Thatched House

On the one hand, we are Bible believing Christians. On the other hand, we work for justice. But we don’t seem to have a good biblical basis for justice. Our concept of justice in JNU campus is influenced by the leftist political parties which see justice in the light of power struggle. We have the oppressed and the oppressor, and structures that are oppressive. So, when we work for justice, we argue for the underprivileged and dismantling the unjust structures. As Christians, to this we simply add compassion for the poor/underprivileged and other Christian virtues. However, the biblical basis of justice and the call of the Christian to work for justice do not primarily stem from a noble concern for the poor and the oppressed; but first of all, because we believe in a God who is just. A God who is just and merciful. A God who has mercy on us though his justice deserved us to be punished. A God who not only is just and merciful, but a God who loves us and redeems us back by paying the ...

Miroslav Volf laments about his country “Did I not discover in oppressed Croatia’s face some despised Serbian features? Might not the enemy have captured some of Croatia’s soul along with a good deal of Croatia’s soil?” in his book, ‘Exclusion and Embrace’ . Here’s another quote: "Cultural identity insinuates itself with religious force; Christian and cultural commitments merge. Such sacralisation of cultural identity is invaluable for the act of piety. Blind to the betrayal of Christian faith that both sacralisation of cultural identity and the atrocities it legitimizes represents, the “holy” murderers can even see themselves as the Christian faith’s valiant defenders". But the best I’ve come across so far is (I’m yet to finish the book, but can’t wait to put this up): "It is a mistake, I believe, to complain too much about Christianity being “alien” in a given culture...There are, of course, wrong ways to being a stranger, such as when an alien culture (say one of t...

Before going polemical, we need to check the ground beneath our feet and watch our vocabulary

12th in the 50 worst movies ever...But it sure is very funny

There are three simple things that Delhi can learn from me: I do not throw paper cups anywhere. If there is no dustbin nearby, I put them in my bag and properly dispose them later If I meet friends in a busy place, I do not stand in the middle and talk, blocking the whole traffic/footpath/corridor etc. I have 'sorry' and 'thank you' in my vocabulary. No offence meant

A strand of hair fallen on his shoulder caught my attention as he sat in front of my row. The person I’m referring to is none other than ‘the’ Dr. Denis Alexander, director of Faraday Institute for Science and Religion , Cambridge. That was when this silly thought came to me. I imagined myself picking up the hair and putting it in a poly bag like a forensic expert taking specimen. However, not to do any test with it, but like a cricket fan who just had an autograph of Sachin Tendulkar, to put it in a frame and show it off to friends and generations to come. It will be a proof that I met Denis Alexander and sat for his lecture. But that would be a silly thing to do. (Sweet nothing from the recently concluded short course on Science and Christian Faith. For downloading mp3 lectures, videos, photos etc, go to breaking barriers website.

Traditional footpath Rabbits. The mother plucks its own fur to warm the newborn. The mother would abandon her babies if fur from another mother is put here Christmas meat: After it was believed that smoked meat causes throat cancer, smoking of meat over the fireplace is very much reduced. Instead, people dry meat in the sun as this Mesulumi Youth Society Lock up :-) Each plank with the bull horns are carved out from the same tree

Traditional water pond, now converted into a modern one under NREGA. The old one was said to be spooky, and where during Siikriinyi, the men folk go early in the morning for ceremonial bath Local tea: Grinding of leaves in progress. After this, it is dried in the sun. Good that we are becoming self reliant in this, but it still doesn’t taste as good as Assam tea Thin snow over our house. Vepiilii commented, “Who dropped salt bags up there?” You have to know vepiilii to get the real punch of the joke The oldest TV set in our village, still in working condition The Pumpkins are a blessing from a misfortune. Some miscreants burnt up a huge pile of wood that mom and dad collected at Dachokiilii. The ashes were used to grow pumpkins which became so good, they were distributed to Kohima and Pfutsero ...

This article was written for CBCC Youth Talent contest, Jan 2010, and magazine of Chakhesang Students Union, Patkai Christian College, Silver Jubilee celebration, February 2010 In a society where everyone is a Christian nobody knows what it means to be a Christian. Jacques Ellul I am glad to have a friend who left the prospect of a six figure job for a cause which our society will not easily understand. He chose a path of foolishness out of a deeper conviction. He didn’t chase after unpopularity, but it came to him as he violated the norms of our society’s aspirations. He turned his back on a lucrative career when he realized that the road he was taking was only leading him to sell off his brain to the highest bidder in the market. Ask IIM/IIT Christian students; how many of them have plans to use their knowledge to serve people in obedience to God? So many of them have dreams of earning lakhs per month, owning oversized cars and mansions, and marrying beauty queens or guys wi...

It angers me to see our girls dropped off early in the morning half dead by some Yakubu or some !dille (ask a Russell Peters' disciple to pronounce that for you). Again it angers me to not have sufficient fiscal resources or the audacity of a Punjabi guy to take our girls out in the evenings. We the menfolk of the trans-Brahmaputra are to be blamed for loving our bottles better than our ladies. The sober ones chicken out and fail to be a man. But I've come to realize that it may not be all that bad to let our sisters out. For instance, I feel safer to travel by the Brahmaputra mail when crossing Lalooland because one of ours is married to that land. I don't know her personally but we have mutual friends in facebook. I already feel closer to Lalooji. Imagine what wonders it can do to have such connections in every state of India and beyond. If I should meet an unfortunate day and is about to be thrashed by the Biharis, I'll yell out the connections.

The Bible is the best selling book of all times. About 25 million Bibles were sold in the US in 2005. There are over 500 English translations and the Bible comes in varying forms. We have the Students Bible, The Grace for the Moment Study Bible, Women Bible, Brides Devotional Bible, Couples Bible, Cowboys Devotional Bible, Soul Surfer Bible, the colorful Rainbow Study Bible, Good News for Modern Man, Super-Heroes Bible, Outdoors Bible, Woman Thou Art Loosed Bible, etc, etc. They come in hard covers, leather bound, bonded-leather, imitation-leather, red letter edition, ribbons, special boxes, special message from Max Lucado and so on. It may not be long before we have customized Bibles, say one with personal autograph from Rick Warren? Nelson inc. got help from the fashion industry color reports to decide on the Bible cover color. The BibleZine drew inspiration from teen girls’ magazines. The sidebars of the Bible sharing beauty secrets as: “Have you ever had a white stain appear under...

As a doctor, I prescribe medicines. But I’ve never cared enough how much the prescription is going to cost my patient. Also I’ve not understood how it feels to be a terminal patient or family of one. I still remember; ‘cure may not be possible but we will try for palliative (supportive) therapy’, my professor said about my brother. After that, there was a season of desperation, sleeplessness, exhaustion and hopelessness. In that situation, God had not forgotten us; your help was a godsend which man cannot repay. Thank you. Now I know to some extent how you must have felt when your beloved passed away. My brother has completed treatment and he’s up and active; continuing in his academic career and restarting a new life. And I think I’ve become a more sensitive doctor. Thanks again and God bless you and your family. RIMS, Imphal, 2006

What joy is this?  Can Heaven have more?   (This is the most painful piece I've ever written...because it talks of highest joy...written in a time of deepest pain)

O my Sunshine Shadows are lengthening As you fade from the horizon

Reality bites me to silence  Each time I try to call out your name

We were pulling each other’s legs, a friend and I the other day. I made fun of her bad habit of taking unwanted substances which does not go well with her interest in attending Bible studies. She was quick to point out that I’m a typical Naga Baptist. I knew then what she meant and I felt that I’ve been put into a box which does not truly define me. I’m a Naga Baptist but I’m also not a Naga Baptist in ways more than being so. Some people may think I’m a Conservative while some may think I’m Liberal. But chances are; I’m more liberal than the Liberals at some and more conservative than Conservatives at certain other things. Not only in Religion, some people may take me as a leftist because of some things that I said while I do not consider myself to have such a political stand though I endorse many of what the Lefts say. It is not possible to say everything we are all the time, so it is inevitable that we will be mistaken and be put into boxes that we do not like. If I say I believe t...

10 books i like to read after my course: 1.Conversion of the imagination(Richard Hays) 2.Resident Aliens (Stanley Hauerwas) 3.Surprised by Hope (NT Wright) 4.The Call (Os Guinness) 5.Rich Christians in an age of hunger (Ronald J Sider) 6.The Mission of God: unlocking the Bible's grand narrative (Chris Wright) 7.Subverting global myths (Vinoth Ramachandra) 8.Mistaken Modernity (Dipankar Gupta) 9.Exclusion and embrace (Miroslav Wolf) and 10.Matters of life and death (John Wyatt).