1. The Need of the Hour

  Fostering a more egalitarian society in India, where all Indians can breathe easy and fearlessly pursue a life of equal opportunity and self-determination according to the dictates of the inner sanctuary of one’s conscience is the need of the hour. The current situation in the country is one of imbalance of power between communities, holding out threats to those who don't submit supinely to anti-constitutional authority. This has resulted in fear and loss of liberty, diminishing of human dignity and qualms in practicing the Christian faith openly and freely.  People are diffident and apologetic about their faith. This is certainly against the rule of God. 

2. Government Machinery Misused

     Government policy is being misused and laws are being promulgated to deny basic religious rights, stamping out the feeble voices crying for justice by the tyranny of the majority.  A selective targeting of minorities and deliberate refusal to protect their dignity by active collusion between fringe antisocial groups and departments like the Police, ED, IT and others, are the unspoken order of the day.  Minorities also feel threats to their way of life and freedoms from sections of the media and partisan agencies of government who operate at the behest of unjust powers at the helm.  Lately there has also been collusion between powerful business interests and governments to usurp public assets for private gain in a quid pro quo with the leaders of the ruling dispensation.  Finally, there has been a clamor against and concerted attack on our Constitution, denying us freedom to propagate our faith.  These are all crimes against humanity.

3. A Response to the Signs of our Times

  All these signs are loud and clear.  To thinking and feeling Indians, these are simply unacceptable.  All institutions of democracy and the sanctity of the Constitution have to be preserved from attack and safeguarded.  We, as concerned Indian Christian citizens, have decided to form an authentic politically conscious active social movement called Bharatiya Christiya Neethi Sangathan, BCNS, to revive the great traditions of India's founding vision as a truly secular and egalitarian society with goodwill amongst all communities as guaranteed in the Constitution.  To discerning eyes, the Indian Constitution and the Gospel of Jesus Christ share deep and common ground that promises liberty, equality, fraternity, justice, freedom, peace, progress, development, integrity of the nation, equal opportunity and egalitarianism to all Indians.  Since BCNS is a people's movement, we do not align ourselves with any particular political party. In that sense, BCNS will have the freedom to critique any party that goes against the Gospel and Constitutional values, and endorse any that stand for those values. This is what Jesus did.  As we present BCNS at different sacred fora, we see what the Spirit is telling us in those assemblies. May the Holy Spirit guide us as we continue to discern the ways of God. 

4. Unity in Diversity

   BCNS is guided by the vision to allow every community within the diverse polity of India the right to self-determination, and to flourish and develop under the aegis of the national flag and a common Father in Heaven through unity in diversity, a true hallmark, grace and work of the Spirit of God.  Foremost in its philosophy is the Biblical truth that all humans are made in the image and likeness of the Creator himself and therefore all Indians have an indestructible dignity at the core of their beings just because we are all human.  This is a unifying principle we find hard to understand and have easily forgotten.

Jesus Christ, as He was in the final days of His life, made this fervent prayer to the Father: that all of us should be one (Jn 17:21).  Indeed, we cease to be Christians and members of the same Body of Christ if we cannot see everyone else as our brethren.  Caste, language, region, economic status, professional hierarchy, social rank and culture have divided us for too long because we do not see ourselves as siblings with one common Father in Heaven.  The Our Father prayer is mere lip service since we don't really mean anything by it.  “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus,” said St Paul in the Letter to the Galatians, 3:28.  These are not just pious words but a serious program for a Godly way of civic life.  This is the socio-political agenda of the Bharatiya Christiya Neethi Sangathan, to usher a society that transcends identities of caste, creed, language, regional considerations and cultural touchiness, to accept one another, first and foremost, as children of God and brethren in the Lord, with each community allowed to determine for itself its own destiny in an atmosphere of distributive righteousness, for only righteousness truly exalts a nation.

5. The BCNS Manifesto

BCNS has a ten-point manifesto, stated below:

  i.       To labor passionately to infuse Christian values into the praxis of Indian public life; 

 ii.      To celebrate unity in diversity;

 iii.     To promote egalitarian social causes; 

 iv.     To build bridges with other like-minded agencies; 

 v.      To expose the corrupt and clean up public life;

 vi.     To support organizations and individuals doing selfless work; 

 vii.    To align with forces of Indian Secularism, who participate in the Indian parliamentary democracy through the prophetic voice of the truth; 

 viii.   To collaborate to form Godly-inclusive-governments; 

  ix.     To emancipate the poor, safeguard the weak and share with the needy among us; and,

  x.      To speak up for the voiceless and the marginalized,

and do all these with the attitudes and demeanours of authentic love. 

6. Apostles Called

  Rather than remaining an armchair critic or an indifferent cynic in these most trying times, you may be one of those called to be a modern apostle to do God's will in this day and age.  Remember that those apostles Jesus called traveled seas, climbed mountains, endured inhospitable climes, lived through untold hardship and were ready for any sacrifice to take up His cause simply because they loved Him.  If the Spirit is calling you, do not quench His fire.  Come, let us humbly but courageously submit to the Holy Spirit, who has a great plan for us.

7. The Way Forward

The way of the Cross is the high road ahead of us.  It is not a fairy tale game or a romantic affair for comfort seekers. Nobody said that Christianity would be easy.  We are to embrace a life of sacrifice and struggle by bearing the Cross, which is less allegorical and symbolic but more phenomenological (lived) and palpable. Christianity is for humble souls but not for feeble ones. Let our souls be valiant brides of Christ and violent in love, becoming instruments of vengeance of love for the Lord who has arrayed us for battle against unrighteousness.  We are not alone, for “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1Jn 4:4).  We are wedded to our cause we are called to, BCNS, and Jesus our Master will lead the way; we are to stay yoked to Him, a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light.  This is the wonderful mystery of the cross.  What looks daunting and insurmountable is mysteriously rendered possible and doable if only we exercise pure faith that is simple but strong.

 Finally, we may not see any fruit for long years or even in our lifetime, but here's an opportunity to make an authentic beginning.  Saint Teresa of Kolkata had said, “you may not be successful but you can be faithful.” So, let's not be driven by any grandiose expectation of glory or reward in this world, and be doubly wary of playing this game by the power of money or the worldly values of self-promotion and vanity and easy compromises to get results according to our imaginary whim and timetable. Decisions are best taken through combined vertical and horizontal synodality.  Someone in the future generations may come to prominence and there may be nothing by way of worldly recognition for us now; but we can sow the seeds today, the seed that must die to bear fruit in plenty tomorrow.  The Kohima War Cemetery in Nagaland echoes this sentiment in its solemn declaration: “When you go home, tell them about us: for your tomorrow, we give our today.”  

The Holy Spirit is our protagonist.  Absolute reliance on God and prayer by which more things are wrought, as Lord Tennyson had put it, should be our penchant and basic nature. Don't be afraid my brethren, “if we are led by the Spirit, no law can touch us,” as St Paul said in the Letter to the Galatians, 5:18; not a hair of ours will be ruffled without the Lord permitting it.  But the only reward we really have is the chance to bear the cross of our Saviour, so our reward is the journey of BCNS, nothing more.  The day we are motivated by money or worldliness, we shall lose the game.  Come, let's bear the cross of Jesus Christ authentically, walking in love, Eph 5:1-21.  Welcome to BCNS, welcome to the Way of the Cross!

BCNS Prayer

Loving Father, anoint with your Spirit, your children, whom you made in your own image and likeness, to walk with you in thanksgiving and surrender and usher your rule.

     Into your hand, Father we commend our country and wish to be the salt of the earth, lose our lives for others, enter into their worlds and incarnate your love in the Indian polity. Conscious of our core identity as your children, may we labor passionately to implement the BCNS manifesto with attitudes and demeanours of authentic love.

    Let us practice your love while being firm in the faith that you will heal all its wounds.  Keep us sensitive and appreciative of the diversity of Indians and engage them all through inclusive policies of love.  Let us not look the other way when injustice rages in our land, but accepting our finitude and wielding the authority of your children, may we prayerfully and courageously bring about true and merciful justice. 

     Let your sublime truth and a life of authenticity lead us to full maturity in Christ and may we hear you calling us your beloved children in whom you are well pleased, progressively making India a land of greater peace and prosperity, where everyone experiences true socio-economic-political freedom, is accepted and allowed to flourish and develop to their fullest, enhancing distributive righteousness, for only righteousness can truly exalt a nation.  

    We realize that this is an endless mission of goodwill, perseverance, arduous sacrifice, toil and the willingness to suffer long years on the way of the cross, which paradoxically becomes easy to walk as we yoke ourselves to you, because your yoke is easy and your burden is light, and our journey is a sweet reward in itself.  As we venture out, we welcome anyone with genuine goodwill to join our fold, and surrender our families to you, praying that you grant them your special protection, consolation and joy so that we may veritably spend ourselves for you and our country and as brethren build India and usher the rule of God.  In Jesus' holy name we pray.  Amen.

In Christ, for Christ and His people

Bharatiya Christiya Neethi Sanghathan 

“Lead us Lord, We pray”