You remember that time that Mizo couple got their wedding pictures back and in one of the photos there was this random tall American in it? Yea, that was a good time.
So Friday I attended a wedding here in Mizoram with the principal's husband and their daughter. It was a pretty cool experience. A large portion of the wedding was much like a wedding stateside. However, often there are no bridesmaids or groomsman. There is only the equivalent of the best man and the maid of honor. But these two people play a pretty big role as they are present at every portion of the ceremony. They stand next to the bride and groom during the ceremony (even the saying of vows) and even give each other a piece of the wedding cake.
The ceremony was held in a fairly large church here in Aizawl. I would say roughly a hundred or so people attended the wedding (I found out later I'll be working in that church quite a bit which is cool). Afterward, there was a ceremony in which people made speeches, did a couple solos, and cut the cake. A private dinner reception followed that we were invited to but declined. All and all, it was a pretty cool ceremony to witness.
Fun story of the day: The principal's daughter recently got married here in Mizoram to a Canadian. He left Aizawl the day I arrived. When attending the wedding, many people who hadn't been able to attend the ceremony thought I was him. I kept getting congradulated on getting married by these people but since I don't speak Mizo I just smiled and shook hands. The daughter, Judith, tried to correct people but there's a great many people who think I'm her husband. Or they got really confused and asked her, "Wasn't he smaller last week?"
This weekend has been a big retreat before classes start Monday morning. Basically, God is mocking me for not going to chapel all year at PTS. There is chapel everyday here at 7am, which I am to attend. I don't mind as it helps show solidarity with the students and I figure after this summer I won't need to go to chapel at PTS anymore because I've met the quota haha. The services are interesting mixing in Mizo spirituality and the evangelical baptist Christianity practiced here. Most of the songs are fairly common stateside so I recognize them quickly. One of the interesting parts of chapel is corporate prayer. At this time, we all pray aloud at the same time with whatever individual prayers we have. At first, I was really confused but I've gotten use to it. Everyone continues to pray until eventually only one person is praying aloud and they close the prayer. All and all, I enjoy the services and they provide glimpses into the culture here.
I'm working on my weekly schedule and summer goals tomorrow and monday. I've been lucky enough to have some great convos with the principal's husband who's given me some great info and insight. He's been a great conversation partner as he is interested in liberation theology, community development, and poverty work as well. Through the info he's given me, I'm going to schedule some trips to visit a leprosy ministry, AIDS clinic, drug abuse center, and some of the people living in rural Mizoram. Quite exciting stuff. I'll keep yal posted on how that all develops. Course, I also have to teach English. I'm actually getting excited about it as I've seen how important it is for these students to learn English in order to be effective here and abroad. Although I have a lot of personal problems with it as well, those are bigger socio-political issues we don't need to dive into here.
Okay, that's enough for now. It's starting to rain so no telling how long this power will stay on. Well, hopefully everything is alright stateside. pax et bonum.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Live from Mizoram
Greetings from Aizawl, Mizoram, India!
I arrived here on the 3rd simply relieved to be done with airports for a while. So, here's a little info about my life right now:
Mizoram is located in the far NE region of India. Geographically and culturally distinct from the rest of India, Mizoram is a predominantly Christian state. As a matter of fact, the population is roughly 86% Christian. The main denominations are Presbyterians (in the North) and Baptists (in the South), who are more influential than the government here. The Church in Mizoram is responsible for building hospitals, universities, and other public works. Nevertheless, the Indian government extends control in the financial district which is primarily controled by non-Mizos here.
The term "Mizo" and "Mizoram" are derived from words meaning "hill" and "people." Quite literally, the "Mizos" are "hill people" living in the "land of the hill people." The land here is incredibly beautiful, lush mountains filled with beautiful greenery. Indeed, riding on the roads here is akin to the mountain passes of Colorado. Roads only slightly large enough for two cars (some times not that wide) make their way snaking up and down the mountains. Aizawl is a city which sits on the side of a tall mountain, expanding down the side with white buildings making them appear to be fog. Indeed, some times it's hard to see the city from the campus as thick clouds roll over the mountains daily. I have arrived during rainy seasons, which last until August, making flash rain storms an everyday occurrance.
Classes begin next week so until then my time is spent settling into my new surroundings. The campus rests about a thirty minute drive from the city in a peaceful hill top. The accommodations are reasonably clean and nice so I am happy to be here. But there are also fun parts that I'm adapting to. First would be the fact that I don't really have a shower. I have a fosset which gives only cold water, a bucket, and a small hand pitcher. There no real drain in the ground of my bathroom either so you basically have to wash with just a bucket (if you have any tips of how to do this properly I'm open to suggestions). There are, however, a number of water filters around providing clean drinking water which is great. In addition, the principal has been inviting me over for meals which makes eating clean and easy. I might, however, try to venture to the student's mess once and a while. But the principal wants me eating at her place so we'll see where I end up. Don't argue with the person feeding you, that's a general rule of thumb.
Thus far I've had some good conversations both on my flights here and in Mizoram. I'm doing my best to make friends although most people here look at me as a visiting professor of some sorts or are intimidated by my english. I think it will be easier once classes start up though. Yesterday I went into Aizawl to run errands and check in with the government. The city is home to about 500,000 people, roughly half the population of the entire state. I was asked this morning if I'd like to attend a Mizo wedding and of course accepted. "Yes," "Sure," and "That'd be great" are operating words for me around here.
Well, I have an interview with the faculty and students in about thirty minutes so I should wrap this up. It's no big deal, mainly to ask me questions about my background, the USA, etc. so that people can get to know me better. So many things here are different than back in the states, but more on that later. For this blog post I just wanted to give everyone details about where I am, that I'm alive, and that you can check here each week for updates on the happenings of my life in Mizoram. I hope you're all doing well and I'd love to hear your comments each week. Hope life is good back in the states!
I arrived here on the 3rd simply relieved to be done with airports for a while. So, here's a little info about my life right now:
Mizoram is located in the far NE region of India. Geographically and culturally distinct from the rest of India, Mizoram is a predominantly Christian state. As a matter of fact, the population is roughly 86% Christian. The main denominations are Presbyterians (in the North) and Baptists (in the South), who are more influential than the government here. The Church in Mizoram is responsible for building hospitals, universities, and other public works. Nevertheless, the Indian government extends control in the financial district which is primarily controled by non-Mizos here.
The term "Mizo" and "Mizoram" are derived from words meaning "hill" and "people." Quite literally, the "Mizos" are "hill people" living in the "land of the hill people." The land here is incredibly beautiful, lush mountains filled with beautiful greenery. Indeed, riding on the roads here is akin to the mountain passes of Colorado. Roads only slightly large enough for two cars (some times not that wide) make their way snaking up and down the mountains. Aizawl is a city which sits on the side of a tall mountain, expanding down the side with white buildings making them appear to be fog. Indeed, some times it's hard to see the city from the campus as thick clouds roll over the mountains daily. I have arrived during rainy seasons, which last until August, making flash rain storms an everyday occurrance.
Classes begin next week so until then my time is spent settling into my new surroundings. The campus rests about a thirty minute drive from the city in a peaceful hill top. The accommodations are reasonably clean and nice so I am happy to be here. But there are also fun parts that I'm adapting to. First would be the fact that I don't really have a shower. I have a fosset which gives only cold water, a bucket, and a small hand pitcher. There no real drain in the ground of my bathroom either so you basically have to wash with just a bucket (if you have any tips of how to do this properly I'm open to suggestions). There are, however, a number of water filters around providing clean drinking water which is great. In addition, the principal has been inviting me over for meals which makes eating clean and easy. I might, however, try to venture to the student's mess once and a while. But the principal wants me eating at her place so we'll see where I end up. Don't argue with the person feeding you, that's a general rule of thumb.
Thus far I've had some good conversations both on my flights here and in Mizoram. I'm doing my best to make friends although most people here look at me as a visiting professor of some sorts or are intimidated by my english. I think it will be easier once classes start up though. Yesterday I went into Aizawl to run errands and check in with the government. The city is home to about 500,000 people, roughly half the population of the entire state. I was asked this morning if I'd like to attend a Mizo wedding and of course accepted. "Yes," "Sure," and "That'd be great" are operating words for me around here.
Well, I have an interview with the faculty and students in about thirty minutes so I should wrap this up. It's no big deal, mainly to ask me questions about my background, the USA, etc. so that people can get to know me better. So many things here are different than back in the states, but more on that later. For this blog post I just wanted to give everyone details about where I am, that I'm alive, and that you can check here each week for updates on the happenings of my life in Mizoram. I hope you're all doing well and I'd love to hear your comments each week. Hope life is good back in the states!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Don't be ashamed to be religious
I was thinking earlier today about how the liberal intelligentsia has made being religious the object of scorn or laughter. Of course, the rise of evangelical fundamentalism in the 1980s surely did not help. However, I would like to remind people who say that "religion is the root of all evil in the world" how much people of faith have done. Take Christianity in America and the UK in the twentieth century for example: the Civil Rights movement, abolitionism, woman's suffrage, and the worker's rights movement are all social justice movements which originated and were championed by Christian leaders. Historically, the development and propagation of hospitals and universities are also Christian developments. Sure, I would prefer not to lump myself together with the Crusades and Pat Robertson. But I'm not going to be ashamed of being a member of a movement which has been the champion of social justice throughout history. I guess at the end of the day you never find true religious people on TV or in magazines. You find them with the poor and the oppressed. Anything else is merely a cheap fake of the original.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Quotes
“in preaching, we are not merely emoting—we are endeavoring to kindle people’s imaginations, to persuade them to think with us, feel with us, react with us, to some probing of human experience by the Word of God” -Charles Bartow, The Preaching Moment, pg. 93
"According to Bonhoeffer, she [the Church] had always reacted by trying to secure a religious sphere over against the world, and from within the shelter of this sphere, she had attempted to prove that she was indispensable. But the Church, by her very anxiety to preserve a special, unassailable place for herself, had become a watchdog of religion, an institution catering for the marginal problems of man, privileged, yes, but shut away from the world. As such a keeper of religion she was finished. She asserts her necessity but cannot realize it, therefore she lingers on in apologetics and self-defense." -Eberhard Bethge, Bonhoeffer: Exile and Martyr, 145.
"According to Bonhoeffer, she [the Church] had always reacted by trying to secure a religious sphere over against the world, and from within the shelter of this sphere, she had attempted to prove that she was indispensable. But the Church, by her very anxiety to preserve a special, unassailable place for herself, had become a watchdog of religion, an institution catering for the marginal problems of man, privileged, yes, but shut away from the world. As such a keeper of religion she was finished. She asserts her necessity but cannot realize it, therefore she lingers on in apologetics and self-defense." -Eberhard Bethge, Bonhoeffer: Exile and Martyr, 145.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Brief Thoughts on Romans 5
-Law cannot overcome sin and death. Artificial order does not bring true and lasting peace. Only the Spirit can accomplish the task.
-Prior to creation, there was chaos to which God brought order and peace. After sin, there is a return to chaos in the universe. Christ as the new creation brings a new opening and possibility for peace. The eschatological perspective of history now means that at the closing of history there will be a return to the peace first breathed by God.
-Prior to creation, there was chaos to which God brought order and peace. After sin, there is a return to chaos in the universe. Christ as the new creation brings a new opening and possibility for peace. The eschatological perspective of history now means that at the closing of history there will be a return to the peace first breathed by God.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Trails
When I came to college I realized I was indebited to St. Thomas. When I felt the church should work to help the poor, MLK and Gutierrez guided the way. When I wanted to fashion a church to fight injustice, Rauschenbusch and Day provided examples. When I found God's mystery to be too much for me, Barth and Kierkegaard welcomed me.
I feel like a man walking through the woods following old trails. As I walk I hope to find the places where great theologians have tread. Not because I am great, but because others forged the way for me.
Our theologies are merely the stories of our own wanderings after God.
I feel like a man walking through the woods following old trails. As I walk I hope to find the places where great theologians have tread. Not because I am great, but because others forged the way for me.
Our theologies are merely the stories of our own wanderings after God.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Silence is Deafening
The Gospel of St. Mark, selected verses:
“It was the third hour when they crucified him. They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their fist…In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves…Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some women were watching from a distance… In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs.”
At the crucifixion, Christ is utterly alone. For three years he shared every day, every night, every meal, every possession with his disciples. Now, in his greatest hour of need, they are nowhere to be found. Christ is left to suffer at the hands of his persecutors. The silence of the disciples at the moment when they were required to object the loudest mirrors our own failings as the Church to cry out on behalf of the poor and the oppressed. For those who hang upon the cross of suffering, the silence of the church is deafening.
Writing about the German church’s response to the Nazis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “The church was silent where she should have cried out…the church confesses that she has witnessed the lawless application of brutal force, the physical and spiritual suffering of countless innocent people, oppression, hatred and murder, and that she has not raised her voice on behalf of the victims and has not found a way to hasten to their aid. She is guilty of the deaths of the weakest and most defenseless brothers of Jesus Christ.”
We, the American church, are guilty of remaining silent as the poor and the oppressed suffer. We have not raised our voice to feed the homeless but mocked them, we have not cared for the elderly and dependents but have forgotten them, we have not visited the prisoner but reviled him, we have not loved the prostitute but hated her, we have not supported the migrant worker but outcast him, we have not cared for our brothers and sisters abroad but sought our own kingdom and our own righteousness. The cross of suffering is not only endured in the wake of an earthquake in Haiti. It is daily borne and suffered by the weakest and most defenseless members of our world. Daily we are confronted, like St. Peter, as to whether “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus.” Shall we respond with a curse? Shall we cry out for the poor and the oppressed?
My silence is deafening.
“It was the third hour when they crucified him. They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their fist…In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves…Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some women were watching from a distance… In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs.”
At the crucifixion, Christ is utterly alone. For three years he shared every day, every night, every meal, every possession with his disciples. Now, in his greatest hour of need, they are nowhere to be found. Christ is left to suffer at the hands of his persecutors. The silence of the disciples at the moment when they were required to object the loudest mirrors our own failings as the Church to cry out on behalf of the poor and the oppressed. For those who hang upon the cross of suffering, the silence of the church is deafening.
Writing about the German church’s response to the Nazis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “The church was silent where she should have cried out…the church confesses that she has witnessed the lawless application of brutal force, the physical and spiritual suffering of countless innocent people, oppression, hatred and murder, and that she has not raised her voice on behalf of the victims and has not found a way to hasten to their aid. She is guilty of the deaths of the weakest and most defenseless brothers of Jesus Christ.”
We, the American church, are guilty of remaining silent as the poor and the oppressed suffer. We have not raised our voice to feed the homeless but mocked them, we have not cared for the elderly and dependents but have forgotten them, we have not visited the prisoner but reviled him, we have not loved the prostitute but hated her, we have not supported the migrant worker but outcast him, we have not cared for our brothers and sisters abroad but sought our own kingdom and our own righteousness. The cross of suffering is not only endured in the wake of an earthquake in Haiti. It is daily borne and suffered by the weakest and most defenseless members of our world. Daily we are confronted, like St. Peter, as to whether “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus.” Shall we respond with a curse? Shall we cry out for the poor and the oppressed?
My silence is deafening.
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