Lemwang Chuhwanglim
Many Nagas must have learned and understood the current Gospel prevailing in the Naga society and needs rethinking of the origin in comparison to the Gospel in the Bible and the Gospel that Naga preachers preached. The urgent ethical interpretation of the meaning of scripture began among many vocationally trained preachers in the early Christianity in the Naga society (Clerk. 1978). Individual growing rationality to interpret the Gospel with limited knowledge based on vocational theological education grew wide spread among the Nagas which effected to rapid conversion from former belief and religious activities. The Gospel was adopted into the naïve interpretation of profane and sacred which legitimized into personal desire of discerning many teachings between ethical judgment (wrong and right). Such legitimization needs rigorous reinterpretation to straighten the misinterpreted Gospel prevailing since the rapid conversion among the Nagas late 60s. The predominant Naga preachers during 70s until today accepted the Gospel more as personal legitimize authority or emotional fright to emotionally blackmail the innocent indigenous Nagas than faith in God to attain salvation. The Gospel was interpreted as psychological game to threaten many people into fear. Such interpretation made into ‘Do’ or ‘Die’ which discerns hell and heaven. Many of them have failed to become the facilitators between God, Gospel and the innocent indigenous Nagas. Many preachers have become the judge to demarcate people who are for hell and heaven. The most dangerous interpretation of these novice Nagas preachers is the emotional, spiritual and psychological threat, force and transgression by utilizing the Gospel as tool to defeat the innocent hearts that obliged to accept the Gospel with fear of death to hell but not with faith and religious conviction. This threat insisted the Naga indigenous people to abrogate own decade culture, tradition and identity within a limited time and such act of the novice Naga preachers are still the biggest mistakes of all before God and mankind.
The haphazard interpretation of the Gospel among the Naga preachers is still alive. Many preachers crucify the Gospel based on individual desire when they intent to preach the Gospel of the crucified God. The ethical Gospel diminishes everyday among preachers which brings no value to be called as the servant of the Lord by the laypeople. The situation of many Gospel interpreters is like what Michael Learns to Rock sings “Dirty money in my left hand, while the preacher’s shaking my right hand, they made me a winner they made me a sinner, I don’t know what to do”. The core meaning of faith in the Gospel has become absurdity. God did not say preacher should not engage in social activities in addition to preaching profession or Church podium oriented Christian. However, the transgressions of a church leader indulging in dirty politics, prayer with right hand above and receiving money with the left hand below inevitably stands paradox to the slogan “Praise the Lord”.
Not every theological graduate is a theologian or eligible preacher, however, can be a testifier. To preach within the Church as a building, House of the Lord and the Congregation, requires additional charisma from God ‘the gift of the Holy Spirit”, the divine manifestation in the servant of God (Rieff. 2008) but not Max Weber’s Charisma which is certain quality of individual personalities and characteristics utilizing rationalization emerges based on virtue of setting apart from ordinary people (Weber. 1968), to act before God and mankind as facilitator but not as the judge for the members, not as teacher but preacher. For example, Mark 7: 14-23, Jesus declares all foods ‘clean’. Does this really mean Jesus talks about cleaning literal food or a figure of speech referring to something/someone else? Many preachers interpret this verse literally that Jesus cleanses every food on earth; therefore, Christians can eat everything. Did Jesus refer it to the Pharisees who were unclean and condemns the traditions of scribes and Pharisees? Or Jesus refers the unclean to what passes through stomach is been cleansed? Many preachers interpret this passage that all unclean things are cleansed by the blood of Christ on the cross which in fact is absolutely not and if yes then, there would be nothing called Sin/unclean in this world. If Jesus literally means it, then, even a rotten meat with worms from drainage would harm nothing to human being. Do King James Version and New International Version have same meaning? It is a safer side to identify that Jesus uses parables and figure of speeches; yet, many fail to understand scripture and fail cross checking Bible Versions.
Jesus did not say now every meat is clean therefore, you may eat and enjoy. Similar vision came to Peter three times “Rise, Peer; kill and eat” (Acts 10:11-13). However, in Acts 10:28 Peter realized that the revelation of God upon him was that he should not call any man common or unclean, gentile or non-gentiles. During the time the Jewish religious leaders when Christ ministry took place, they enormously considered gentiles to be unclean. Had Jesus come to abolish the Law of God, He would not say “Do you think I came to destroy the Law or the Prophet? I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one title will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” Matthew 5: 17-18. Similarly, there were nothing such teachings in the Gospel to eliminate many cultural practices among the Nagas but many preachers who were used by the foreign missionaries attacked own culture by carrying the Gospel in the tongue as weapon to blackmail the innocents. Subsequently, many Nagas feel that something went wrong in the Gospel. Such retrospection engenders and promulgates many Nagas to revive the lost culture. Hence, the former Gospel needs reinterpretation, reproclamation, repropagation and re-Gospelization. The Gospel needs to be brought back to the original track from being maligned by former preachers and continue to pray for those who manifested charisma to preach the true Gospel.
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