As Nagaland celebrates 150 Years of Christianity, this column would like to beg the question of why (not how) the Gospel spread among the Ao Nagas at such a rapid pace for the sake of provoking a healthy debate and not necessarily as an epistemological or theological exposition.
It is admitted that the early Church planting works in the Ao Naga country were faced with some resistance and understandably so. However, once the first few churches were planted, the Gospel spread like wildfire and within a matter of a few decades, almost all Ao Nagas had embraced Christianity.
In fact, the Ao Nagas played an epoch-making role in the spread of the Gospel to neighboring Naga areas. How the Ao Nagas, and all the Nagas, readily accepted Christianity despite initially resistance was because there was compatibility between the native culture and the new faith, among other things.
There was the concept of an all-powerful supreme and personal god – Lijaba. Therefore, the concept of the Christian God – YHWH, was a relatable concept. The natives were already living in a natural-supernatural world. Meaning, the realm of the supernatural was a reality to them.
Therefore, when Missionaries talked about demons, principalities, powers, and Satan, it made complete sense to the natives. There already was also the concept of blood, sacrifice and atonement. For example, the act of sacrificing a mature rooster to appease the spirits. Therefore, Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for mankind’s atonement made sense. The native ethos and ethics were also compatible with Christian ethics which was easy to accept.
The concept of life-after-death and the impending judgment yonder was already there. The natives believed that when a man died, his soul/spirit faced judgment at Meyutsüngba’s court. Therefore, Christian concept of life-after-death and impending judgment also easily made sense. There already was also prevalent the practice of feasting, fellowship and wine. Thus, the Lord’s Table as the ultimate form of food, fellowship, and wine was also very easily relatable to the natives.
One of Jesus’ disciples, doubting Thomas himself, came to south India circa 52 AD but the native culture there was not as compatible, perhaps. Unlike in the Naga hills, Christianity did not spread like wildfire there. Ao Naga culture was almost like a glove that fitted the hand of Christianity so well!
How the Ninevites, all of them – from the greatest to the least – repented and believed after Jonah’s only three-day preaching strikes a chord here. Scholars say that before Jonah preached, Nineveh was struck by a great natural calamity. Thus, they easily believed in Jonah’s message and turned to God. Therefore, can it be surmised that God can even use one’s culture and not just a natural calamity to prepare a people for His Gospel?