Burmese Nationalism and Christianity in Myanmar: Christian Identity and Witness in Myanmar Today
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Concordia Seminary - Saint Louis Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Concordia Seminary Scholarship 12-1-2016 Burmese Nationalism and Christianity in Myanmar: Christian Identity and Witness in Myanmar Today Zam Khat Kham Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.csl.edu/phd Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons Recommended Citation Kham, Zam Khat, "Burmese Nationalism and Christianity in Myanmar: Christian Identity and Witness in Myanmar Today" (2016). Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation. 22. https://scholar.csl.edu/phd/22 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Concordia Seminary Scholarship at Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BURMESE NATIONALISM AND CHRISTIANITY IN MYANMAR: CHRISTIAN IDENTITY AND WITNESS IN MYANMAR TODAY A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Department of Systematic Theology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Zam Khat Kham December 2015 Approved by Joel Biermann, PhD Advisor Joel Okamoto, ThD Reader Victor Raj, ThD Reader © 2015 by Zam Khat Kham. All rights reserved. Dedicated to: My Mother, Vung Khaw Hau, who raised me to love God and His Word after my father’s early death in 1971, and my wife, Go Khan Lun, who is a true life-companion for me since 1989 when we were united to be blessed with six precious children, four daughters and two sons. CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. vii CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................ 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 THE THESIS ........................................................................................................................ 2 THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE QUESTION ............................................................... 4 THE DISSERTATION IN THE CONTEXT OF CURRENT SCHOLARSHIP ................. 6 THE METHODOLOGICAL PROCEDURE TO BE EMPLOYED .................................... 9 THE OUTCOMES ANTICIPATED .................................................................................. 13 CHAPTER OUTLINES AND PROGRESSION ................................................................ 15 CHAPTER TWO ......................................................................................................................... 18 BURMA/MYANMAR AND BURMESE NATIONALISM ............................................. 18 MYANMAR AND ITS PEOPLE ....................................................................................... 20 The Burmese People’s View of Themselves and Other Peoples ............................... 22 Ethnic Diversity and Its Impact on Christianity in Myanmar.................................... 32 RELIGIONS IN MYANMAR ............................................................................................ 45 BUDDHISM AND BURMESE NATIONALISM ............................................................. 53 CHAPTER THREE ..................................................................................................................... 62 CHRISTIAN MISSION WORK IN THE SETTING OF BURMESE NATIONALISM IN BURMA/MYANMAR ....................................................................................................... 62 SOME INDICATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY’S EARLY PRESENCE IN BURMA ........ 62 THE ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSION IN BURMA/MYANMAR ................................... 65 PROTESTANT CHRISTIAN MISSION IN BURMA/MYANMAR ................................ 70 American Baptist Mission in Burma ......................................................................... 71 iii Some Missions Other Than Baptist ........................................................................... 78 BURMESE NATIONALISM AND CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY WORK IN BURMA/MYANMAR ....................................................................................................... 79 Buddhist Burmese Perception of Christianity in Myanmar ....................................... 89 “Burmanization” and Christianity in Myanmar ......................................................... 93 A Strange Case of Christianity in Korea in Comparison with That in Myanmar.... 100 CHAPTER FOUR ...................................................................................................................... 104 A SEARCH FOR AN AUTHENTIC MYANMAR CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY ............ 104 A DIVIDED BURMESE SOCIETY AND A SEARCH FOR RELEVANT THEOLOGICAL PARADIGMS ...................................................................................... 105 A Divided Society and Christian Minorities in Myanmar ....................................... 106 Religious Conflicts and the Search for a Relevant Theological Paradigm .............. 109 RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE AS A WAY OF ENGAGEMENT ........................................ 117 CONTEXTUALIZATION AS A WAY OF ENGAGEMENT ........................................ 124 Local Theologies Constructed with Home-Grown Resources ................................ 127 CHAPTER FIVE ....................................................................................................................... 138 LUTHER’S TEACHING ON GOD’S TWO KINGDOMS AS A THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR MYANMAR ................................................................................. 138 MARTIN LUTHER’S TEACHING ON THE TWO KINGDOMS OF GOD ................. 139 A “Doctrine” or “Teaching” on the Two Kingdoms? ............................................. 142 “Two Kingdoms” As the “Two Strategies” of God................................................. 145 What Does Luther Actually Teach? ........................................................................ 147 Luther’s Teaching on the Two Kingdoms in the Lutheran Confessions ........ 152 The Distinction between the Two Kingdoms or Realms ................................ 155 Luther’s Teaching on the Two Kingdoms As a Break from the Medieval Concept of Society ..................................................................................................................... 159 iv Criticism, Misunderstanding and Misuse of Luther’s Teaching on the Two Kingdoms ................................................................................................................................. 163 LUTHER’S TEACHING ON THE TWO KINGDOMS IN THE CONTEXT OF MYANMAR ..................................................................................................................... 170 CHAPTER SIX .......................................................................................................................... 176 CHRISTIAN IDENTITY AND WITNESS IN MYANMAR .......................................... 176 CHRISTIAN PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IN MYANMAR.............................................. 177 PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AS PUBLIC THEOLOGY ................................................... 186 THE SETTING OF MYANMAR AS A CULTURE WITHOUT CHRIST .................... 189 THE TWO KINGDOMS AS THE FRAMEWORK FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING .......... 193 LUTHER’S TEACHING ON THE TWO KINGDOMS OF GOD AND CHRISTIAN VOCATION...................................................................................................................... 198 Right Understanding of Christian Vocation and the Burmese Misconception About Society ..................................................................................................................... 203 Christians As Salt And Light: The Teaching on the Two Kingdoms as A Corrective to Christian Pessimism ................................................................................................ 204 Christian Involvement in Nation Building Activities in Myanmar ......................... 208 BURMESE NATIONALISM AND CHRISTIAN IDENTITY IN MYANMAR ........... 209 Christian Participation in Civic Affairs in the Myanmar Context ........................... 212 The Practice of Responsible Christian Living ......................................................... 214 Some Practical Things That Christians Can Do ...................................................... 218 Intercessory Prayer ......................................................................................... 218 Being Subject to the Authority ....................................................................... 220 The Virtue of Endurance and Patience ........................................................... 225 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 229 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................. 235 v Online Internet Sources ........................................................................................... 251 vi ABSTRACT The dissertation first considers the historical and cultural settings of a rising Burmese nationalism that embraces Buddhism as an essential component and seeks to enforce a cultural homogenization known as “Burmanization” on all citizens