Dr. Vetso Koza
Therecent poll response on the topic,“Should Theologians and Church Leaders get involved in politics in Nagaland? Why?” that appeared in The Morung Express on 21st March 2016shows a mixed-bag of opinion.42% voted for “Yes”, 46% for “No” and 12% for “Others.” The response clearly indicates that, politics in our Naga context is seen from a narrow lens of Election. Thus, politics is deduced to policies and strategies of different political parties, scheming to defeat each other by means of political campaign, accumulating vote bank and by using manipulative power against each other. Such schemas are merely kitchen politics over a cup of tea. Politics in its broad sense is the policiesof a collective body called the government who is supposed to act for the welfare of the people andtranscends the whole fabric of the society. It develops policies and systems for proportionate distribution of the State’s resources to the people.True politics as Statecraft is about good governance.
If good governance means transparency, accountability, justice, equality, fraternity, harmony peace, common participation, and fair utilization of resources, such values of the State are the reflection of the values of the Kingdom of God. As John Bennett observes, the law of the state stand under the righteousness of God. Therefore, the issue is not whether theologians and church leaders should involve in politics. The point of discussion should be, what is our theology of politics as disciples of Christ participating in the affairs of the State?
The theology of politics must be understood in the context of Christ’s political cross which finds its base in the Messiah’s Manifesto.The political Manifesto of Jesus mentioned in Luke 4:18-19 reads, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
Christ’s manifesto is about liberation from the political suppression and oppression, liberation from economic injustice, liberation from social alienation, spiritual liberation from the bondage of sin, and human development. The dilemma with us is we talk about good governance but we try to achieve such goals by using politics that is self-absorbed, coercive, and manipulative. We expect a State with proper infrastructure and basic human amenities beneficial for the community, but we want to drive the system according to our personal advantages. We can never expect correct answers when the mathematical equation is incorrect. The correct mathematical equation is this: Love your neighbour as yourselves; blessed are the meek; blessed are the peacemakers; do to others what you want them to do to you and the like. When our theology of politics is guided by these biblical formulas then the end result isalways positive.In short, Politics must be other-person-centred if its objective is to become a powerful tool for transformation.
Politics as power is never meant to coerce, manipulate, or divide. It is a power to mend the broken society, and to bring together the divided population. True power is when a person has the courage to deny the self for the sake of others. True power is when we have the strength to love others amidst differences. True power is elevating the status of people in the lower stratum. True power is when we decide to vote for the right candidate out of right conscience and not by any manipulative,self-absorbed tools. On the other hand, politics, when wrongly used can turn into another form of religion. Such form of religion can be called political religion which is oppressive, alienativeand exploitive to the people. It creates opportunities to develop imperial might, honor, and self-interest. It can take place in different forms: false political security, egoistic political agendas, power mania, or worship of any social-political idols.
We cannot be “too other-worldly” and fail to participate in the socio-political affairs of the State. Likewise we cannot be “too this-worldly” and fail to let the values of the Kingdom of God impact us. The extreme of both is dangerous.Every Christian - whether clergies or laities -have dual citizenship: citizens of the Kingdom of God and citizens of the State. I am a student of theology and committed to full-time Christian Ministry. Nonetheless, I am also a bonafide citizen of the State. I have Birth Certificate, Indigenous Inhabitant Certificate, Schedule Tribe Certificate, all Academic Certificates, and many other documents registered under the State.Now when you tell me that I cannot participate in the affairs of the State because of my attachment to theology and church, you are denying my fundamental rights and freedom as a bonafide member of the State. I have every right and freedom to access the privileges of the State like any other. And as much as I have the privileges, it is my duty to respect and adhereto the laws of the State.We are all under the same Law and are judged by it– the laws of the Gospel and the Laws of the State. If it so, then what gives us the authority that one Christian is finger-pointed at and condemned for not living the Christian virtues and the other Christian is justifiedunder the same law?One person is justified for proxy vote and the other condemned for doing the same act?One person is acquitted for political bribery and the other iscondemned?Every Christians are required to take the image of Christ and be obedient to the Commandments of God. And by internalizing the nature of Christ, the same person is required to become a good and law-abiding citizen of the State. It is in this context the words of Jesus, “You are the light and salt of the world,” and his prayer, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” make sense.
In his book, “The Politics of Jesus,” John Howard Yoder asserted Jesus as a person who fought for moral society contrary to the traditional view as someone who is aloof from the governmental concerns. Christ did not come to destroy the Statecraft, but at the same time he radically transformed the status quo. He came to refine the State and the society, and let it grow healthy.Politics is the design of God, a concept that is already visible in the Economic Trinity – the relationship in the Godhead and with life in the universe. It is a divine design meant to manage the people and resources here on earth. The Politics of God is for man to “work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15).The crux of politics isto sustain the life God created as well as guardand protect it. This political management is guided by moral principles and values (Genesis 2:16). Therefore, ethics must guide politicsand be built on the foundation of theology for transformative governance.
