Doing theology and mission among Zeliangrong

The following is an abstract from my thesis

Abstract
Kamang Gangmei, Jaojianlung. Union Theological Seminary, Sampaloc I, PapaPala, Dasmarinas, Cavite. A Special Research Project Master of Divinity, Union Theological Seminary, Dasmarinas, Cavite, Philippines. February 2009. Professor. Revelation Velunta

There is a close affinity between one’s religious beliefs and cultures. In most cases, culture is shaped and influenced by religious faith and practice. To embrace new religious faith and practice, one is expected to renounce what he or she believed in earlier. Such is the trend in most of the Asian countries. Asians are basically a religious people. The major world religions are originated from Asia is an indication of Asian religiosity. The life of the community; manners and customs, foods, observing of times such as full moon or half moon, and many more cultural practices are directly related to religious belief and practice.
The Zeliangrong people, a small tribal group of just about 3 million population, occupy a compact geographical block consisting of Tamenglong district of Manipur, Peren District of Nagaland and further fragmented by administrative bifurcations in Cachar district, N.C. Hills of Assam, Senapati, Churachandpur, Imphal East & West, Thoubal and Bishnupur district of Manipur in the North East India. Since the arrival of the Christianity[1], there has been a tremendous change among Zeliangrong people. It was so powerful that it defaced the culture of the Zeliangrong to the point of extinction. The people experienced immense blessings from God in many expects of life. However, there is also an adverse affect which cost the Zeliangrong people dearly. The blessing of culture which makes the Zeliangrong people unique from the rest of the world is fading. It is indeed a great blessing but people interpretation of the Christianity is somewhat subjugation in nature over culture.
However, the gospel of Christ is an empowering reality; it is liberation from any sort of bondage. God created Zeliangrong people, surely God wills the people to live the way it intended them to be. Culture is not necessarily a sin.
The Zeliangrong culture and tradition were ‘paganized’ by ignorant interpretation of the Christian faith. This project is an attempt to ‘de-paganize’ Zeliangrong culture through reexamining culture in the light of truth revealed in the Scripture. The primary objective is to empower the Zeliangrong with the gospel by maintaining a balance between faith and culture. This is a project of de-paganization. [2]






[1] Christianity came to the land of Zeliangrong through one evangelist name Maipak. He was from Kuki tribe, a neighboring tribal group in the region. He came to Barak valley in the middle part of 1900s. Barak valley is where Zeliangrong people are concentrated though they can be also found in others places in the region as well as in Myanmar. The grandfather of the writer, (Late) Mr. Zinlakpou Gangmei was the first Christian among the Zeliangrong people. This information has been pass on from grand father to me and I am going to pass on to following generation orally through story and in written

[2] Paganization is my description for an act of making ones’ culture and tradition a pagan or heathen. De-paganization is an act or process of understanding and respecting ones’ culture as God given identity, thereby removing all prejudice against ones’ culture just because they are different from you and your culture.

NOTE: The “pagan” here referring to the negative connotation, a pejorative term, mostly by the traditional Christian to those people groups who are not subscribed to Christian faith. The word usually understood as referring to savage, non religious, uncivilized, etc.

Nehemiah; my ideal leader

There are many characters in the Bible, whose stories has been a sources of excitement and inspiration to me since very young. One among them is Nehemiah. However, I he was not my hero while I am teenage for various reason. One of the many reasons was he wants to do a heavy work. It was not a fancy idea to work hard the way Nehemiah worked for a teenage like me. Though I was not that lazy! Yet, the idea of working was something like imposing those times. May be I am looking from the workers point of view not from the engineer point of view (thinking more on hard manual labor). But as I grew up to be a man and putting aside my childish part of me, I realized how Nehemiah must have felt when he was leading the people in rebuilding the ruined city.
I am very much impressed by his leadership role, his courage to speak to the king what was in his heart. It must be like one from the poor country got job at White House and wanting to go back to his/her homeland, where villages are wash away or blown away by the military or civil war. Certainly, Nehemiah must have good life in the foreign land. It must be not that easy to leave good job to return home.
Nehemiah set an example for many future leaders. He was a real leader, who considered his land more than his comforts. If I am thinking about myself and my immediate family or going little further – say relatives, I would comfortably seek job in the foreign land and send them money. There is nothing wrong in that, if we don’t have a calling for leadership. But when one is called to lead, he/she is restless until the mission accomplish. Leaders think in larger context and they deserve respect and honor. There are many leaders among us today, whose motives are to make profit or generate wealth. Those are not leaders but ravaging “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. While accomplishing the task of rebuilding the city, there arose an opposition. No matter how good is the intention of the leader, there will always have an opposition. Nehemiah didn’t give in to the pressure but continue till the end. I am reminded of the hardships and oppositions I might possibly encounter as a leader. I can refer Nehemiah’s story as a manual for leadership.