Graham Whitfield Houghton

Background

Houghton, Graham Whitfield was born on September 22, 1937 in Palmerston N., New Zealand. Son of Clarence Noel and Francis Winnifred (Pratt) Houghton.

Education

Bachelor, Azusa Pacific University, 1970. Master of Arts, University of California at Los Angeles, 1970. Doctor of Philosophy, University of California at Los Angeles, 1981.

Bachelor of Divinity, United Theological College, Bangalore, India, 1978.

Career

Houghton left high school during his fifth form year with an intention to expand the family farm. However, after a personal religious experience, he left the farm, trained for two years (1960-1961) at the Bible College of New Zealand, and became the first New Zealand missionary sent out by the then Oriental Missionary Society (now One Mission Society), a multinational Christian faith mission, a multinational Christian evangelism organization. He arrived in India to do village evangelism in 1965 and has worked in that country until 2005.

She has lived in India almost continuously since, with the exception of her university education.

Her marriage to Houghton in 1968 was arranged according to Indian custom by her father. Houghton taught for many years as well as serving as the Principal of Madras Bible Seminary before founding SAIACS in 1981.

The SAIACS campus now occupies almost five hectares (twelve acres) of land on the North edge of Bangalore, a fast-growing city of over 8 million, just over 300 km west of Chennai (Madras) in South India. SAIACS has now expanded to a total of about 130 full-time students, all studying at the masters or doctoral level

Students come from many parts of India, and other nations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Sri Lanka, Thailand, and also Australia and New Zealand.

Several have come from Africa and Central America. In the past year a number of Indian Students from the United States have also chosen to come to SAIACS in preparation for working in the sub-continent. In 1997 SAIACS was recognized by the University of Mysore as an accredited research institution to the university, enabling SAIACS to offer an accredited Indian Doctor of Philosophy programme.

SAIACS graduates are working as organizational and denominational leaders, faculty at a number of bible colleges, seminaries, and graduate schools, and pastors and missionaries with many indigenous missionary agencies throughout South Asia.

Teaching at the masters and Doctor of Philosophy level has been going on since then As of February 2012, upwards of 100 are enrolled with more than 700 having completed the classes offered.

Houghton is still active in teaching and mentoring, especially in the Peking University Project.

Achievements

• Graham Whitfield Houghton has been listed as a noteworthy religious studies educator by Marquis Who's Who.

Membership

Member Association Evangelical Theological Education India (founding).

Interests

• Gardening, hiking, walking, swimming.

Connections

Married Carol Ann McDearmid, August 24, 1968. 1 child, Dilkusha Nichole.

Father:

Clarence Noel Houghton

Mother:

Francis Winnifred (Pratt) Houghton

Spouse:

Carol Ann McDearmid

child:

Dilkusha Nichole Houghton