The newly born church in Jerusalem began to grow rapidly but started to pay the cost. A prominent church leader Stephen was stone to death. The faithful followers of Christ were as small as a flock of helpless sheep in the midst of packed hungry wolves. When Stephen was stoned he saw, “The heaven opened and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:35). We may not see Jesus the way Stephen did, but we can see Christ in the history of the church. Since CE 150, history records that countless lives were lost for professing Christ. We read in Acts 8 that the early church gained numbers, however persecution forced them out to places abroad. Whenever they went, they took the Good News of Jesus Christ with them. In the same manner, God chose Paul to proclaim His message to the uttermost part of the world. Paul gave his testimony before King Agrippa (Acts 26:15) narrating his encounter with Christ on Damascus road. He came to the realization that life would not be easy to follow Christ. It was a matter of life and death.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is a point of division between “the old order” and the “new order.” Paul understood the intensity of such truth. The new age is no longer the era of law, or of sin, or of death, but of life and grace (Gal.6:16). The new order is one of eschatological hope. The new creation embraces not only individual fate but also entire creation (Rom. 8:19-23). This is possible through the breaking of old solidarity with Adam (death) and accepting the new solidarity with Christ (life). How does this transformation take place? What is the driving force for the church to be on the move forward in the midst of despair, exploitation and cynicism? The new humanity has been created through the liberative act of God. This whole creation shares with the creative process initiated by God. In the words of Apostle Luke, Jesus came “Proclaim(ing) Liberation to the captives, preach sight to the blind, set at liberty them that are bruised, go into all the world and tell men that are bound mentally, spiritually and physically that “The Liberation has come” (4:18). The prophesy as foretold by Isaiah was that of an integral liberation in Christ (Isaiah 61:1).
It is interesting to note how Latin American churches were restructured in dramatic way in the last few decades. Across confessional lines, Christians, mainly the marginal poor found new life and hope in Christ and discovered their own worth as people in the image of God. In the process was both violent change and peaceful change. The later expression was more powerful. Besides the 156 Bishops at Medellin, there were 100 Christians experts, viz. economists, sociologists and politicians. Together, they were able to see deep root causes and underlying structures on injustice and oppression than mere expressionistic view of the Latin world. They identified those realities and structures which breeds injustice and oppression. The enslaving components includes, “External Colonialism”, “Money Imperialism” and “Inter-Colonialism.” The Medellin gathering prophetically pointed the elements that destroys, viz. “Institutionalized Violence” as sinful.
It is amazing to see how Latin American Churches radical restructured the whole system. This is what I mean by leadership with true passion who can see the need and have a genuine heart to restructure the system at all cost.
This endeavor needs a man of radical thinking, who can participate in the prevailing situation with a heart that dares. As we evaluate our situation today, we need to restructure our institutionalized churches. Every theology must be a living theology and it must address to the contemporary realities in a given context. The Naga Christian today must address to the living realities of Nagaland such as self-determination of the people, pain and suffering of the people, tribal solidarity and tribalism, social evils and corruptions; prophetic missions of the church.
“Minjung” is a Korean word. It is a combining of two Chinese characters: “Min” translates as “people” and “Jung” translated as “the mass”. Thus, “Minjung” means “the mass” who, struggles and suffers. Korean Christian have learned and reflected upon theologically. The Korean Christens have over the years, engaged their social and political context in search of relevant theology in Asia. ”Minjung Theology” is a creation of those Christians who were forced to reflect upon their Christian principles in the basement of interrogation room, in trial, facing court-martial, tribunal hearing, and so forth. Furthermore their theology stemmed from prison cells, countless letters written in captivity, house arrest, etc.
Mara Ellis said, “Out of that suffering and struggling, Korean Christians want to speak of what they have learned and reflected upon theologically and to share this with others who in their own social and political context are searching for a relevant theology in Asia.” The bottom line is, through intense suffering a theology was born. Theology of Liberation was not the product of seminary professors working at their desks, but the reflections of Christians engaged in human struggle. It was the result of a new reading of scripture in a particular historical situation. It was not an intellectual exercise, but participation of peoples’ struggle, it was the story of God’s liberating act in history. The experience of the Exodus became the key to a new perception of God. As a Columbian theologian says: “We have to read Latin material with the eyes of the Bible. And we have to read the Bible with the eyes of Latin America.”
Furthermore, Nichals Berkin has this to say: “My daily bread is material problem, but the daily bread of my neighbor is Spiritual.”
John Douglas Missing Dimension of Statecraft offers a refreshing paradigm for change. It consists of case studies from around the world, which including Nicaragua, Nigeria, East Germany, Philippines and South Africa, etc. The book asserts religious organizations roles as mediating agencies in ending conflicts and ushering democratic changes, uplifting the oppressed and weaker sections of the society. It is because Christian thinkers and churches, entire Western Communist Power crumbled, even Berlin wall.
The Christian view in the political life is the most relevant subject in the present world, particularly in North East India context. We need to develop a theology that addresses our fiasco. Throughout history we have come to know that people engaged theology according to the needs of their specific context and culture. In the Old Testament time, the people of Israel had ‘Yahwestic Theology’ or “The Prophetic Theology” and so on. They employed their theology according to their own times.
God intervened in human history in order to break down the structure of injustice and who raised up prophets in order to point out the way of justice and mercy. The prophets of eighth and seventh centuries BCE were outspoken in their denouncement of formalism and hypocrisy of the Israelites’ Yahweh. The prophets were uncompromising as they stood for justice, and they rejected the pattern of relationship that failed to ensure justice or elements that were contrary to the will of God. The prophetic faith that transforms power emphasized, “The living reality of God power present rule not only spiritual, but also in the world of nature and human history”.
We are aware of what had happened in the early church and medieval church and also of the paradigm shift in theology during their respective times. Again there was paradigm shift of theology during the reformation period. The modern world is fast changing according to people’s thinking. Liberation theology and Black theology have changed the whole nations of Latin America; Minjung theology has changed the Korean Christians; and Dalit theology that of India. Different paradigms have altered the entire dimension of the global family. South African churches fought for social justice for more than one hundred years. Ultimately Botha Government was overthrown with concept of Liberation theology. Bishop Tutu said “I am puzzled when people suggest Religion and Politic do not mixed, what kind of Bible they read.”
We stand at the dawn of a new era. The changing world is in a critical period of human history. We have to reinterpret our theological stance. Love your enemies and obey your master was the theology of the 19th century. Turn to liberate the oppressed people was the 20th century theology. We have learned from what people have done in the past. We have to talk about what we need today. We have to think of what we will do tomorrow for the sake of the upcoming generation. John Stott gave a remarkable statement for today’s world: His word is not a prehistoric fossil to be exhibited under glass but a living message for the contemporary world. It belongs to the market place not the museum. Unfortunately, most of the theological seminaries are being institutionalized and become focused on academic study only. The old paradigms are no longer adequate to meet the challenge of the 21st century. Interestingly, Dr. J.K. Chandran, in his address to the Third World Theological Conference in 1976), says: ”We rejected as irrelevant an academic type of theology that divorces from action. We must prepare for a Radical break in epistemology which makes commitment the first act of theology and an engramma critical reflection to the praxis of the reality of the Third World.”
The majority of the North East India people, basically tribal in character, are Christians and yet have not been able to formulate praxis theology, despite having been through insurmountable sufferings for the past 50 years or more. The time has come for us to critical analysis our prevailing situation and to develop own theology. Our theology must be able to speak for the suffering and oppressed people. The message must be relevant to our situation. John Stott said, “The world has changed dramatically since Jesus’ day, and goes no changing with ever more bewilding speed. People rejected the gospel, not necessarily because of they think it false, but because it no longer resonates with them.”
Every theology must be a living theology and it must address to the contemporary realities in a given context else it is just a price of historical study of religion. To reiterate, Naga theology today must address to the living realities of Nagaland such as self-determination of the people, pain and suffering of the people, deprived peace, injustice, human rights abuse; unity, tribal solidarity, tribalism, social evils, corruptions, prophetic missions of the church, ecological concern, unemployment, substance abuse and so forth. The church and its theologians are entrusted with a mission to interpret the word of God in every generation. So also the Naga Christian Theologians are given the same task today. Is our message relevant? Are we addressing the Naga problem today?
