Al Ngullie
Morung Express News
Dimapur | February 5
If violence had its way, the one standard of Christian evangelism in Nagaland – the visit of celebrated American evangelist Rev. Billy Graham to the state in 1972 – would never have happened at all. An old newspaper clipping from an American newspaper has revealed that Rev. Graham nearly cancelled his trip to Nagaland following an ambush involving Indian soldiers and “guerilla,” understood to be Naga guerilla fighters.
In 1972, one of the world’s greatest evangelists, Dr. Billy Graham, readied to travel to a hilly, remote, hostile and “forbidden” tribal corner of land in India’s restive north-east region – Nagaland. One of America’s largest newspapers, The Palm Beach Post, quoted Rev. Graham in the paper’s November 20, 1972 edition: “I have preached in India and across Africa but never at anything like this.” The Christian leader goes on to say more: “I want to be a man of peace in Nagaland; between Nagaland and India.”
Just a week prior to his flying to Nagaland for the 100th anniversary of the arrival of American Baptist missionary Rev. WA Clark, Rev Graham almost cancelled his Nagaland trip, The Palm Beach Post reported. A week before he did, the newspaper said, The American newspaper said an Indian Army convoy was ambushed by “guerilla,” on a road the evangelist was to take, to Kohima.
“Reliable sources said Graham came close to cancelling his Nagaland plans after an apparent guerilla ambush last week of an Indian army convoy on the same road the evangelist will travel to Kohima, the Nagaland capital 415 miles northeast of Calcutta,” The Palm Beach Post said.
Thankfully, the evangelist decided to go ahead with the trip saying “I feel more insecure walking down a street in New York than I am sure I will feel in Nagaland. I hope the crusade would create an atmosphere in which there will be tolerance, understanding and peace in Nagaland,” the newspaper quoted him.
The crusade in Kohima in which Rev. Graham spoke to thousands of the faithful is now consigned to memory and fond history. Numerous crusades have come and gone and interestingly, a son of Billy Graham, the renowned preacher William Graham, is reported to be arriving in Nagaland this month for a church leaders’ event. And as was during 1972 when rev. Graham was readying to fly to Nagaland, violence and unrest continues, decades later, in the Christian state of Nagaland.
