‘Story of Christianity in Nagaland is how Nagas transform themselves’

Morung Express News 
Kohima | November 20 

The advent of Christianity among the Nagaland is not about how Nagas found personal transformation and continued the story of Christ and enabled community transformation, Rev Dr Elijah M Brown implied, speaking during the final day of 150 years of Christianity in Nagaland (Sesquicentennial) celebration in Kohima. 

“Those missionaries did not come to all of the tribes rather the story of Christianity is how Nagas with the Nagas share how they had found personal transformation in Jesus Christ," he said, addressing the morning service of the celebration organised by the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) at its Convention Centre. 

“Dwelling on His Story: Transforming Communities,” Rev Brown also highlighted how Naga Baptists for have had been vibrant part of the world wide family, whose testimony and legacy of faithful witness has impacted many.

Pondering on how 150 years ago missionaries called the people of Nagaland as witnesses of Jesus Christ, he described gospel witness as a ‘way to personal transformation’ which brought hope and peace.

"As Baptists we still believe we are the followers in living out as gospel witnesses, among our neighbourhood, to the nations," he opined.

Trends of ‘Baptist Family’

Meanwhile, Rev Brown opined that over the last 10 years, the worldwide Baptist Family have grown in 22%, but differed by region to region. 

In Europe, it declined 3%, 6% in North America but saw healthy grown in Asia (20%), Latin America (41%), and Africa (134%), he highlighted. 

While the United Nations had recently noted that the global population would reach 8 billion people, scholars have said that around 3 billion are unreached by gospel of Jesus Christ, he maintained.

Accordingly, Rev Brown called upon the congregation to allow the Holy Spirit to renew the spirit of mission on the historic occasion and said every Baptist and every Naga Baptist was a missionary.

The speaker also encouraged them to make use of the occasion to launch a Naga Mission Movement that reaches the many countries and to hold to a vision of community transformation of gospel truth instead of tribal identity. 

All religions have power to live in peace

Dwelling on current global issues, Rev Brown also encouraged the believers to avoid turning to the “government to protect their religion” and argued that religious freedom and liberty is an “inherent and unalienable human right arising out of direct relation of the soul to God.” 

"The church or gospel is not saved by political power, the mission is not advanced by demonising and threatening those with political views, the mission of God is not advanced by the lust and power, fear or dishonesty in this world," he opined.

Further stating that gospel is not advanced by corruption or using corrupt politics or practices, he called for uprooting those vices.

Rev Brown further noted that in the past 30 years, many recognised major genocides are being led and encouraged by people of faith. 

“Some of these genocides have been encouraged by Christians killing other Christians and other religious minorities, religions killing their own religious people,” he said, questioning why people of faith often are at the forefront of christening and championing violence.

It is often not about religion but about power and dominance wrapped in the name of religion, he said. "All religions have the power to live in peace just as all religions have the power to persecute.”

Accordingly, he called upon the people of faith to work for community transformation guided by power the Holy Spirit. 

‘Racism theologically indefensible’

Dr Brown also contended while racism is sinful and theologically indefensible, it has not been eradicated and called the believers to repent and turn to God so that our sins will be wiped out and new humanity is created. 

“The framework of our relationship with one another should be through Christ where a new humanity has to be created.” 

He further stated that for centuries, the Baptist tradition has accorded equality to all in terms of dignity, work and human rights which we should continue to live unapologetically for a restorative racial justice and reconciled humanity. 

Trade lie of inherence superiority for the truthful freedom of inherence co-dignity, he added. 

He also called for seeking community transformation is based on reconciliation and blesses every member of our community. ‘We are to live as reconciled and reconcilers.’

Rev Brown said the believers are called to embrace suffering in order to stand with those who are suffering and called upon the Naga Baptists how to respond for sufferings, crisis and trauma taking place around the world presently.

Instead, he encouraged believers to live with Kingdom courage, and pursue personal transformation with a missionary witness as every Naga Baptist live as a missionary; and community transformation that stretches beyond tribal identities and personal preferences.

International Ministries, ABC USA also shared greetings during the morning service. 

‘Our only hope and future’

Meanwhile, during the closing worship Prof Alongla P Aier, spoke on ‘His Story: Our hope and future’ and observed that 150 years ago, the forefathers heard the story of Christ and in response their lives and destiny were changed forever. 

Delving into the Naga story and the inception of Christianity in the land, she narrated about the first nine followers of Christ who left their villages under the leadership of led by Assamese Evangelist Godolla to arrive in Sibsagar, Assam. There they prepared ‘to be washed of their sins,’ she said while adding that when Dr EW Clark took them down to the Dikhu River, baptised them and they partook their first communion, these nine men, as recorded, cried out, “Everything is just light.”

It is appropriate as we celebrate 150 years of Christianity in our land that we join these nine men “in our spirits and cry out and worship in adoration for shining his light upon our land.”

The speaker asserted that it is his story that has brought all the people together to this celebration. “This story has forged connection and united us Nagas in a common bond that cannot be broken,” she said, maintaining that his story has a way in melting all differences and making us one family of God. 

Prof Aier maintained that every story the Bible tells and teaches fits together and is clear. The Old Testament is about the promise of God and his great plan to save the world through Jesus Christ, and the New Testament fulfills the promise.

She said when we are convinced of his story in our life; nothing will stop us from telling others the amazing story. She called the attendees to therefore reflect on how God has been walking with the Nagas long before we recognised him.
Prof Aier said the last words of Jesus to his disciples were that repentance and forgiveness would be preached in his name to all nations, and the people today are the witnesses of these things. 

Further stating that his story is ‘our only hope and future,’ and that this hope is generated from God's own character, she described it as a dynamic relationship as God is active and responds as his children look up to him and hopes on him. While human lives look grim and gloomy in the future, she maintained that we must put our hope in his story as far greater future awaits the believers. 

One criticism Christians often hear was that they are “so heavenly, you forget the world that we are living.” The answer, she said, was to live Godly lives as we look forward to the days of God. The hope should not be left to the future but future hope should define the kind of influence that we live right now. 

As a people of his story, she remarked that it is about time and very urgent that the light of Christ is let in to our offices, homes, markets, political arenas even to the churches. She urged the people to become light and salt beginning right here from their homes if they want to be nation that honours God and glorifies his name.