Author: Dr. John A. Sundquist
Publication: Immanuel Online
Date:
URL: http://srt.com/baptist/missions21.html
Taku Longkumer (a Naga gentleman
short in stature, but tall in commitment), his wife, Katie, and their three
children, are dearly loved and respected by many in the church family of
Immanuel. Since their visit to our church in October,1995, their work in
the northeast corner of India has become very real and very important to
us. A letter recently written by Dr. John A. Sundquist, Executive Director,
International Ministries, American Baptist Churches, Valley Forge PA, reminded
us again of the importance of our prayers and support of fellow believers
in their work for Christ around the world. Following are portions of Dr.
Sundquist's letter. May it stir us to fervent prayer for our brothers and
sisters in Nagaland.
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"Nagaland, an isolated area tucked
in the mountainous, jungle covered corner of India near the Burmese border.
The area (is) home to a dozen separate tribes, each with its own dialect
and often with a history of headhunting. Tensions among Nagaland's tribes,
and an armed guerrilla movement bent on independence from India, (make)
it a highly unstable area."
Excerpt from Billy Graham's Autobiography,
Just As I Am.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
We need your help. Many of you may
know the story of the Naga people, former headhunters who, through the
efforts of American Baptist missionaries, have become a state which boasts
of a population that is 90 percent Christian--with 90 percent of those
Christians proclaiming to be Baptist.
Mission Done Right
The people of Nagaland consider
their literacy rate 40 times higher
than the rest of India. They have
no hunger and little unemployment. They attribute their marked differences
from the rest of India to their commitment to Christianity. I was present
this past November (1997), along with a delegation of American Baptists,
to celebrate the 125 years since E.W. Clark, our first missionary to Nagaland,
brought the Gospel to the Naga people.
Nagaland is a story of mission done
right. Less than two dozen missionaries planted the seeds for what today
is an incredibly strong church. All Naga Baptists self-support their pastors,
are self- governing and believe wholly in self-propagation--bringing the
Gospel to all of Nagaland. In fact, 125 new missionaries/evangelists were
commissioned by the Nagas at the 125th anniversary celebration. I marvel
at the Baptist church in Nagaland as we struggle (successfully, because
of your support) to appoint 33 new missionaries in one year.
For 50 years the Naga people have
struggled for independence from India. Nagaland is made up of numerous
Naga tribes, all of which, because of their Mongolian descent, have more
in common with Burmese tribes, their neighbors to the east, than they do
with India. Like many indigenous groups in the area, the Nagas' land was
arbitrarily split by colonial powers into what they consider false regions,
separating them from other Naga groups in other countries.
Despite their valiant efforts, Nagaland
remains an occupied territory. The Indian government empowers its soldiers
to arrest, shoot and even kill at will anyone suspected of subversive actions
against the government. It is said to be the most unreported area of civil
conflict in the second half of this century, with estimates of up to 300,000
casualties.
We don't hear about these casualties
because the Indian Government has deemed Nagaland to be a "restricted"
zone, meaning few people from the outside are given permission to visit.
I have, by the good will of the Indian government, been granted entry five
times--even when others were not given permits. In one mountainous village,
I was reported to be the first Western man ever to visit. Because I am
one of the few Westerners permitted to visit Nagaland, I feel a profound
burden to share their story with the rest of the world. In fact, they have
asked me to speak clearly to the rest of the world, even at the risk of
being denied future entry to their country.
Underground Conflict
Several underground groups have
emerged to resist India's
occupation of Nagaland and the overwhelming
presence of Indian soldiers. Because Nagaland is made up of so many tribal
groups that have vastly different languages and customs, the underground
groups have emerged from different tribes. Each has its own understanding
of how and when to win independence from the Indian government. However,
over the last 50 years, the tribal distinctions among the underground groups
have become less distinct.
All the underground organizations
are led by and made up of Christians, predominantly Baptists. They claim
to use peaceful measures to bring about change and to retaliate only in
self-defense. However, when an Indian soldier is injured or killed, his
comrades frequently retaliate on the civilian population. There are well-
documented cases of Naga women being raped or assaulted, crops being destroyed
and women and children dying in concentration camps of malnutrition, torture
and forced labor.
The Indian government has used the
disagreement among the Nagas to its advantage, fronting killings and placing
the blame on one of the insurgent groups, pitting one tribal group against
another. In recent history, the fighting between the underground groups
has been more pronounced than the fighting against the Indian government.
What makes this most tragic is that this fighting, and oftentimes bloodshed,
is among Christian brothers.
What Does This Have To Do With Your
Church?
On several occasions, I have met
personally and prayed with, the
leadership of each of the underground
organizations. They have sought me out for spiritual guidance and counseling--not
because of my wisdom, but because of the respect they have for their rich
history and spiritual roots embedded in American Baptist Churches. It is
a humbling thought that I stand in the shadow of the great missionaries
that have come before me. As American Baptists, we have an obligation to
stand in solidarity with our Naga Christian sisters and brothers because
of our history together. No one else has the same connection with the Naga
church as we do, and we have all but forgotten the Naga people. They are
the best mission story never told. But this story, without divine intervention,
may have a tragic end.
I believe these underground leaders
are devoted Christians wrought with frustration for their people, but they
are also looking for a peaceful avenue to freedom. Many Christian leaders
pleaded with me to use the occasion of the 125 year celebration of Christianity
in Nagaland as an opportunity to speak out against the violence and call
for reconciliation among the Naga people. I challenged the more than 120,000
people in attendance to stand if they would no longer tolerate the violence
inflicted upon innocent people. We then joined in a mass prayer, each person
praying in his or her own language. I am told that over a thousand underground
soldiers were in attendance, and all of them stood as a sign of their commitment
to stop the bloodshed.
As a result, God has continued to
work in the hearts of the Naga people. Up until the time of the 125th anniversary
celebration there was one Indian soldier for every eight Naga civilians.
However, to allow foreigners like myself and the other delegates to attend
the 125th celebration, a special cease-fire agreement between the underground
groups and the Indian government was signed. Some of the soldiers were
removed, and I am happy to report that there has not been one shot fired
since the celebration event. The cease-fire agreement has held. Steps toward
unity have progressed. The Naga people see the celebration event as a watershed
moment for them. They believe that peace will prevail.
Nagas' New Slogan: "We want a solution,
not an election."
In both an encouraging movement
toward unity within the Nagas and
a nonviolent protest against the
Indian government, Naga tribal leaders unanimously signed an accord which
called for a boycott of the Monday, February 23, election of government
officials who primarily serve the purposes of the Indian government rather
than those of the Naga people. Every village was encouraged to display
a white flag and every Naga was requested to wear white clothing on Sunday,
February 22, as a symbolic declaration of support for a just peace.
My brothers and sisters. We are
the voice for Nagaland to the outside world.
The tragedy for the Nagas is that
India controls all information coming from Nagaland. Outsiders are kept
out of the area so that the oppression and persecution of the Naga people
perpetrated by the Indian government are unpublicized. The Naga people
need our support for a peaceful resolution to their plight.
What Can You Do?
1. Please pray specifically for
the end of fighting among the Nagas
and for
them to show the whole world that,
because of Christ in their lives, they
live in peace.
2. Please pray for an end to the
human rights violations as a result of the
occupation of Nagaland by India.
My dear friends, we owe a tremendous
amount of gratitude to the missionaries who have come before us and given
us a sterling reputation as a people of prayer. Let us continue to maintain
our reputation as a people united in our efforts to see the whole world
come to know Jesus Christ and to live in peace.
In the Power of the Gospel,
Dr. John A. Sundquist
Executive Director, International
Ministries
