Dear Friends,
Thank you for praying with us this week for Karishma Samuel in India.
India has a rich and ancient Christian heritage. According to tradition, the Apostle Thomas planted the first Indian church in 52 AD along the subcontinent’s southwestern coast in modern-day Kerala. Today, Christians comprise approximately 2% of India’s 1.38 billion-strong population. As a religious minority, India’s 28 million Christians continue to endure persecution from Hindu nationalists, particularly in the country’s central, northern, and western regions. According to a 2011 census, India’s population is around 80% Hindu, 14% Muslim, 2% Sikh, and 1% Buddhist.
Karishma is pursuing a PhD in New Testament from South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAICS), a client school of the Vital SustainAbility Initiative, in Bangalore, India. Her research examines historic portrayals of Jesus in the synoptic Gospels and from South Asian perspectives. As part of SAIACS’ strategic faculty development plan, Karishma will join SAIACS’ faculty upon graduation. Karishma and her husband Samuel Johnson are expecting their first child soon!
Karishma shares the following message:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I feel humbled to receive prayers from all of you from different parts of the globe.
I am Karishma Paul, and I am married to Samuel Johnson. We are based in Bangalore, India. I have been interested in teaching and working for our Savior ever since I was thirteen years old. With the wise counsel of many pastors, I studied theology and graduated with an MA in New Testament Studies from South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS).
The Lord then led me to work in a remote village in Odisha called Lamptaput for three years. Afterward, the Lord again guided my path toward academia.
Now, I’m currently Faculty-in-Training at SAIACS, doing a PhD in New Testament Studies on the Historical Jesus.
Prayer Requests
Living in a country where diversity thrives, I enjoy friendship with people from other faiths. At the same time, I seek godly wisdom to be relevant to the needs of my local and national community.
On the social and political front, we need God to protect and strengthen us for the sake of the Gospel.
Samuel and I want to pursue God in our family, church, work, and individual lives as we enter into a new season of parenthood.
Please pray that in all my academic endeavors I would bring glory to God and honor to my country.
Thank you for thinking of and praying for us,
Karishma Paul Samuel