Temjenrenba Anichar
DIMAPUR, APRIL 10
The color of the gospel is green, or at least that is the refreshing interpretation presented by the Phom Baptist Churches’ Association (PBCA) this year. In the previous year, they gave shape (and humanity) to the gospel by designing it as a red ribbon brooch – the universal symbol of HIV and AIDS.
The idea has been nothing short of revolutionary. And for the past two years, the PBCA has been escorting its affiliate churches and fellowships, which numbers around 50 in Longleng district, toward this new understanding of the ways to teach and preach the gospel.
At the beginning of the year, when the PBCA dispatched Sunday school textbooks to its affiliate members they introduced a new chapter – still considered off limits in Christian education in the state – to be taught to students of senior and teen categories. The chapter was on environment conservation.
It was in the closing weeks of November last year that the PBCA announced its intention to counter “the negative impacts of climate change”, which it said, has been manifested in the “vulnerable ecosystems, droughts, flooding, heat waves, storms, rainfall irregularities, decrease in food production, occurrence of new diseases, loss of biodiversity and influx of environmental refugees.”
Recently, the Christian Education Secretary of the PBCA, O Yanngan Anghlee, told Eastern Mirror that “environment is not an exclusively secular subject.” He reasoned that the subject of environment could, in fact, be traced to Genesis – the opening chapter of the Bible.
Indeed, the opening sentence of the opening chapter contains the idea of environment because it deals with creation. Genesis says that even the creator first created the elements that constitute the environment before placing humans on earth. The logic is unmistakable. The gospel has always been green.
According to the Christian Education Secretary of PBCA, “Our understanding of the environment and climate change is from the biblical perspective.” It is from this simple understanding – that environmental conservation means preservation of god’s works – the idea of incorporating the subject in Sunday schools texts originated.
At some churches and fellowships where there are no, or shortage of, Sunday school teachers, they teach conservation during exclusive worship services for children, according to Anghlee. The previous year, they targeted a more adult audience among the children and introduced a new chapter on the subject of HIV and AIDS, exclusively for their specific age-group.
Aside from evolving the contents of conventional Sunday school textbooks, the PBCA also encourages the pastors under its patronage to deliver Sunday sermons on the subject of environmental conservation and climate change. In fact, the Phom Baptist Churches’ take on environmental concerns dates way back to 2008.
In that particular year, at the PBCA annual general meeting, it was decided that church would not use wildlife for any kind of church programs, Thanksgiving services and offerings – thus carving for itself a revolutionary path. It is a road that should not be walked by the Phoms alone.
