Being Tribals and Christians: The Complexity of ‘Charismatism’ among Evangelical Naga Baptists
Christianity to the Nagas of Northeast India came through American Baptist missionaries from the late 19th century onwards and grew through modern education and medicine, missionary works, indigenous agents, and so on. In the 1950s and 1970s, most Naga-inhabited areas witnessed the Revivals which were a “period of intensified spiritual experience whereby an outpouring of the Holy Spirit is believed to transform believers and whole communities who (re)dedicate themselves to Christ and active evangelism” (Iliyana: 90). These revivals introduced the charismatic element to Naga Christianity such as glossolalia, prophecies, and other ‘signs and wonders.’
Although most Nagas identify as Baptists and may not endorse charismatic tendencies in churches on grounds such as traditional Baptist heritage, cessationist views, and so on, in more recent decades there has been an enormous growth of prayer centers that display strong charismatic tendencies coupled with the growth of charismatic churches in urban areas of Nagaland. Moreover, Baptist churches regularly organize revival meetings that emphasises spiritual rejuvenation and demonstrate charismatic expressions. Furthermore, from theological perspectives, Naga theologians are arguing for the continuity of indigenous expressions with Christianity particularly with charismatism. These varying facets complexify the narrative of charismatism among Naga Christians.
Although the Pentecostal-charismatic movement may have started at a specific location, since the 1950s it has accelerated and developed in different forms and varieties according to religious, historical and socio-cultural contexts but is recognizable as having charismatic-like characteristics and distinctness (Anderson, 2011:1-10). This paper will argue that ‘charismatism’ among evangelical Naga Christians is a complex ongoing movement that is deeply ‘localised’, reflective of indigenous religiosity and theologically emphasizes on Spirit-inspired notions of seeking deeper relationality with God. The discourse overall seeks to contribute to studies in World/Global Christianity with a concentration on charismatic studies.