The Earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it. Psalm 24:1 (NRSV)
Peace I leave with you: I my peace I give you. I do not give as the world give. Jn 14: 27 (NRSV)
The centenary celebration of the 1910 Edinburgh International Mission Conference is just over with a global gathering in Edinburgh deliberating on the theme ‘Witnessing Christ Today.’ The Edinburgh 2010 critically evaluated different mission models to explore relevant praxis-oriented missiologies that enable the church to witness Christ meaningfully till the end of the World. When the entire Christian world reaffirms this commitment to witness Christ relevantly, the Christian community in India is contemplating on the meaning of relevant Christian witnessing in the midst of new crises that we confront every day in our country. An deeper engagement with the crises of our times, hence, is a pre-requisite for our missiological discourses on witnessing Christ relevantly today.
Kashmir is literally burning, and in order to bring peace in the region, the Government has deployed the Army force. Guns, ‘Latties’ and Curfews have become the agents of peace in our context. When we perceive social unrest due to structural injustices as law and order problems, bullets are the solution. From all over the country we hear stories of displacement, eviction, torture, repression, and genocide and ecocide in the name of progress and development. The states are outsourcing law and order responsibilities to extra-constitutional forces such as ‘Salwan Judum’ to evict the tribals and Adivasis from their land and livelihood to bring in development. State terrorism breeds new forms of violent resistances. But unfortunately it is the poor and the marginalized who are destined to bear the brunt of the violence from both the sides.
The road blockade and social unrest in Manipur is just a symptom of the deep-rooted crisis in the North East. Again the life and well being of the common people are at jeopardy. In its attempt to boost its image from a state of religious violence and persecution to a state of development and foreign investment, multinational corporations such as POSCO and Vedanta are presented as the messiahs of the new Orissa. In order to protect foreign capital, that the state has unleashed a regime of state terrorism to suppress the resistance of adivasis to protect their land and livelihood. We hear stories of extra-judicial killings from Kalinganagar and other areas to destroy the resilience of the local communities to save their forests, mountains and their gods.
Though all these activities are interpreted with some justifications, the ultimate sufferers are the common people. What could be a solution and how do we address these issues? The neo-development plans of the States should not be at the cost of dispossession and displacement of its own citizens. Common persons who oppose such takeovers fall prey to the bullets. Women are compelled to hardships and children are forced to carry memories of a violent childhood and nothing else to bank on.
Traditional Christian response to such crises is to sincerely ‘kneel down’, ‘fold our hands’, ‘close our eyes’ and ‘silently pray’ for God’s interventions to bring about justice and peace. We have entrusted it to God. Since we close our eyes and silently pray to God, we do not see and hear what is happening in the world around us. The lamentations of the victims and for justice and peace are much louder than our prayers. How long we can close our eyes and pray?
The reflections of the new General Secretary of the WCC is relevant here: “When I was a boy I learnt that those who really pray need to close their eyes. In the ecumenical movement I have learnt that it can be equally important, literally or metaphorically, to open my eyes to pray … to open my eyes to the world and those who need my prayers.” “With open eyes I can see suffering, I can see others, I can see you with whom I can pray Christ’s prayer, ‘That all may be one’” Here Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tvei is providing us an alternative vision of our ecumenical presence in crises situations.
The question that this issue poses before the conscience of the Indian Christian community is rather simple: Are we ready to open our eyes and ears while we pray so that, we may be able to see the happenings around us and hear the lamentations of the victims who struggle for survival and dignity? It is our hope and prayer that by opening our eyes and ears to the cries of the people around us, we will witness Christ meaningfully and relevantly in our Context.
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