Critical(General conclusion) Cont.-2

In An analysis of the mission of the Mara Church of Maraland it can be seen that the imported western theology is the pietistic evangelical exclusive theology which captured the whole theological norms of the Mara Christians. This mentality is cultivated in the Mara Christianity and they have the understanding that Christianity is the only right religion and all other religions are false religions. Therefore, the strategies of Mara mission remain converting and saving souls and church planting. Other forms of mission like development projects and social works are not regarded as mission. As a result almost all the values of the Mara culture and traditions were marginalised as secular and pagan. Therefore, Christianity inevitably took the form of the western image.

Secondly, from this study one can conclude that the existing Mara theology of mission interprets salvation in terms of ‘salvation of souls’. It is true that even today, the primary goal of Mara mission is ‘only for the salvation of the souls, neither including the whole person nor creation’. In fact, this dichotomized or dualistic view of salvation separates human as having body and soul separately. According to the Mara traditional concept, humans possessed souls and bodies. Soul and body were seen as interdependent and inseparable. If they were separated, the person would fall sick or ill or even die. The Mara traditional view integrates body and soul and in the light of this view, the Mara understanding of salvation must be reinterpreted in terms of not only salvation of souls, but also of the body and all creation. In this way this study enriches the Mara theology of mission and corrects the concept of salvation to include the social, political, economic and other dimensions of life for the transformation of the society here and now.

The view of the author is that western evangelical exclusive theology which the Maras inherited from the missionaries cannot cope anymore with the present context with all its problems. The time has come to develop a Mara theology of mission that would squarely address the present reality by taking into account the social, economic and political problems for the transformation of the society. Mara spirituality must go beyond the existing exclusive theological position. A new understanding of ecumenism, which unites all the religions through co-operation and fellowship with the purpose of achieving love and peace, social transformation, will generate deeper spirituality in the inter-faith context. This new understanding, the new inclusive or pluralistic religio-spirituality will bring a change in the existing Mara theology of mission.

In Towards a Mara Theology of Mission, the concern of Mara contextual theology is how to articulate the faith of the community in Christ in a way which is understandable and meaningful to the Mara Christians in Maraland. There is a need to help the Mara Christians understand and confess that Christ might become part of their identity. The task of Mara theology is to achieve this goal and for that purpose the author has highlighted some of the Mara traditional cultural practices as postcolonial theological hermeneutics. It is expected that a new theology will be born out of the interaction of the gospel and the Mara culture.

Firstly, reinterpretation of Mara traditional values such as the God-human-world relationship makes a significant contribution to the emerging ecological theology for the Mara Christians. Since the issue of land is so fundamental in Mara life, land for the Maras is sacred because it is the dwelling place of God, therefore it should not be treated as a commodity or as space to be exploited. This new understanding calls for new sensitivity in their relationship with the rest of the creation. It has also opened a new way of theologizing to meet the ecological crisis and contributed a great deal to the Mara understanding of the relationship of God-human-world. To know that God loves the world and makes revelation through nature and creation facilitates Mara Christians a holistic approach to salvation. The significance of this new interpretation is that it serves as a corrective to the limited traditional interpretation of salvation that excludes ‘nature and the world’. This initially brings out a new eco-spirituality in the Mara context.

Secondly, a Mara feminist theology may be explained as a theology that seeks a new community in which the traditional relationship of men and women is transformed by the power of the gospel into a new relationship of equal partnership of men and women. The Mara feminist theology is committed to transforming the Mara traditional community transcending the old pattern and to building a new, just, participatory and harmonious society, free from discrimination towards fellow human beings by fellow beings on the ground of gender, colour and race.

Thirdly, reinterpreting Chapchar kut or Lyuva Khutla contributes alternative way of honouring Khazohpa (God) by making peace, sharing resources, renewing moral and uniting all people to build the reign of God here and now. The author believes that the rediscovery of the Mara apiepasaihna hro has deepened the interconnection of the gospel of Christ and the Mara culture.

Jesus was seen as possessing apiepasai per excellence. Therefore, the Mara Christians realized and felt the presence of Jesus when they practised apiepasaihna in their daily lives. In this way Mara Christians perceived that the unbound Christ is present in their culture. Apiepasaihna becomes spiritual and transformative when it is used for solidarity with the poor, marginalised, the outcaste and the oppressed to stand against injustice in the social, political and economic system and thus address the present realities and transform the Mara society.

In conclusion, the present Mara theology is an exclusive converting approach which is not relevant for today. It is necessary to change its content, strategy and approach into a two way or dialogical cross-cultural approach. To construct a relevant Mara theology of mission, the Mara Christians must critically analyse their past religio-culture and traditions with the purpose of rediscovering and discerning the revelation of God. It is also vital to criticize cultural transformation and changes not only in term of going back to the cultural roots but also in the light of the Gospel in order to discover relevant theological and missiological hermeneutics. This will re-root the Gospel and contribute to a ‘theology of mission from below’ which addresses contemporary realities and fosters participation in the Missio Dei, in building the reign of God here and now.

2.      Challenge for further Research

This study is a single attempt to explore a contextual theology of mission in the Mara Christian context in Maraland. It covers the encounter between Christian mission and Mara culture and the mission and evangelism work of the Mara Christians. Therefore, there are a number of other areas of subjects worthy of further research. For examples, like the theology of Mara Christian hymns, the development of Mara Church, Mara theology and its implication in Christian perspective today would be both interesting and valuable theological research. These would also be worthwhile to do further research on Christian mission from a dialogical perspective which is concerned with mutual co-existence through tolerance with neighbours of other faiths for the construction and enrichment of a Mara contextual theology.