As we all know, for the Naga people in particular, the Church is the main foundation which gives sustenance and support to everything else around it—whether it is the common people, our tribal bodies, civil society, our polity and even the government. Everything seems to revolve around the Church. We may be members of a particular vocation, political party, tribal body or the varied associations but somehow all of us are members of the Church. So the Church is almost like the common bond that gives us a singular identity as a people and nation. It is therefore only proper that we share something about the institution of the Church especially in relation to our Naga society—the problems and prospects. As a newspaper occupying the media space we have great respect for the Christian/Church ministry both in Nagaland and beyond because we know they are doing some very important work and most of the time in difficult circumstances. To be in the Church ministry is not something easy. It involves a lot of sacrifices—it will demand commitment, patience, hard work and one will have to forego many of the good things in life.
As we have mentioned the platform of the Church is not confined to a particular region, tribe or politics but it is much more far reaching and influential as well. Given the magnitude of the Church in our context and the kind of impact it can make in our lives, it is all the more important for the Church to remain awake to the challenges of our society. At a time when we are seeing so much of division in our land, the Church we believe can play a unifying role. Likewise the Church must also relate to the multiple problems facing our people. Just last week some of the local newspapers carried an article titled “Are the Naga churches heading the Dinosaur way?” All of us know what a dinosaur is. There are two things that strike you when you think about a dinosaur. Firstly it is a great magnificent creature with a huge physical presence. It could be as big as most of our Church buildings in Nagaland. Secondly its extinction from the face of the earth is well known to us. Maybe the presence of the Church in Nagaland is also something like the dinosaur—the size and prominence it occupies. The fear that our Church could also suffer the fate of the Dinosaur i.e. to become extinct is something that should bother us and make us concern about the well being and health of the Church.
And shouldn’t the Naga churches actually for a moment look outside its windows or come out of the four corners of their sanctorum and see what is happening outside. If the Church is under the impression that it does not matter as long as Sunday service is popular among the masses, then this is a complete misreading of the present turmoil in our society. Just for a moment visualize these hard facts: In every corner of say Dimapur or Kohima we have a church planted. Some of the bigger tribes even have one church in every locality. Despite the prominence and presence of these churches in every nook and corner, there is so much of crime, corruption, immorality taking place. And most of these people who do such wrong are also members of the Church. So the moral decay in our society is also a poor reflection on our Church and its ineffectiveness as an institution. If the Naga churches want to safeguard its legitimacy and remain relevant then it must get into the act of bringing to account its members and using its platform to speak the truth. The Church should take itself more seriously and demand the obedience of its members to the right path. If the Church can assert its authority with firmness and tact then many of our social problems can be addressed.
As we have mentioned the platform of the Church is not confined to a particular region, tribe or politics but it is much more far reaching and influential as well. Given the magnitude of the Church in our context and the kind of impact it can make in our lives, it is all the more important for the Church to remain awake to the challenges of our society. At a time when we are seeing so much of division in our land, the Church we believe can play a unifying role. Likewise the Church must also relate to the multiple problems facing our people. Just last week some of the local newspapers carried an article titled “Are the Naga churches heading the Dinosaur way?” All of us know what a dinosaur is. There are two things that strike you when you think about a dinosaur. Firstly it is a great magnificent creature with a huge physical presence. It could be as big as most of our Church buildings in Nagaland. Secondly its extinction from the face of the earth is well known to us. Maybe the presence of the Church in Nagaland is also something like the dinosaur—the size and prominence it occupies. The fear that our Church could also suffer the fate of the Dinosaur i.e. to become extinct is something that should bother us and make us concern about the well being and health of the Church.
And shouldn’t the Naga churches actually for a moment look outside its windows or come out of the four corners of their sanctorum and see what is happening outside. If the Church is under the impression that it does not matter as long as Sunday service is popular among the masses, then this is a complete misreading of the present turmoil in our society. Just for a moment visualize these hard facts: In every corner of say Dimapur or Kohima we have a church planted. Some of the bigger tribes even have one church in every locality. Despite the prominence and presence of these churches in every nook and corner, there is so much of crime, corruption, immorality taking place. And most of these people who do such wrong are also members of the Church. So the moral decay in our society is also a poor reflection on our Church and its ineffectiveness as an institution. If the Naga churches want to safeguard its legitimacy and remain relevant then it must get into the act of bringing to account its members and using its platform to speak the truth. The Church should take itself more seriously and demand the obedience of its members to the right path. If the Church can assert its authority with firmness and tact then many of our social problems can be addressed.
