Christ, The Healer - Exploring Indigenous People's Spirituality

The book is an attempt to contextualize and formulate Christology that is appropriate for the indigenous Christians. In this attempt, traditional source such as Arasentsur that is close to the people is used as a working model. The book suggests that contextualizing theologies can be made possible through integration of the Biblical sources on the healing aspect of Jesus and the role of Arasentsur in healing among the indigenous community. The theological validity of this working model is that it is integrally related to the cultural consciousness, spirituality and demonstrates the theoretical and practical implications for the indigenous people. While locating the many potential images of Jesus Christ in Asian context the book brings out different dimensions of healing - healing from psychosomatic state, healing as forgiving, healing as freedom, healing as deliverance and being made accountable, which projects healing as holistic; a much needed healing for the people in the midst of socio-cultural alienation, political turmoil, economic instability and so on. The book suggests that being healed for the indigenous people would mean being exorcised from the numerous struggles that impinges their life.

Bendanglemla Longkumer (hailing from Nagaland) is Associate Professor in the Department of Christian Theology at Leonard Theological College, Jabalpur. She did her BA from Fazl Ali College (NEHU), Mokokchung; M.Th. and D.Th. from Federated Faculty for Research in Religion and Culture (FFRRC). Kottayam, affiliated to Senate of Serampore College. She has authored several articles in leading journals.

She is married to Dr. Bendangtemjen, Associate Professor in the Department of History of Christianity at Leonard Theological College, Jabalpur and they have three lovely daughters Eten, Tain and Loren.

Asia is a vast continent with many races, languages, religions and cultures. It is a continent of diversity and plurality. All religions and cultures are activated and created by the saving spirit of God. In spite of the ambiguous nature of culture, God works in and through all religions and cultures. We need to appreciate and respect the differences of others and also critical of oppressive elements of one's own spirituality, religion and cultures.

The attitude of missionaries towards Asian cultures and religions was negative. Missionaries thought that western culture is superior and civilized way of life, and Asian cultural practices were perceived as "pagan", "darkness", "heathen", "savage", "uncivilized", "wild" and "unbeliever". They saw the 'others' as the world to be conquered by Christian faith. This perception based on superiority-inferiority value system made a tremendous damage to God's rich blessing of cultures. Asians also internalized inferiority of their culture. This attitude has also made a tremendous impact in doing theology in Asia. Many Asian theologians thought that our religion, spirituality, and culture are inferior and backward, demonic, and aspire for westernization. It was assumed that Christian faith developed in the west is the unchanging truth for all ages and for all contexts, and we should accept without any question. Christological interpretation was also shaped by this understanding, God's revelation in Jesus Christ was accepted. in a very narrow way reducing Asian religion and culture as mere preparatio evangelii. Christian faith alone is true, and thus all other religions are false. It means the affirmation of the finality of Christ means closure, and dialogue with other faiths is a betrayal of God's revelation in Christ means closure, and dialogue with other faiths is a betrayal of God's revelation in Christ.

One of the distinguishing marks of indigenous Christian spirituality is its christocentric quality. There are evidences which are quite convincing, indeed, there have been numerous attempts and researches on this person, Jesus Christ. It is also looked at from the nature of soteriology which it implies or allows. Griffin describes in his reference to soteriology that Jesus is God's decisive revelation' as soteriological. He means to say that Jesus being God's decisive revelation is the source of the cognitive approach of men and women to reality'. Corresponding to this is Jesus' praxis of healing through which the reign of God could be realized by the person who got healed and the community in general. This requires insights and inputs from the people's worldview and perspectives in order to make Jesus and his actions relevant to the context.

The significance of faith is affirmed in Jesus' words and deeds. This challenges our theology to be more of praxis-oriented lubricated by being contextual which results to the transformation of not only the church but the whole society at large. How can this be experienced? In our acts of justice-love-manifested in Christ's atoning works- there is real encounter of God, seeing, hearing and heeding to the reality of the experiences of the people is known to God, and that is how the reign of God is established among the people, the nations through us. Therefore, our theology should be pro-praxis which in our situation will be of liberation, freedom and life-giving.