Wisdom of Primal Peoples in the Era of World Christianity (Jangkholam Haokip)

Christianity is a truly global religion, and every strand of Christianity has its own theological emphases. Western Christians tend to focus on individual salvation and the question of what happens when we die. But as we amplify other Christian voices, we find that the riches of the gospel might stretch far beyond our original conceptions.

In this episode, Dru interviews Dr. Jangkholam Haokip, an Indian theologian, author, and former professor. Growing up in Churachandpur, Manipur, in Northeast India, Jangkholam converted to Christianity as a child. Drawing on his experiences with indigenous Indian culture and religion, he had the opportunity to develop a unique perspective on Christian theology, including Scripture's portrayal of sin's effects on nature, the value of yet-unheard perspectives, and the way that the gospels can affect the lives of whole communities.

After his long career as a professor at Union Biblical Seminary in India, Jangkholam has founded the Bethesda-Khankho Foundation, which aims to transform indigenous Indian communities through education and poverty outreach. He also contributed to the recent book Voices from the Margins: Wisdom of Primal Peoples in the Era of World Christianity.

Show notes:

• 0:00 Announcement about our upcoming event
• 1:22 Converting to Christianity
• 5:03 Further education and understanding the gospel
• 8:51 Individualism in Western Christianity
• 15:09 Sin and the health of nature
• 20:10 Tribal Indian thought in the biblical texts and Western theology
• 25:48 The value of indigenous theology
• 29:47 Christianity as a help for Indian history, identity, and culture
• 31:05 On Jangkholam's new book Voices from the Margins: Wisdom of Primal Peoples in the Era of World Christianity

Show notes by Micah Long