https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12852/1347 Sat, 14 Nov 2026 00:19:38 GMT 2026-11-14T00:19:38Z https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12852/4009 The question of identity and liberation in the Myanmar church Dawla, Walesbeth The Purpose I am attempting an account of the search for identity and liberation in the mission work. Christianity in Myanmar has been deeply rooted and has grown stronger in adversity with an expansion of 130 years. Today, there are almost 1.8 million Christians representing 6.5% of the total population of 46 million people. After the Burma Revolutionary Council was formed in 1968, all Protestant and Roman Catholic foreign missionaries were expelled from Myanmar. The church in Myanmar has been faithful and gave the continual growth of the church during the country’s establishment of the "Burmese way to socialism". Among the 6.5% Christians, 5.2% Protestants are largely formed by ethnic minorities such as Kachin Mara, Rawang, Lisu, Lahu, Lushai, the northern Chin and 40% of Karen people.1)The ethnic minorities, each with numerous subgroups, have been identified as Christians who continue to exist with distinctive beliefs, practices and churches. Myanmar Christians can be described as religio-ethnic groups.2) In Myanmar, there is freedom of religion for Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Animism and others like folk religion. However, in most occasions, Buddhism has great influence in governmental affairs. Although Buddhism originated in India, it was molded and transformed into Myanmar culture and tradition so it becomes wholly Myanmar Buddhist or Myanmar religion. On the contrary, Christianity in Myanmar has suffered for its origin as a foreign religion. It is clear that "Christianity has developed through a complex interaction between religious and nonreligious factors. Christian ideas have been formed within the intellectual framework provided by Greek philosophy； the Christian Church was molded as an institution by the Roman empire and its system of laws. The Catholic mind reflects something of Latin Mediterranean temparament, whereas the Protestant mind reflects something of the northern germanic temparament."3) The purpose of this study is to create awareness among the church leaders that the issues we are facing regarding concerning the nature of church and our mission, would be confronted and be continued by the issue of its "identity". The identity of the church continues to be defined by the church buildings created on western models, a continuing notion of the foreign origin and allegiance of the church and the transcultural values and images associated with Christian functions, ceremonies and programs. This study seeks to reexamine its critical remarks on the identity of Christianity as "Christianizing", or "Christening" mission. This study will also seek to explore the identity of the churches, unity and the needs of unity and cooperation among churches, including the fast-growing-para churches, in order to work together for the kingdom of God. At the same time, this study is to find out the meaning of liberation from the context of mission in Myanmar. Mission is the church's response to its calling to serve and witness to God's loving and liberating purpose for the whole human family, for every individual member of that family, and for the whole of creation. Mission is to be involved in the processes of transformation and liberation of the human personality with the contemporary concept of social transformation and change. Since my thesis is entitled “The Question of Identity and Liberation in the Myanmar Church,” I would characterize this from my understanding of Christian consciousness being based on the cognitive and ethical dimension. The Importance Myanmar needs to find a relevant strategy in the mission work which is able to cope with the current situation and needs of the people. We also need to expand our ecumenical horizon that reveals to us God's way with the nation and people with which we have not seriously reckoned in our faith before. It has become increasingly evident to thinking Christians that the future of Christianity cannot be separated from the future of other religions, that the well-being of the Christian church is closely bound with the well-being of the large community around it, and that Christians and their neighbors are fellow pilgrims on earth in search of the meaning of life and fulfilment of it. The Method The method of this study will begin with an introduction and the general historical background of Myanmar including ethnicity and religious beliefs in chapter 1. There will be an examination of the socio-political background of the country. This study will give the understanding of the situation and context where the Myanmar church had been established. In chapter 2, we will trace the historical background of Protestant mission in Myanmar. A brief history of the mission will start from the Baptist church which became a strong missionary sending body. The mission work of the Baptist church will be mainly emphasized on this study. Chapter 3 will introduce the problem of Christian identity in Myanmar along with churches' unity. Chapter 4 will seek the meaning of liberation in the Myanmar context. As a Christian, knowing and understanding the interpretation of liberation from the Bible will be followed by the building up of a secular understanding of liberation. Specifically, this study will seek to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of Christian mission in community for the liberation from all means of bondage. Thus, the liberation understanding for mission work in Myanmar will take its roots in the spiritual experience of our Christian community and will develop in the form of the continuing process of action of how God is at work in the Myanmar church. The conclusion will take a look to the future of mission work in Myanmar within the context of our existing needs, values, and lifestyles based on the call and vocation of the church. The Limitation A study such as this paper is limited in scope and length by the socio-political background of my country because the fields of liberation, religious dialogue, and identity crisis are too wide. I have chosen to narrow the scope of this study to an extent which will find the way for the church to deal with the critical situation of our mission work to reach the unreached people. This study will be an attempt to affirm our respective missionary convictions to bear a d ear witness and to foster a climate of respect, freedom and reciprocal service in our Christian community. There are many difficulties and limitations in understanding the concepts of people of other living faiths and in communicating to them the liberating message of our Lord Jesus Christ. Introduction Mon, 01 Jan 1996 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12852/4009 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12852/4008 Christian education strategy for middle adults of Myanmar Baptist church Maung, Win In the Bible, tree is a metaphor for what the human life is all about. The psalmist says," They are like trees that grow beside a stream that bear fruits at the right lime, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeeded in everything they do. (Ps. 1:3) “Jesus also says, " A healthy tree bears good fruit, but a poor tree bears bad fruits. (Matt. 7:17)" These metaphors mean humans must grow like a tree. The metaphor of growth is an essential part of the image of human. As a tree grows and bears fruits, humans also need to grow. Learning is important for the process of growth in human life. Learning means making use of every source- in or out of the educational institution-for personal growth and development. John L. Elias says, “To be human means to learn to be fully human entails a lifelong effort, in acquiring knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors."12People are learning throughout their lives. With the increasing complexity of our world, lifelong learning and adapting are absolutely necessary for basic survival. For this lifelong effort of teaching- learning process of humans, the church stands as a teaching institution to nurture its members. Charles A. Tidwell expresses that “A church must engage its members in regular and frequent nurturing and educating experience."2 The ultimate purpose of the church is to make Disciples of Christ. The responsibility includes both evangelizing, to bring persons to Jesus Christ, and teaching them in His way (Matthew 28:20). The educational church program can be defined as the entire, complete program that a local church carries on to bring persons to Christ as Savior and Lord, to guide them in growth toward Christlikeness, and to equip them for effective service in the will of God (Eph. 4:12-13) In the long tradition of teaching ministry, the church took responsibly for all different ages of people. Perhaps the worst mistake we could make would be to assume that adult education should be like the education of children and youth, only on a higher level. Adults as learners are unique, needing an educational approach designed for their own characteristics as learners. Moreover, all adults are not the same. They also need an educational program designed for the various developmental levels of adulthood. In this thesis I will explore the middle adults as learners, identifying their developmental stages and special characteristics as students. It is a fact that, Christian education should meet the real life problems of middle adults. Meeting the needs of middle adults, helping them to live happily in society and to serve society are characteristics of Christian education. Christian teaching is not merely transmitting knowledge about God, but also encourages and helps to have the relationship and encounter with the living God in life. As Myanmar has faced political changes in history, the church also needs to find the relevant methods and strategy for nurturing its middle adult members. To this end, I will draw the objectives and strategies of Christian education for middle adults of Myanmar Baptist Church. Introduction Sat, 01 Jan 2000 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12852/4008 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12852/3466 The paschal liturgy in the Philippines context Laus, Joseph B. One of the most noticeable features of the present liturgical monument is the recovery, restoration, reformation or enrichment of the Paschal Liturgy of Holy Week and Easter as the crown of the Christian liturgical year. The paschal liturgy is the heart of the Christian liturgical year. It is the unitive celebration of the Christian Passover accomplished in Jesus Christ and into which all Christians are plunged by virtue of their baptism. It is the liturgical celebration of the one saving act of Christ in which the Church as his mystical body dies and rises again with him. The Paschal Liturgy consists of the Rites of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and the Great Easter Liturgy of the Easter Night. When the Church celebrates the paschal rites of Holy Week and Easter, she is not keeping a series of antique rites of considerable beauty. It is by means of the liturgy that the Church makes present here and now the redeeming power of Christ's saving acts in the past. Holy Week and Easter is not chiefly the time for recollecting upon the last events our Saviour's life; nor is it a time for individual corporate retreats. It is all these, but it is chiefly a time for the renewal of the Church. And the Church in celebrating the paschal liturgy is concerned with the central facts of its existence and faith. By celebrating the liturgy, the Church lives more intensely than at any other time of the year the central facts of her existence and faith so that she may be drawn more closely to her redemption in Christ, and at the same renew herself to the very depths of her existence and faith. Year by year, the Church is renewed as she recalls in Holy Week the point of her redemption the cross and resurrection of Christ. It is the occasion of the Church’s corporate awareness of the events of her redemption. It is during Holy Week and especially the Sacred Triduum of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday in which the people of God enter into, and are renewed as the people of God by the triumphant passion of our Lord. Thus the paschal rites are the unique means by which the Church proclaim the Word of God to men, and the mighty acts of God in Christ for man's salvation accomplished in Christ once for all in history. The Church does this in rites and ceremonies, word and action, placarding the events of holy history, exposing and meditating upon it, and at the same time becoming identified with that which she proclaims and celebrates as present, passing from death to life, and becoming the new creation in the Risen Lord. The underlying theme of Holy Week and Easter is the Passover of Christ and the passover of his Christian brothers. Just as Christ passed over from death to life to the glory of the Father, so now the Church is making her passover through the liturgical celebration so that she may come to a new phase of her existence. In the first Holy Week, Christ redeemed us and every Holy Week He renews our redemption. Thus on Palm Sunday, the Church recalls the triumphal entry of our Lord to Jerusalem to accomplish his passover. On Maundy Thursday, the Church recalls the betrayal of our Lord and the institution of the Holy Eucharist in which Christ gave his body and blood as his anamnesis until He comes again. Then on Good Friday, the Church dies with Christ, she rises to life again, now filled with the life of the Risen Christ on Holy Saturday at the Great Easter Vigil. This work is a liturgiological study which is concerned with the origins and development of the liturgy as lived in the Church. Thus the basic thesis of this study is that true liturgical renewal must always return to the sacred sources, original and development of the liturgy. This grounding has a practical bearing on the present because it tells us how the Christians prayed and worshipped through the living centuries of the Church, providing a connecting link with the present as far back to the life and worship of the Primitive Church. And it is when we understand the primitive origins, the development of the liturgy through the centuries of the living Church, and this connecting link from the present to the primitive origins that we can know and understand best our present forms of divine worship. Thus the Given Liturgy, the Paradosis is a necessary ingredient in any liturgical renewal. What has been done in the liturgy and what is being done now must be tested against the given or the Paradoses. The work is divided into eight chapters. The first chapter is on the background and the origins of the Paschal; and then reconstructs the Primitive Рaschа as given especially by the writings of Justin Martyr and the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus. The second chapter deals with the development of the complex observance of the paschal liturgy, and the reconstruction of the same, especially as that which developed as the Jerusalem Holy Week pattern. The succeeding chapters outline the historical development of the Holy Week observance in the Western Church as a whole before Vatican II. The chapter on "Holy week" in the Orthodox Church” is to bring us to the liturgical traditions of the East as they have received the Paradosis from the Primitive Church. However, this section is very limited because of the lack of texts available, except the English translation of the Holy Week services from the service book of the Holy Orthodox Catholic (Greco-Russian) Church by Isabel Hapgood (1906 edition). The chapter on "The Paschal Liturgy in the Philippines" is important and its main concern is a description of the major customary religious practices that have been associated with the Holy Week observance in the Philippines. Thus this chapter gives the context of the Philippines, that in addition to the official rites of Holy Week many extra-liturgical or quasi-liturgical services are being observed by the people. This chapter poses a problem to the Church: “How should the traditional Holy Week practices be adapted, or redirected, or re-oriented so that they are not celebrated separately from and unrelated to the paschal liturgy of Holy Week and Easter?" This problem has become more serious because some of these religious practices which the people value so much have become tourist attractions in the streets, or they may fade away in the future years ahead. Some solutions to this problem is suggested on the chapter on "The Paschal Liturgy In The Liturgical Renewal." The main concern of this chapter is liturgical and practical. It reconstructs the restored and reformed paschal liturgy of the Church, especially as represented by the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church and the Reformed Church Tradition. Then it proceeds to give the principles for the adaptation of the liturgy to the norms and traditions of the people. First, a profound knowledge of Christian Tradition is necessary to discern in the custom what is universal from what is particular to a given civilization or culture. Second, the norms governing liturgical laws must be followed. Third, the substance of the liturgy must be kept intact; and fourth, indigenous practices and traditions must not be indissolubly bound up with superstition. With these norms in mind, the Church can carefully adapt or re-orient some of the meaningful traditional practices of the people into the liturgy of the Church, keeping what is valuable in them, correcting what is wrong and elevating them to the Gospel. Integrating some of the more meaningful traditions and practices of the people will involve them actively to participate and share in the paschal mystery which the paschal liturgy proclaims and celebrates. And the christian will be able to experience a continuity between his daily life and customs, and the Church. The paschal liturgy will then evidently be celebrated as the summit of the liturgical celebration of the Christian Year will be celebrated with reality and great awareness that we are truly a sacred people and members of Christ's body, which is highlighted in the liturgy of Christian Initiation (baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist of the Great Easter Liturgy. In effect, this brings to focus the meaning of the Christian life, making it clear that the Christian is incorporated into the body of Christ through the sacrament of Christian Initiation. Thus the Christian will be able to worship Christ, whose property he has become, because he will be able to understand Sunday better as a weekly Easter, the Eucharist and the prayers of the Church. The christian who participates in the paschal rites of Holy Week and Easter will not fail to understand the meaning of the Christian life, proclaimed and celebrated experienced in word and action through the effective symbolism of the liturgy. The concluding section of the chapter attempts to suggest for possibilities and areas of adaptation and liturgical renewal, orienting some of the traditional practices to the paschal liturgy of the Church as celebrated through the living ages of the Church. The final chapter is on "The Theology Of The Paschal Liturgy." Foremost is the Passover motif, and the death and resurrection of Christ. It was because the angel of the Lord passed over the land of Egypt killing the first-born of the Egyptians that the Israelites were enabled to pass over the Red Sea to Mount Sinai where God made covenant with them to be His Chosen People and He will be their God. This was the most important of all the saving acts of God among the people of the Old Testament. Now, when Christ came, what he did was in essence as that which God has done for Israel. It was a Passover, Israel in Egypt was hopeless, and except that God would intervene and do something. God intervened and delivered Israel. In like manner, the sinless man Christ, making himself in all things like man chose the way of the guilty though utterly guiltless, in order that men might be saved, becoming the Passover of his sinful brothers. Abstract only Sat, 01 Jan 1977 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12852/3466 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12852/3463 The divinity and pre-existence of Jesus in the Gospel of John and its impact on the Christian evangelical church in Minahasa Lolowang, Decky Kornelius The conviction of Jesus’ divinity and pre-existence (from now on referred to as JDP) is one of the topics of theology which, on the one side, led to the rise of Christianity, but, on the other side, has been a confusing problem. The problem has been especially felt since rationalism has challenged JDP as it has been found in the church's witness and teaching. JDP has also been a problem for the church's encounter and dialogue with other religions. Today, the question arises as to the relevance of the J DP doctrine in the life, witness, and service of the contemporary church. Can the thought that everything written in the Bible must be accepted as the one and only criterion of true faith be maintained today? Or does the church have to reformulate her faith contextually, just as the writer of the Bible were always thinking and writing contextually? These are the questions which are discussed in this thesis. Historically, discussion of JDP occurred more frequently in post-New Testament writings. But NT texts were always used in these discussions. Therefore, the question needs to be asked as to how far and in what ways the NT writers thought of Jesus as divine and pre-ex existent. Within the NT, there are a number of passages which do seem to be marked by JDP, particularly in Colossians, Ephesians, and Hebrews. In Col. 1:5-10, Jesus is presented as the picture of the invisible God, as that which was before all else, for in him everything was created. In this hymn, the impression is given of Jesus as mediator between God and human beings together with all of creation. But JDP is not explicitly stated in this hymn; its main concern is with the role of God in creation and salvation, and not with Jesus’ divine and pre-existent nature. The same is true of Ef.1:3-14 which seems to point to Jesus ' r ole in the maintenance and salvation of the created order. The reference to the secret purpose of God before the creation of the world does not contain any explicit statement about the pre-existence of Jesus. What is stressed here is redemption in and by Jesus as part of God's plan which was determined in the beginning. Of more interest is the hymn in Heb.1:1-3. At a glance, JDP seems to be included in it, especially because of the statement that Jesus is the light of God's glory destined to declare God's will from the beginning. But the hymn is not dealing with JDP; rather it is stating God’s plan of salvation and God’s activity of redemption as looked at from the angle of its beginning and not of its ending that is related to Jesus. Therefore, if these hymns are carefully looked at, it cannot be said that they are expressions of JDP. But such expression for the first time clearly does occur in the gospel of John. For the reason, this thesis is concerned primarily with that NT writing. The hymn in the prologue (Jn.1:1-8) is concerned with the logos which existed before creation and through which creation occurred. The logos became human flesh for the purpose of salvation, and this incarnate logos is identified with Jesus. With this identification, it is clear that this section expresses JDP. Yet, the main emphasis here is not on pre- existence but on incarnation--logos sarx egeneto. The other passages in the gospel which seem to refer to JDP are those which speak of "the sending of the son by the father" ( see esp. 4: 34; 5:37; 6:44; 8:18,42; 13:3; 17:8) and of "the son of man descending into the world and then ascending again to the place from where he came” ( see esp. 3:2,13; 6:31,41, 62; 13:31-32). In addition to these, the frequent use of the phrase ego eimi -- a phrase which most likely refers to God’s or divine being's revelation (as found both in the Old Testament and in Hellenistic religious literature) -- conveys the impression that the writer is trying to express Jesus’ divinity as the one who comes from God and from the divine world. Statements such as " I am the bread of life which came down from heaven" (6:35,41), and "I am the door of the sheep" (10:7), or "I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (14:6) seem to contain the understanding of Jesus' function as the one who came from above to become the mediator between God and humankind. Then there are several verses where JDP is explicitly expressed, such as 3:13; 6:38; 8:38, 58; 17:5,24. The clearest of these is that in 8:58, "Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. Nevertheless, much of the gospel of John gives the impression that its main concern is not the nature of Jesus as the one who has come from the divine world, but rather the meaning of Jesus' presence in this world. The concern of the writer is not so much who Jesus is, but what Jesus does. By looking at what Jesus does during his time of being in the world, one can know the real God, that is, the loving and merciful God who has come to encounter human beings through Jesus. So it can be said that the christology which John developed to express his conviction about the loving God is really a functional, not an ontological, christology. By analysing the subject of JDP, I have tried to contribute to the church's understanding of her mission and teaching, especially that of my own church, the Christian Evangelical Church in Minahasa. If the church learns from the gospel of John, she realises that her christology should be more "functional rather than christological in character and that, however that may be, it is most important that she always try to do christology in a contextual way. I have tried to point to some traditional elements in Minahasan culture and religion that might well be part of the context for contemporary christology in Minahasa. The organisation of the thesis is as follows: Chapter I is description of the understanding of pre-existence as found in Judaism and Hellenistic thought at the time of the NT. Chapter II contains exegesis of those parts of the Gospel of John which seem related to JDP. Chapter III attempts to ascertain the causes for the appearance of JDP in the community which produced the Gospel of John. Chapter IV discusses the effect of JDP in the life, witness, and service of the Christian Evangelical Church in Minahasa (GMIM) and tries to point to the possibility of the development of a more contextual christology. Abstract only Tue, 01 Jun 1993 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12852/3463 1993-06-01T00:00:00Z