami by calling it "one of the greatest opportunities God has given us to share His love with people". According to Iain Buchanan, such evangelicals thrive on suffering and disaster.
References
- Wooding, Dan. "Gospel for Asia's K.P. Yohannan a Quiet Revolutionary". Crosswalk.com. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
- "Believers Church general assembly begins today". The Hindu. 4 January 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
- "Believers Church decries violence". The Hindu. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ^ "About K.P. Yohannan"., Gospel for Asia
- ^ Bergunder, Michael (2008). The South Indian Pentecostal Movement in the Twentieth Century. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 0-8028-2734-9.
- Van Rheenen, Gailyn (1996). Missions: Biblical Foundations and Contemporary Strategies. Zondervan. ISBN 0-310-20809-2.
- Jacob, George (10 February 2003). "Crisis brewing in CSI". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
- Philip, Shaju. "An archbishop's spiritual factory". The Indian Express. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - Bland, Vikki. "Yohannan: Persecution is Part of the Deal". Crosswalk.com. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
- Yohannan, K.P. (2004). Revolution in World Missions. Gospel for Asia. ISBN 1-59589-001-7.
- Neustel, Lauren (1 March 2011). "Revolution in World Missions (Review)". Online Journal of Christian Communication and Culture. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
- Evangelical Christianity: Devils in high places, Sunday, Mar 27, 2011, Yogesh Pawar, Mumbai, DNA