About CSC
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INTRODUCTION
Centre for the Promotion of Interfaith Dialogue and Social Harmony
The Christian Study Centre has been serving the churches in Pakistan as an ecumenical institution for the study of Christian Muslim relations since 1967. In a world of increasing tensions and polarization we seek to promote deeper mutual understanding and respect between religious communities.
HISTORY
In 1951 the Committee for the Study of Religion and Society of the West Pakistan Christian Council (now the National Council of Churches in Pakistan) began to explore the possibilities of establishing a Study Centre for Christian Muslim Relations in Pakistan. The Centre was envisioned on the model of the Henry Martyn Institute in Hyderabad, India (established in the 1930’s), whose great heritage was now inaccessible to the people of Pakistan following the independence in 1947 and the partition of the Indian sub-continent into the two new countries of India and Pakistan. With the support and guidance of various ecumenical Church organizations and individuals, the Christian Study Centre was founded in 1967, and formally started working in 1968, for the purpose of study and research in Christianity and Islam.
From its inception the Centre has been rooted in the ecumenical tradition and vision of the Church. It is an autonomous, non-profit organization supported by the National Council of Churches in Pakistan, the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan, the Church of Pakistan, the Presbyterian Church in Pakistan and the Salvation Army in Pakistan. It seeks to serve Christian Churches, individuals and institutions with similar concerns within Pakistan and internationally. Over time, in light of changing needs, our focus has evolved to include a concern for social change, human and minority rights, peace building and interfaith harmony.
Aims
- To assist the Churches in Pakistan in their attempt to gain a better understanding of the relationship between Islam and Christianity and the particular nature of their calling as churches in a Muslim state.
- To undertake and encourage academic research into Islam and Christianity in Pakistan in their relationship.
- To encourage dialogue, between Christians and Muslim to foster mutual understanding and peaceful co-existence and promote cooperation in various spheres of nation-building.
Governance
The Christian Study Centre is registered institute under Societies Registration Act 1860.
It has two categories of membership:
- Full members – Christian Churches, institutions and organisations who accept the aims and objectives of the society and pay an annual contribution
- Friends – Individuals who share the aims and objectives of the Centre and pay and annual contribution
The Centre is governed by a Board of Management which includes representatives of the National Council of Churches in Pakistan and the Episcopal Conference of the Roman Catholic Church in Pakistan and members elected from the Full Members and Friends of the Centre.
GOVERANANCES
Board of Directors
Cardinal Representative of Pope -Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Karachi (Pakistan)
Archbishop of Islamabad & Rawalpindi Catholic Diocese
Bishop of Hyderabad Diocese & Vice Moderator of Church of Pakistan
CEO - Pakistan Partnership Initiative
Head of Dept. University of Peshawar
Director Christian Hospital Taxila
Executive Secretary National Council Churches in Pakistan
Regional Representative - Community World Service Asia
Director - Christian Study Center
Principal - Saint Catherine School Lal kurti, Rawalpindi
The Centre is funded through donations and project funding from churches, mission agencies and individuals in Pakistan and abroad who support our programme and from income generated by our training and residential facilities.
TESTIMONIALS
What People say About our Institute
