P. Solomon Raj (21 February 1921 - 28 December 2019) was a pastor of Protestant Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Society headquartered in Guntur with major contribution to theological research and arts. Old Testament scholar Victor Premasagar wrote about Raj as a pastor, professor of communications, creative artist, sculptor, poet and a theological writer.
Church historian, K. L. Richardson of the Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad, India, in Towards Self-Reliance: A historical survey of the programmes and efforts of Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1927 to 1969, Published by D. Christopher and T. Kanakaiah, Vijayawada, 2003 has highlighted the contribution of Raj with special reference to Indian liturgy and music. Richardson writes,
Much like theologians of India believing in the Indian ethos akin to A. B. Masilamani, D. S. Amalorpavadass, Victor Premasagar, M. Victor Paul and others, Raj believes that it is only that form of Christianity, deeply etched in diverse cultures of India, that can influence Christianity in India. While A. B. Masilamani promoted Indian liturgy in the Christian Hymnal in Telugu, D. S. Amalorpavadass advocated for vernacular liturgy. Similarly, Victor Premasagar had recognised the contribution of indigenous movements. M. Victor Paul rooted for indigenous churches in place of institutionalized ones. It is in such a setting that Raj's contribution gains credence in the light of his doctoral dissertation on the Bible Mission Movement by Father Devadas which Roger E. Hedlund writes as, { { quote|Solomon Raj shows that the traditional mission-founded Churches are really Western appendages. This is true of the Lutherans and other traditional denominations including thentity: India's Churches of Indigenous Origin: the "Little Tradition" in Indian Christianity, published by the ISPCK for Mylapore Institute for Indigenous Studies, Madras, 2006, p.75.</ref>}}
As an artist, Raj received global acclaim. Gudrun Löwner of the United Theological College, Bangalore has devoted a section in The Oxford Handbook of Christianity in Asia,
Early education and studies
Graduate studies
Raj underwent initial studies between 1940 and 1945 at the AELC-Andhra Christian College, Guntur and became a teacher. During the tenure of A. N. Gopal as president of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Society, Raj was sent for theological studies to the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, Madras, where he studied from 1953 to 1956 under thoroughbred faculty, including Professor Hans-Werner Gensichen.
Post-graduate studies
In 1964 during the tenure of G. Devasahayam at the AELC Church Society, Raj was sent for post-graduate studies to the Indiana University, Indiana, where he completed a master's degree in education.
Doctoral studies
When the Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham invited Raj to lecture in communication for term between 1978 and 1983, Raj not only taught at the college but also enrolled as a doctoral candidate and pursued research studies under the guidance of Walter Hollenweger. Raj also spent time at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
Art student
As an artist, Raj first learnt the nuances of art through the Sunday School and later became a student of the notable artist, Damerla Rama Rao and cleared a state examination in drawing and painting. While at the Indiana State University, he learnt woodblock printing and etching. As for batik, he learnt it from his friends in Hyderabad.
Career
The career graph of Raj shows him as a teacher, pastor, administrator, professor and as an artist.
Pastor
Although Raj began his career as a teacher, he soon became a pastor of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Society serving as a chaplain of the AELC-Andhra Christian College, Guntur serving during 1956–1959. He then served at the Lutheran Theological College, Rajahmundry for a year, 1959–1960.
Administrator
In 1960, on the invitation of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), he took up the directorship of the Department for Audio-Visual education and served in Nagpur, the headquarters of the NCCI from 1960 to 1968. In 1968, he moved to Vijayawada to take up a role as director of the radio station, Suvartha Vani, a multimedia project of the Andhra Pradesh Council of Churches in partnership with Canadian Baptist Ministries, Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church and Church of South India, serving during the period 1968–1978. K. L. Richardson writes that Rev. P. Solomon Raj of the AELC who had rich experience in radio evangelism also served in the programme of Suvartha Vani.