A study of the cultural factors in the foreign misssions thinking of the Mizoram Presbyterian Church

Hlawndo, Zaichhawna (2011). A study of the cultural factors in the foreign misssions thinking of the Mizoram Presbyterian Church. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis on the interaction between Mizo traditional culture and Christianity proceeds in the following five steps:
Firstly, Hnatlang practices are introduced, analyzed and identified as the principle of Mizo pre-Christian socio-cultural, political, economical, and religious development.
Secondly, it is argued that the Mizo nation embraced and appropriated Christianity based on the cognitive framework of Hnatlang which, in turn, shaped their understanding of church and mission.
Thirdly, it is proposed that a profound process of indigenous "translation", namely, by giving Hnatlang a central place in Christian understanding, was the major factor of indigenous church growth. This interpretation challenges the perspective that church growth in Mizoram was simply the fruit of the missionaries.
Fourthly, it is shown that the application of the Hnatlang principle in the mission work of the Mizoram Presbyterian Church outside Mizoram led to significant friction and cultural dislocation in the (non-Mizo) target cultures in which the Mizo-s are agents the new "European missionaries" in India (Mizo missionaries act in the same manner as most of the European missionaries).
Finally, the thesis offers a theological and missiological critique of Hnatlang practices.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):