A THEOLOGY OF SUFFERING AND STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE IN THE CHIN (MYANMAR) CONTEXT
INTRODUCTION
This research is a study of Gustavo Gutierrez’ theology of suffering and
struggle for justice and its relevance to theological reflection in the Chin context.
The people of Myanmar have been on a state of suffering for ages. Suffering
has become a permanent fixture of national life. In the words of Thawng Khuo
Tuong, “There is no justice and peace in the country, peace is like a burning
coal under the ash.”[1] Theosophies and
theologies, both in their formal and popular form have reflected on this state
of national suffering as caused by spirits, divinities, and supernatural forces
reciprocating the people’s failure to behave properly; and that the only proper
way to address the problem of suffering is to properly observe religious
rituals and to behave accordingly. The Christians and the churches, likewise,
reflect theologically along these lines. The churches’ exposures to the social
gospel, if ever there are, have made no dent on their a-political colonial
Baptist missionary theology.
This research saw Gustavo Gutierrez’ theology of liberation as an
appropriate conversation partner in theological reflection in Myanmar,
particularly in the Chin context. His theology of human suffering and the way
to get rid of suffering, which is, struggling with the poor in their struggle
of justice came to the researcher as a relevant theological proposition.
Theologians from Myanmar and Asia have been engaged in this reflection but the
researcher wants to focus specifically on Gutierrez’ liberation theology of
suffering and its impact to local theologies and its relevance to the Chin
people’s collective quest for emancipation from mass suffering.
Suffering in the discussion of Gutierrez include propositions for
praxis. Praxis involves the people of God and the action- reflection of the
people of God on suffering and the struggle to overcome it.
1.1 Background of Study
Dominant theological voices
in the Chin churches are not very responsive to the question of mass suffering
in Myanmar. The few contextual theologians and the theologies that they have
produced have not made significant impact on the churches. Their emphasis, too,
is primarily on the cultural contextuality of theology which was typical to
earlier Asian contextual theologies. This study makes the question of human
suffering as its primary starting point.
Gustavo Gutierrez is
inarguably one of the most influential of all liberation theologians. The
influence of his theology was widespread. Gutierrez sought to discern the
Christian message in relation to the question of human suffering. His theology
of liberation focuses on Jesus not only as Savior but also as Liberator of the
poor and marginalized. Based on the post-world war II social situation of Latin
America where masses of people are suffering due to oppression and injustice,
his theology envisions the liberation of the oppressed from their suffering and
interprets the Scripture through the plight of the poor. His theological emphasis is the glory of God that is
present in and among, and which gives dignity to the poor. In brief, Gutierrez
sought to discern the Christian message in relation to the problem of suffering
in underdeveloped, developing, if not maldeveloped societies.
1.2 Statement of the
Problem
Gustavo
Gutierrez’ theology represents to the researcher a new approach to doing
contextual theology. Gutierrez and liberation theology in general may be half
of a century year-old now and was an influence to Asia and Myanmar some few
decades later but, in so far as the researcher’s faith community is concerned,
the Baptist community in the Chin state, Gustavo Gutierrez and Latin America’s
theology of liberation, wherever they are heard, are still foreign theologies
that are good as a meaningless to the Chin people. It is for the reason that
this study focused more on Gutierrez’s theology of suffering more than focusing
on Latin American theology of liberation in general. Suffering is a central
pastoral concern/theme that can bring in Gustavo Gutierrez as a theological
influence in Chin Christianity.
It
was the researcher’s proposition that Chin Christians need to review their
understanding of suffering and the alleviation of people’s suffering through
the lenses of Gutierrez’s theology of suffering and struggle for justice. This study framed and
furthered the discussion of the conversation between this Gutierrez and the
Chin situation by raising the questions. The general question involves
responding to what is the possible relevance of
Gutierrez’ theology of suffering to the Chin church in Myanmar?
1. What is Gutierrez’ analysis of society?
2. What is Gutierrez saying about suffering and Christian responsibility?
3. What are the popular beliefs about suffering among the Chins in
particular and the people of Myanmar in general?
4. What are contemporary theologies in Myanmar saying about suffering?
5. How can Gutierrez’ theology be appropriated in the Chin context?
6. What does Gutierrez’ struggle for justice within the context of the
church’s preferential option for the poor say about the Chin church and its
participation in the alleviation of people’s suffering?
1.3
Objectives of the Study
The purpose of this study is to reflect on the reality of human suffering
in the Chin (Myanmar) context as an indigenous Chin using Gustavo Gutierrez’
liberation theology as lens. The writer breaks the objectives of this study
down to the following:
1.
To understand Gutierrez’s theology of suffering and how this can be used in the
understanding of the Chin social situation.
2. To conducted a survey of
contemporary theological reflections and popular theologies in Myanmar that are
relevant to the issue of human suffering and its alleviation.
3. To explore the relevance
of Gutierrez’s thoughts to the Chin society and how liberation theology inform
contextual theological reflection in Chin.
4. To propose for an appropriate
Christian response to suffering in the Chin Land in the light of Gutierrez’s
thoughts.
1. 4 Significance of the
Study
This
study offers an alternative view and understanding of suffering based on
Gustavo Gutierrez’ liberation theology - a view that can serve as a critique of
the dominant and popular metaphysical and fatalistic views on suffering among
Chins, ecclesial communities included.
First,
in contrast to the more general horizon of Asian contextual theologians that
include theologians from Myanmar, this study focused and sought to contribute
more on the further development of theological reflections on suffering that is
contextual and relevant to the Chins.
Second,
this study helps introduce a new approach to analyzing and understanding the
Chin (Myanmar) social situation – including the state and situation of Chin
churches.
Third,
this study can help the churches shape models of mission and ministry that can
effectively address the root causes of mass suffering in Myanmar in general and
the Chin state in particular.
Fourth,
this study hopes to generate a process of self- realization for Chin Christians
of their being agents of change in the wider society; and offers hope that the
situation of suffering can be challenged and changed.
1.5 Scope and limitation
This
research is limited to the investigation of Gustavo Gutierrez’s theology of
suffering as applied to the Chin Society. Thus, the research is limited to four
areas of investigation:
1. A study of the historical and
social situation in the Chin state.
2. A study of
popular religious understanding of suffering and the human condition in the
region.
3. A study of
Gutierrez’s view on suffering and Christian responsibility.
4. A study of the
possible implications of Gutierrez’ theology in doing theology in the Chin
state.
1.6 Conceptual Framework
This study reflects on the Chin
people by analyzing the social, economic, political, cultural and some aspects
of Chin society and using Gustavo Gutierrez’ theology of suffering and struggle
for justice as principle and tool of analysis, this study proposed an
alternative Christian discernment and appropriate response to the suffering of
the Chin people.
1.7 Theoretical Framework
In order to support this study, the researcher used Gustavo
Gutierrez’ analysis of historical situations in Latin America. Gutierrez’
liberation theology begins from historical reality and developed from the
perspective of the poor. He contributes to the interpretation of crucial
biblical events Exodus. Gutierrez' understanding of the Exodus is the
narrative's underlying assumption of humans as participants in the making of
their own history. By developing a theology from the perspective of the poor
and by underlining with it the need of Christians to be actively involved in processes
of social change that promote justice. [2]
While, one should understand that when Gutierrez used “suffering” it refers to
the sufferings of the poor. Gutierrez’s work on A Theology of Liberation and The Power of the Poor in History has
described the root causes of human suffering. It is a systemic
institutionalized injustice and oppression of people that results in their
economic and political marginalization. In this systemic exploitative and
oppressive structures of social evils are human construct. [3]
The systemic forms of injustice and oppression are concretely seen
on human beings who are alienated from the products of their labor and acts of
production as they are made into commodities by the market. The concept of
class struggle is tied in Marxist thought with the concept of "mode of
production."[4]
The class struggle presupposes that what is basically wrong and should be
changed in society are the relations of production.
Relations of production refers to human/people’s relation in
connection the possession of tolls/means of productions and participation in
production. Economics is about human relations, in particular it is about class
relations. Class relations are economic relations. The emergence of classes in
society is an offshoot of economic relation, particularly the relations of
production. The division of society into classes is based on the relation of
production. Essentially, the relations of production are division and relation
of classes in production. Classes are vast group of people with different
status in certain economic system based on the possession of tools of
production, participation in production, the amount of share and the way people
acquire the share of the products created by society. The division of society
into classes is a division of the people into exploiters and exploited,
oppressor and oppressed, ruling and ruled.[5]
The root of all sufferings are a sinful structure, this liberation
is reached "only through the acceptance of the liberating gift of Christ,
which surpasses all expectations”[6],
act as new creatures in the love of neighbor and in the effective search for
justice, self-control and the exercise of virtue. Write from the perspective of the suffering in their
contexts and Gutierrez suggestions as to what a fitting response to suffering
should be namely, “Preferential
option for the poor, Education and Conscientization,
Community-Building, and Mobilization.” Gutierrez deep social analysis offers a richer understanding of
human suffering and points to a vision of sustainable social activism and for
all Christians, both the rich and the poor, involves solidarity with the
suffering poor.
1.8
Research Methodology
This research project is
primarily a theoretical research that focuses on three areas: Gustavo
Gutierrez, his theology of suffering and his corollary reflections on the
poor’s struggle for justice; the dominant and popular views on suffering and
the human condition among Chins; and the appropriation of Gustavo Gutierrez’ theology
in the Chin context.
First, the researcher
made an extensive review of the literature of liberation theology, even as this
focused initially and primarily on Gutierrez’s analysis of historical contexts of
suffering and struggle for justice. In this study,
the researcher looked at Gutierrez’s critique of developmentalism and how he
analyzed the cause of mass suffering in Latin America and the third world with
his dependency theory. Following the methodology of Gutierrez, this writer
explored the author’s advocacy for the poor in his now all too popular
phraseology “preferential option of the poor” and his understanding of
ecclesiology and Christian responsibility vi-a-vis suffering and the human
condition.
Second, this study
investigated popular views on human suffering including those from indigenous
religious traditions or the so-called folk beliefs; those from the churches and
Christian communities who were raised under the tutelage of American Baptist
missionaries; and also those from the Buddhists, since Myanmar is officially a
“Buddhist country” and that to some extent the influence of Buddhism also
extends to upland tribal states.
Third, to pursue this, this
writer organized conversations with respondents that are representative of the
communities in the Chin state. This investigation also included a survey of the
works of Myanmar’s leading theologians and their relevance to the thesis of
this study and a solicitation of the current views of Church leaders who may or
who may have not read anything about Asian contextual theologies. These group,
too, were included as respondents to the questions of this research.
The questionnaire raises
questions that purse the objectives of this study. They respondents included
pastors who are immersed in their communities and theologically schooled. These
respondents are also most familiar with the indigenous religious beliefs and
through processes: questions included (1) what is temhtuarnak, suffering to you, (2) what does temhtuarnak include, and (3) what to you is the causes of people’s temhtuarnak?
Fourth, this study
facilitated a dialogue between Gutierrez’ theology of suffering and the
struggle for justice on one hand and the Chin social and ecclesial situations
on the other. This was the point in the study where this writer tried to
appropriate or contextualize Gutierrez’ theology in the Chin context and argued
for the relevance of the liberation theologian to theological reflection in the
Chin context.
In the appropriation of
Gutierrez’ theology, this study contracted the discussion to at least four
themes: the ethics and praxis of the church vis-à-vis suffering, the
“preferential option for the poor” in the Chin context, the struggle of the
Christian and the churches for political and economic justice, and the
constitution of the people of God specific to the Chin setting.
1.9 Definition of Terms
Burmanization: “Burmanization” is a quasi-official policy and a
process that enforces Burmese national consciousness on minority groups,
including the Chins of the tribal/highland states of Myanmar.[7]
Chin: “Chin” came from the root word “Chin-lung.”[8]
According to the myth on the origins of the Chin people, the said people
emerged into this world from the bowels of the earth or a cave or a rock called
“Chin-lung.” According to Lian H Sakhong, Chin is the national name for various
ethno-linguistic groups such as the Asho, Cho, Khuami, Laimi, Mizo and Zomi.
Chin is one of the national groups, albeit, a minority group that help
constitute the predominantly Burmese nation of
Myanmar.
Dingthlu-Lairel: “Dingthlu-Lairel” is a combination of words that expresses the moral
attributes and qualities of God who created all things and ruled over with
righteousness and justice, mercifully and equally to all creation.[9]
Dukkha: Suffering. In Buddhism, Dukkha is used in a broad sense to mean suffering.[10]
It includes not merely physical and mental suffering; it also means
imperfection, impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and ignorance concerning the
true man and his existence. [11]
Gautama: Gautama Buddha, also known
as Siddhartha Gautama or simply the Buddha, was a sage on whose
teachings Buddhism was founded.
Hermeneutics: The task of reflecting on how we go
about doing our interpretation of texts, life and culture.
Karma: The word means actions,
work or deed. It also refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect
where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that
individual (effect).
Khuachia: The
evil spirit or Lucifer is called khuachia.
Khuachia is the cause of human suffering, accident, sickness, and death on
the life of human beings.
Liberation Theology: Liberation theology is an
interpretation of Christian theology of that emphasizes a concern for the
liberation of the oppressed. Latin American liberation theology is an approach
or a system of doing theology that was
influenced by the political philosophy and/or dialectical materialism of Karl
Marx and progressive political
theologies of the 20th century its starting point is that of Christian/ church
solidarity (“preferential option for the poor”) with the poor and suffering in
their struggle for liberation.
Myanmar: Myanmar was called Burma until the previous
military junta changed it into Myanmar.[12] Since June 19, 1989, Myanmar has been used as
the country’s official name.[13] Most local people and the international media
still casually use Burma instead of Myanmar.
Nirvana:
Central to Buddhist teachings, “nirvana” refers to the
imperturbable stillness of mind after the fires of desire, aversion, and
delusion have been finally extinguished. The Burman Buddhist understanding of “nirvana” is varied. Metaphysically, it means “deliverance from
suffering;” psychologically, it means “eradication of self or egoism;” and
ethically, “nirvana” means the “destruction of lust, hatred and ignorance.”
Orthopraxy: Right way of behaving,
contrasted with orthodoxy, right belief, which is held to be less interested in
the practical demands of faith.
Praxis: A term often used in liberation
theology to describe the actions and commitments which provide the context for
theological reflection. It means the discovery and
formation of theological truths out of a given historical situation through
personal participation in the process of social change.
Relevance: Relevance is a term used to describe
how pertinent, connected, or applicable something is to a given matter.
Sin: According to Gutierrez, is not just
private. Sin is a social, historical fact, that absence of brotherhood and love
in relations among men, the breach of friendship with God and other men; and
therefore an interior personal fracture. While, sin, for Christian Chins, is
the willful disobedience to the law and commandment of God. The source of sin does not lie in material things but in man’s
spiritual rebellion against the sovereignty of God.
Struggle for justice: It is the effort that every unequal and unjust society makes to better
integrate all its members. In Latin America the church struggle with the
poor and justice, equally paying for every person
as their worth.
Suffering: Suffering is
a consequence of human freedom. Free will do good or evil. According to Gutierrez, suffering is
a spiritual and material-history reality. It is cause by the product of
international capitalism, social
injustice, and political repression.
Tatmadaw: The Tatmadaw is the official name of the
armed forces of Myanmar. It is administered by the Ministry of Defense and
composed of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
Temhtuarnak:
in Hakha Chin temhtuarnak means
suffering its included ngan-fahnak-
physical suffering and intuarnak-
emotional suffering.
Theodicy: It is the combination of two Greek
words, “theos” (god) and “dike” (justice).
Theodicy, thus, means explaining the goodness of God
and the presence of evil.[14]
The
Chin Church: The first American Baptist missionary
to the Chins was Arthur Carson and Laura Carson reached Hakha on March 15,
1899. Through the works of the missionaries several Christian churches were
established. The first Baptist church in the Chin Hills was opened at Khuasak
village on February 17, 1906. Today, the Chins have the highest percentages of
Christian and literacy among other ethnic groups in Myanmar. The Chin Hills, a
mission field in the past, now has become a sending church.[15]
By: Victor Aung Thu Lin
[1] Thawng
Khuo Tuong,
“Weaving A Contextual Theology of Mission For Myanmar” (D.Miss diss.,
Philippine Christian University, Manila, 2012), 1.
[2] Gustavo
Gutierrez, The Power of the Poor in History:
Selected Writings. Trans, Robert R
Barr, (Maryknoll,
NY: Orbis, Book, 1983), 17.
[3] Curt
Cadorette, From the Heart of the People:
The Theology of Gutierrez (New York: Meyer-Stone Books, 1988), 18.
[4] Gustavo
Gutierrez, The Power of the Poor in History:
Selected Writings. Trans, Robert R
Barr, (Maryknoll,
NY: Orbis, Book, 1983), 119.
[5] Alan B. Cabas, “A Theology of Creation of Informed by Mayaw Belief” (M.Th thesis, Union Theological
Seminary, Philippines, 2017), 23-24.
[6] Gustavo Gutierrez, A Theology
of Liberation (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1973), 176.
[7] Lionel Landry, The Land and
People of Burma (New York: J.B Lippincott Company, 1968), 60.
[8] Chao-Tzang Vawnghwe & Lian H. Sakhong, eds., The Fourth Initial Draft of the Future Chin-land constitution
(Thailand: Chaing Mai, UNLD Press, 2003), 24.
[9] Ibid., 57.
[10]
[12] Donald M. Seekins,
Historical
Dictionary of Burma (Myanmar) (Maryland, USA: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2006), 2.
[13] Roger Bischoff, Buddhism in
Myanmar a Short History (Kendy, SriLinka: Buddhish Publication Society
1995), 17.
[14] Terrence W.
Tilley, The Evils of Theodicy (Wipf and Stock Publishers:
Georgetown University Press, 2000), 7.
[15] Lian H. Dohkam,
“The God Above All: Khuazing-Pathian
Discourse as Point of Departure for Theologizing in the Chin Context” (Ph.D
diss, Philippine Christian University: Manila, 2008), 25-27.
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