American and Naga Independence

 

As I reflect on the 75^th year celebration of the Naga declaration of independence, I grieve over the decades' long conflict and its relative lack of success in establishing a free nation for the Nagas. Americans only had to fight for eight years to win our independence.

There were 56 state delegates who signed the
American Declaration of Independence. Each of the 13 states squabbled and argued with one another in an effort to gain the best benefits for each state, but ultimately, these 56 men recognized the truth of Benjamin Franklin’s words, “We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”

The last line of the American Declaration spelled out the serious nature of declaring independence: “And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, WE MUTUALLY PLEDGE TO EACH OTHER OUR LIVES, OUR FORTUNES, AND OUR SACRED HONOR.” That is to say, the signers knew that Great Britain would try to arrest them and publicly execute them for treason against the king. This was deadly serious.

None of those 56 American patriots dreamed of ever becoming rich and successful through war with Great Britain. I think most of the 56 signers died in poverty. With their own finances, they clothed, fed, and outfitted Gen. George Washington’s army. Why would they do so?

They risked so much because they longed for a country with freedoms and good governance that the colonial power could not given them. They invested their lives, fortunes, and their sacred honor to forge a new nation in which their children could live safely and securely.

May God grant the Nagas wisdom, perseverance, strength, and godly leaders to lead them in their struggle for self-determination.

Kuknalim

Doing Government While Awaiting the Coming Kingdom

It is all about the coming Kingdom, as the prophecy indicates:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:6-7).

Likewise, Jesus tells us to seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33). For this reason, Christians must not put their trust in earthly kingdoms and human governments. Indeed, because of our pervasive depravity, our idealized governments will always fall short and will never, ever offer redemption or societal salvation.

Nonetheless, governments are ordained by God to accomplish certain purposes while we await the passing away of this present evil age. For example, St. Paul indicates that governments are ordained by God to execute justice (Romans 13:1-7). On a more positive note, Paul indicates elsewhere that we should pray for government leaders so that we may live quiet and peaceful lives (1 Timothy 2:1-7). Underlying this discussion is the Christian's mission to propagate the Gospel: we should pray for good governance so that our Christian mission might not be impeded.

Christians, however, are not commanded to be passive in terms of involvement in government. A primary example of someone called into government is the Old Testament prophet Daniel and his three friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were given high positions of authority in the Babylonian government. In their respective capacities, they were to use their authority for the greater social good, even though they were looking forward to an everlasting kingdom (Daniel 4:34-35).

A more comprehensive understanding of these and other passages inform us that in our American democracy, so long as we can participate in the democratic process, we should work to make government better and more conducive to the ideals of the coming Kingdom. Our Founding Fathers understood this and encapsulated it in our founding documents when they wrote,

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

Meanwhile, while we strive for better government, we look for that city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11:10).