Rev. Dr. V.K. Nuh
Following Christ is costly and the price of it has to be paid without grumbling and without regret. We have enough historical facts about early Christian how they suffered. Jesus warned his disciple again and again that his entire follower has to suffer along with him. So he said, take up thy cross and follow me (Mk.8:35).
The newly born church in Jerusalem began to grow rapidly and paid the cost. A prominent church leader Stephen was stone to death. The few faithful followers of Christ were as small as a flock of helpless sheep in the midst of hungry wolves. Stephen 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 AD 150 onwards we have seen how Christian follow Christ’s suffering in the hands of different countries.
We have come to know from Acts 8 that the churches were growing but the reaching out of persecution scattered the church abroad, and wherever they went, they took their gospel with them. In the same manner God had chosen Paul to proclaim His message to the uttermost part of the world. Paul gave his testimony before King Agrippa (Acts 26:15). How he encountered with Christ in Damascus road in the beginning of his life. He came to realize that life would not be easy to follow Jesus. It is a matter of life and death. There had never been a day he had not live in his presence.
In the concluding part of his Life, he said, Time of my departure had come, it means un-yoking the animal from shaft of cart or plough. To him, it was to exchange the confine in a Roman Prison with the glories and liberty of the court. He said, I am a veteran. He triumphantly declared, I have kept the rule of faith. When the role of honor is called, I shall be crowned with the crown of victory. Any game or battle it is all depend on how we fought. The result will be counted in the last but not in the beginning. I fought a good fight (2Tim. 4:18).
Traditions say that a church father, Polycarp, who said, Eighty and six years have I served him, and He never done me wrong, how can I blaspheme Him my king, and my Lord, who saved me? I am a Christian. The crowd demanded that he be burned and it happened to him.
Polycarp went to the place of execution and prayed in a loud voice, Lord God Almighty Father our Lord Jesus, I praise thee that thou hast judged me worthy this day and of this hour, to participate in the number of thy witness and in the cup of Christ. The flames consumed him. That is the cost of discipleship and that had cost a thousand people’s lives, they had to suffer to partake Christ suffering.
The torture, which were inflicted upon Christians during the persecution, was so great that there is no word to describe them. As we come to the period of 14th century, we have witnessed how many thousand people had sacrificed their lives for the sake of Christ. They fought for Holy Wars, said that their theology is right, so they exchanged millions of lives to save their father’s faith.
If you go further up 16th century, many thousands were executed because of theological differences. Still churches survived because Christ is alive. Men and women who professed allegiance to the kingdom of God became model for the rest of the society. Coming to the 18th century, thousands of people left their homes as volunteers to suffer in foreign countries. Counting the cost how Christ died for them and the world.
William Carey saw the lost world and decided to risk with his life. The day when he was commissioned, he said, I will go down if you hold the rope. Andrew Fuller took an oath and said, We will never let go off the rope. But some intellectual people laughed at him saying, William, God can save his people without you and me. But he sailed to India with many difficulties and he suffered along with his Christ. David Livingstone left for Africa and he lived with the people, worked day and night. His body was full of scars because of his hard life in Africa. Hudson Taylor suffered in China.
Adoniram Judson had suffered along with Christ in the land of Burmese; but he said, One day Burma will see the light, so also many thousands have the same fate for the cause of the kingdom of God. That is all because they were followers of Jesus. Coming to recent History, racism started in the form of scattered violence against Jews, and the Nazi won 389 of the parliament in 1932. The German Christian churches largely stand by even applauding the development.
But pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian came to the conclusion that Nazism is a devilish political movement. So he took part in the plot at an attempt of Hitler’s life. From liberation point of view he could be justified. Dietrich declared that the church had too long been only interested in maintaining its righteousness like that of Pharisees, for too long it had been concerned only keeping its hand clean, even to the point of failing to face the fact.
To him the cross means sharing the suffering of Christ to the last and to the fullest. Only a man thus totally committed in discipleship can experience the meaning of cross.
Bonhoeffer said, Costly grace is the Gospel which must be sought again and again and gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man knocks such grace is costly because it call us to follow and it is costly because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin. Again grace is costly because it justifies the sinner. Above all it is costly because it cost God the life of His son. You were bought with a Price and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all it is grace because God did not spare His son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered from him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God. He continues, we are operating under a fallacy of cheap grace thinking that we can bargain with God our response.
Throughout the generation, people tried to destroy churches and persecute Christians, so that there will be no Christians on earth. But the more severe the persecution, the more stronger the churches become. Voltaire once boastfully said, I am weary of hearing people repeat that 12 men established Christian religion. I will prove that one man suffice to overthrow it.
Mao-Tsetung’s wife Jiang Qung told to foreign visitors, Christianity in China has been confined to the history section of the museum. It is dead and buried.
It is questionable which church was stronger in the last four decades, the church under communism or the church under capitalism. A great growth of the church in China continues, and students, intellectuals and even party members are coming to this faith. A leaked Government census document has been reported as putting together the number of Christian at 75 millions. It is because of the suffering, churches brought Christians into such a high percentage of growth.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ stand at the point of division between the old order and the new order. In the new order 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 life order is the one who received the eschatological age.
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 this transformation does take place? This driving force which keep the church going forward in the midst of despair, exploitation and cynicism? The new humanity is created after liberation by God, bring at peace with God. This whole creation shares with the creative process initiated by God.
A man and woman belong to magnificent visible church may worship without conscience whether it is acceptable for the Lord or not. It is questionable today to our denominational set up and members of the churches. In the last few years I attended 50 Jubilee, Platinum, Centenary and witnesses well elaborated with best choir and modernized, but only outward celebration. It was nothing connected with the jubilee principle and God’s intention to bring social justice. The form of celebration was just the way Israelites wrong concept of religiosity condemned by the 8th century BC prophets (Isaiah. 13:4; Amos 5:21-24).
As we see the condition of Naga people today, it is far from expectation. Our streets are filled with violence, our systems are filled with corruption, and our worship places are filled with apostasy and indifferences. Alcoholism and drugs addiction are rampant. They kill not only their body but also their soul. Our society has turned into immoral society. Our national politics has turned into factionalism. The guardian of the law has become the lawbreaker. The sacred Political Election become market place, Public money become private property, the state stewardship is poorly managed.
Unlike the prophets in the Old Testament times, the watch dogs of today are exploiting the common people. Many young people have become national highway robbers. Poor people are crying for food, fatherless children rise up and cry, “Where is my father?” These leave us with the urgent question, ‘What does your theology say about them?’ Today people say that church people should not handle controversial subjects and never warn their people against their erroneous views.
It looks just like a watch dog which had become dumb dog and sleepy shepherds are best allies the wolf, the thief and robber (Isaiah 56:10-12). We all believe that iron never become rusted made as long as it is hot. There is a great saying, No great advance has ever been made in science, politics or religions without controversy.
Whenever there is problem or controversy it also benefits the society. For the sake of the truth and for the people, the Lord Jesus denounced the Pharisees and Sadducees, so also Martin Luther broke the unity of the churches for the sake of the truth. Whitefield and John Wesley rejected the mere moral teaching of that time. Albert Einstein said, The world is a dangerous place not because of those who does evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.
The need of the hour is what should the Naga people be doing? We need to seek the living God to bring back in to our senses so as to be Holy creature. If we do not allow Holy Spirit to operate and transform this ugly truth, we shall remain as defeated people.
Naga people expect quick fix, but through 60 years of our history something is basically wrong with us which we do not realize and with best brain pre-factional period and the present time are different. We began the fight for sovereignty expecting independent and over the issue came factionalism. Factionalism took thousand lives of Naga patriots. Does our Christian faith approve such killing? If not why churches are silent? If at all sovereignty or any status comes. Can we accept secularism or communism? If not why churches are silent? The real battle line between good and evil must be drawn in the heart of every person. We must verify the truth by our theological reason based on Biblical truth.
All Scriptures is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking, correcting and giving instruction for the right living (2Timothy 3:16).
It is interesting to note how Latin American churches were restructured in dramatic way in last few decades. This was true even to the so called conservative churches. The one called Evangelical in United States. Latin American Evangelical has produced a new generation of leaders of an international caliber who cannot label with the old clichés about Fundamentalist, Conservatisms or Evangelical. These are Christian people coming from marginalized poor masses in the society and found new life and hope in Christ. They found Christ and they discovered their people. The challenge is not between status quo and change; it is between violent change and peaceful changes.
The 156 Bishops were not alone in Madeline. There were 100 experts with them. With the help of Christian economists, sociologists and theologians, the bishops were able to see deeper than mere expressionistic view of the Latin American and to the root causes and underlying structures of injustice and oppression. They call those realities and structures External Colonialism, Money Imperialism and Inter-colonialism and they prophetically pointed to them as Institutionalized violence as a sinful situation.
It is amazing to see how radical thinking could restructure the whole structure. This is what I mean re-structure need a leader who can discover the people and situation. In the same way, out of suffering and struggle, the Korean Christian learned and reflected theologically. They shared with others who in their own social and political creation searched to make a relevant theology in Asia.
The Naga Christian Theology today must address to the living realities of Nagas such as self-determination of the people, pain and suffering of the people. Problems of peace, justice and human rights; unity of the people, tribal solidarity and tribalism, social evils and corruptions are prophetic missions of the church.
Ecological concern, unemployment, substance abuse and so on. The church and its theologians are entrusted with a mission to interpret the word of God in every generation and so as the Naga Christian Theologians are given the same task today. Is our message relevant to answer the Naga problem today?
Hence my term todayness is dynamic, we do need reinterpretation so as to contextualize and theologize. That is theology for us today. We have enough proof from many countries even in India. Out of suffering they came to know what they are: Thus Theology address to the People suffering and reflect upon their Theological stand. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar warned Indian Christian 60 years ago, “Christianity did not improve the social status of the Untouchable and did not remove caste distinction and discrimination in the church. This statement makes sense to a few Christian thinkers. Thus Dalit Theology significantly played the role and now Dalit Movement became people movement.
A society must be properly organized (A definite territory distinct from others) and such a society or community requires mutual adjustments and cooperation. A life the share becomes other’s weal and woe. Its activities sometimes some how become political, the term is reversed for those common affairs which are under the direction of an authority and agency, managing or controlling these affairs on behalf of and in the name of the community. This agency or authority is what we call the state. Now, then politics is the concern of every man with a sense of responsibility, for every one is affected by its decisions.
According to John RW Stott, most recent theologian has interpreted the term politics with the Biblical concept saying, Politics is the art of living together in country, science of government. It concerns with development and adoption of specific policies…
Throughout the ages theological formulation arose in the context of cultural and history of the Church that theologians of different periods have interpreted the revelation of God to their context. Therefore, it must address the various issues of human society of the given context in the right perspective and relevantly. There are times when the message of the Church becomes ineffective and non-prophetic as a result of theological distortions. Nevertheless, the sharp cutting edge or corrective theology is always present at the future. Theology in the real sense must liberate people from all kinds of sin, social evils, exploitation, oppression, corruptions and other dehumanizing forces or structures.
The Western or the European theology cannot be considered as the theology of the ‘universal church.’ The Liberation theology of Latin America is a great challenge to the conscience of all Christians in today’s context. The Latin American theologians have articulated their theology from the perspective of the suffering and oppressed people. It is one of the best weapons to address the contemporary oppressive society. Today the great challenge before the Naga churches is to develop a praxis theology to actively participate in the suffering and struggle of the people. Politically, the Naga people have been undergoing through untold sufferings and human right violation due to their struggle for political independence for the last more than sixty years. Economically, the Naga society has been plagued with all kind of corruptions and injustices, and exploitation, leading to class conflict between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots.’ However, Naga churches have not been able to formulate its theological stance to address this complex situation. The Church cannot be neutral. It must clearly demarcate between what is truth and what is false. Therefore, I call upon to the Naga churches, particularly the Naga theologians to formulate a theology, which can save and liberate the people from political oppression, economic exploitation, and religious apostasy.
Unfortunately, no churches, neither scholars nor professionals have no notion what it means to the Naga people. Naga churches and its leaders are in sound asleep. They are not bothered about the kind of tragedy that had befallen the Naga Society one after the other. They are confined working within their four walls of their churches. Their worship of God has become more or less, festival of social entertainment gatherings. This is what Isaiah prophesied about the worship, The Lord has told the foreign nations to come like wild animals and devour his people. He says, All the leaders, who are supposed to warn my people, are blind! They know nothing. They are like watch dogs that don’t bark- they only lie around and dream. How they love to sleep! (Isaiah 56:9,10).
Karl Barth expressed the belief that a theologian is not a man of sects. He thinks and speaks a definite ‘yes’ or ‘no’. He is a man of action and not reaction, his freedom is not primarily freedom from but freedom for. The free theologian is an active theologian and private Christianity is not Christianity at all and private theology is not free theology. It is not a theology at all.
A key word of biblical concern both in the Old Testament and the New Testament is justice. One cannot serve the truth by being part of a structure that exploits. Today, churches in Nagaland have lost truth force, soul force and love force. Churches have not engaged themselves in moral and spiritual conflict with power and spiritual. It means refusing to accept that which is just. We made peace with established power and much loyalty is given to institutionalized visible church organizations, but not to the invisible church that is Jesus Christ.
There is a cry for help. They are hungry and thirsty. They are suffering from oppression in every aspect of life. But there is a silent and deafening from theological point of view. Which sound similar to the following cry:
• I was hungry, and you formed a humanities club and discussed my hunger.
• I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel in the cellar and prayed for my release.
• I was naked and among you, you debated the morality of my appearance.
• I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.
• I was homeless and you preached to me the spiritual shelter of the love of God.
• I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.
• I was beaten and lay in the road side, but you left me uncared, too busy for your bussiness.
• You seemed so holy, so closed to God, but I lost my human dignity.
These questions have to be answered one day with reference to the Bible (Matthew 25:42, 43).
The Christian view in the political life is the most relevant subject in the present world, particularly in our North East India context. Throughout history we have come to know that they interpreted their theology according to their context and culture. In the Old Testament time, the people of Israel had Yahwestic Theology or Prophetic Theology and so on. They employed their theology according to their own times.
God who interviewed 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 prophet of Eight and Seventh century were outspoken in their denouncement of formalism and hypocrisy of the Israelites’ worship.
The prophet Amos said that their worship of cultic community is unacceptable to Yahweh because Israelites did not live as the community of Yahweh. The prophets were uncompromising as they stood for justice, and they rejected the pattern of relationship that failed to ensure justice is contrary to the will of God. The prophetic faith that transforms power emphasized, The living reality of God’s power present rules 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. The Liberation theology and the black theology has changed the whole nations of Latin America; the Minjung theology has changed the Korean Christians; and the Dalit theology, the Christians in India. The Christian thinking has changed the entire dimension of the global family.
We stand at the dawn of the new era. The changing world is in a critical period of human history. We have to re-interpret our theological stand. 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 talk about what we are doing today, and we think of what we will do the following day. John Stott gave a remarkable statement for today’s world: His word is not 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 has said in the Third World Theological Conference in 1976:
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 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 last more than 50 years. The time has come for a critical analysis of the prevailing situation and to develop their own theology. It must be able to speak for the suffering and oppressed people. The message must be relevant to our situation.
The paradigm shift in theology happens according to their peculiar situations. Therefore, the 16th century theology may not be valid for the Nagas today. Likewise, the Latin American theology may not be relevant to the NEI society. NEI theology must speak according to the perspectives of the region’s people and needs as long as it does not deviate from the biblical truth.
A time has now come for the people to re-examine the needs of the prevalent situation and know from where things had started going wrong. The chief causes of the problems must be uprooted. The North East India problems are Church apostasy, being too permissive, economic problems, political problems, endanger ecology, tribal conflicts, hatred and violence, extortions and killings, and loss of dignity of labor and integrity.
Any people group’s interpretation of theology must be living and practical theology. It must be able to speak to the contemporary realities. If the North East India people believe in sovereignty, it must be interpreted theologically and everyone should participate in the struggles and sufferings in mass movement towards establishment of a common identity and freedom. The Christian principle for political struggles is through non-violence and not otherwise. This is the clear mandate of the Bible. The living theology must speak the truth to liberate the oppressed people from every kind of oppression. Jurgen Moltmann believed that, Where the Kingdom of God is near, God’s people gather together, and then they proclaim the message of the Kingdom and lead the world to the conversion that will save it. The Church is an evangelizing and a liberating community. If it is not it is not of Christ Church.
We have seen in the recent history of Eastern Europe, Latin America, South Africa and Asia how they have dramatically changed for the better when influenced by Christian principles in their own context. Changes were effected thanks to some courageous people who took risks, through Christian thinking. If our theology cannot change our situation, that means we have no theology.
As mentioned in the earlier section, a Colombian theologian once said, We have to read Latin material with the eyes of the Bible, and we have to read the Bible with the eyes of Latin American. Every new situation requires a new Christology. We all know that Christological themes have played a major role in the stream of American political life.
Now the North-eastern region has not yet been able to formulate a theological stand till today although the people have been going through many provoking and unsurmountable situations. So the most pertinent question to ask in such a situation, perhaps, is: What are the Christians and theologians of the region going to do about this?
Gustavo Gutirrez once said, Liberation was not the product of a seminar professor working at the desk, but the reflection of Christian engaged in human struggle. It is not an intellectual exercise but participation in the story of God’s liberating action history. I believe one thousand thoughts on liberation are not worth one single act of liberation. Today the society in the region is in desperate need of radical thinkers and leaders. Theology of liberation is theology of Salvation in the light of concrete historical and political condition of the present day.
When everything had gone wrong in the early part of 16th century, Martin Luther, the father of Reformation boldly challenged the emperor and Pontiff. The secret of his courage is that he stood on the rock of the Holy Scriptures and declares, I cannot choose but adhere to the Word of God which has possession of my conscience, nor can I ever possibly make any recantation. Since it is neither safe nor honest to act contrary to conscience, here I stand, do otherwise so help me oh God Amen.
