Khmer Christians and supernatural power

Imagine you're a lay leader in a tiny church and someone wants to become a Christian. What would you do if, shortly after you prayed together, she started to levitate half a meter, rising and falling as your terrified youth group looked on? It’s not a question I had previously considered. But for some Cambodian believers, it’s reality. 

I’m continuing from a previous post discussing my teammate Jeff Hogue’s dissertation. Jeff’s qualitative study analyzes interviews with fifteen Khmer house church leaders (KHCL) from Buddhist backgrounds. Last time, I summarized their descriptions of seeking supernatural power previously as Khmer Folk Buddhists (KFB). This post will look at how they now seek supernatural power as Christians, and some implications for discipleship in the Cambodian church. Like last time... if something in here is incorrect, blame me, not him!

A note of caution before I dive in: Just like most Cambodians layer Buddhism over older animist and Hindu practices, Jeff argues that modern Western Christianity is actually a folk religion syncretized (or mixed) with Enlightenment-inspired naturalism. Naturalism tends to accept physical and scientific explanations for events and dismiss phenomena with apparently supernatural causes. Jeff doesn’t advocate blind faith in every report, but rather allowing for the possibility (alongside spurious or psychopathological causes, etc.) that it was genuine. We Western evangelicals, including cross-cultural workers, tend to encourage morality, Bible study, and philosophical explanations for pain and suffering. We believe that the supernatural realm is real but don’t expect to encounter it in our daily lives. When trouble comes, we turn first to solutions like medicine, insurance, counselors, and contingency plans: solutions that require economic power, not supernatural power. We tell Cambodian Christians that God is near, good, and listening... but our actions say otherwise. Thus, we disempower God in their eyes as a solution to their problems.

Jeff asked his interview subjects how they developed their theories as Christians on supernatural power, and they mentioned reading the Bible and praying humbly. They stated that power comes through a consistent relationship with God, and goes hand in hand with increased love for God and changed moral behavior. Unlike in Khmer Folk Buddhism (KFB), power is available to everyone in the faith community through faith and prayer. God gives power through "generalized reciprocity," not tit-for-tat: it's because he's generous and not because people have earned it or placed him in their debt. He requires his followers to give themselves to him [tvay-kluen] but not to give a constant stream of other gifts like money and food, as KFB spirits demand. 

Respondents believe that it’s always God’s choice whether to display power in a given situation. They trust that he is with them and able to care for them, with or without fulfilling their requests.

Eleven of 15 respondents indicated participation in Christian exorcisms. These are rare since most KFB adherents prefer exorcism support from traditional shamans or monks, but sometimes Buddhists seek help from Christians if others can’t banish an aggressive spirit. During exorcisms, Christians talk to the spirit(s) and the afflicted party, not to God. They speak authoritatively, achieving God’s power by invoking Jesus’ name. In addition to the Bible's teaching, a body of experiences – their own and reports they’ve heard – inform their understanding of such events.

Let's go back to the story that started this post. One respondent describes a demon empowering a woman and causing her to levitate, the night that the respondent cut her amulet waistbands and prayed with her to give her life to Christ. He was terrified but began crying, “’In the name of Jesus, demons go away,’” at which she became motionless (171-172). This experience confirmed his previous theory that amulets contain the power of spirit entities and cutting them will anger the spirits. He also cites the Bible story of Jesus calming the storm and concludes, “'I realized that God’s power is always near us. It depends on our faith whether we can realize this'” (172). On the other hand, seeing this event take place in the church made him reconsider his belief that churches were a safe haven from demonic forces. A bit like Khmer Folk Buddhist adherents' beliefs are shaped by experiences in their lives and communities, Khmer Christians need flexible theologies that can adapt based on experiences in confronting spirits.  

Waist amulet

Respondents clarified that God’s power should not be used selfishly. New believers need to know that “transformation [bomplah-bombrey] is the primary purpose of God’s power, not vengeful aggression or coercion” (176). God’s power enables us to serve others, promoting their healing and wholeness. They listed leadership, evicting demons, and healing prayers as special supernatural gifts available to believers. Most of all, God’s power flowing through a loving community enables cleansing and transformation, moving believers closer to God and to each other. Seeking God’s power is a necessary part of daily life and inseparable from seeking His presence.

As with Khmer Folk Buddhists, tranquility matters to Khmer Christians... but not as much as God’s presence. Respondents expect that they won’t always enjoy good health and happiness [sok-sabay]. They mentioned tranquility much less here than in the KFB section, where it was the primary driving value. They often mentioned God’s presence in combination with other Christian values. Therefore, Jeff identifies God's presence (in both realms - the inner self and interpersonal relationships) as the core driving value that leads Khmer Christians to seek supernatural power.

Jeff developed a theoretical framework for Khmer Christian values that parallels his framework for Khmer Folk Buddhist values. He identifies God’s presence as the core driving value, both in the sphere of people’s inner self and in their relationships. (Unlike in KFB, the second sphere includes not only close kin but a wider fellowship of believers and others.) People may interpret life events as positively or negatively affecting this core value and five component values in either zone, thus affecting their total awareness of God’s presence. Khmer Christians pursue God's power for each of these values:

1. Knowledge of God [skoal-preah] involves God speaking to people directly through Bible study, and respondents learning through experience as they pray and see God’s involvement in their lives. 
2. Protection from affliction [kapia] is a high value: respondents reported desiring protection from illness, their own sinful or hard-hearted tendencies, and malicious people or forces, all of which could disrupt their fellowship with God. 
3. Relational connectedness [tomneak-tomnong] within the faith community seemed to have the biggest effect on realizing God’s presence. Respondents described caring, interactions in the family and community promoting personal transformation and affecting both participants and outside observers. 
4. Moral transformation [bomplah-bombrey] involves the perception of personal and corporate progress toward biblically moral ways. It comes from truth in God’s word, Christian fellowship, and/or God’s activities in life. “Softhearted and morally clean people will experience God’s power and presence in greater levels” as well as “a sense of transformation in relational connections with others.”
5. Giftive service [bomraer] entails Khmer Christians mobilizing and using supernatural power on others’ behalf without needing repayment. Giftive service includes community leadership, miraculous healing, and deliverance; believers celebrate its display both in their community and in their personal life.

Khmer Christians reported seeking these values through prayer and fellowship. They evaluate the outcomes in their life circumstances, seeing each value as either realized or unanswered, and continue cycling through requesting each value and observing its presence or absence.

House church leaders whom I met in 2011 in Kratie province

In his analysis, Jeff recommends creating a strategic discipleship program that responds to the Khmer Folk Buddhist traditional [prahman-sesna] religious logic. 69% of Khmer who profess to be Christians are rapidly becoming nominal – reflecting a change, not in their stated beliefs, but in their actions and lifestyles. They don't need anyone to whip up their emotions and feign a power display from God. But they might need someone to help them reflect on the tacit values driving their decisions, comparing these values to the Bible's teachings.

KFB's concept of tranquility is highly appealing across cultures and might even stem from our biological desires. But in Jeff's view, not all the lesser values that compose tranquility are biblical (see previous post for descriptions):
Physical health - Jesus showed concern for people's health, as he healed many with various conditions and even raised the dead. On the other hand...
Emotional endurance - Rather than strictly controlling emotional outbursts, he displayed many strong emotions like joy, sorrow, and anger. 
Relational connectedness - He neglected interdependent relationships, offending those in power while pursuing low-status individuals who couldn't reciprocate. 
Enhanced prospects (upward mobility) - He taught that seeking wealth and status often conflicts with serving God and shouldn't be our ultimate goal. 
Protection from loss - "Jesus not only embraced loss, he sought it out" as the pinnacle of his ministry, and encouraged his disciples to imitate him (196).

The Hebrew concept of "shalom," seen in the Bible, overlaps somewhat with tranquility. Jeff outlines traits of shalom as found in Brueggemann's (2001) description and concludes that while certain  aspects would appeal to Khmer Folk Buddhists, there are three key distinctions:

• Shalom requires a covenant agreement with God. There can be no shalom without his presence and power.
• Shalom is meant for both individuals and entire communities or societies to experience. Tranquility, however, is primarily a private pursuit, affecting the family unit only.
• Shalom requires human effort and sacrifice, whereas tranquility relies only on supernatural power.

In KFB, people seek circumstances that reflect their values of tranquility, while spirit entities seek respect and appeasement. These purposes never align, causing Khmer to distrust the spirits. When a given source of spiritual power no longer satisfies someone's desires or demands too much of them, he moves onto a different source. Jeff names two dangers for Christians whose top priority is still tranquility: 

1. They seek tranquility through God and don't attain it. So they seek tranquility elsewhere.

2. They seek tranquility through God and attain it. Since God doesn't require gift giving or relational intensification the way KFB spirits do, they become complacent and ignore him.

Most Khmer Christians are from Buddhist backgrounds. Their values probably range from the KFB set to the Khmer Christian set, and can fluctuate wildly in various situations. But it's hard for them, especially early on, to determine their core values and motivations as they face various concerns in life.

One respondent suggested, “'We need someone in the church who can nurture [tey-reaksa] new believers. Pastors are too busy. We need a teacher [kru] to teach people how to live in God’s presence'” (203). This teacher, or discipleship coach, could pray with a young believer feeling anxious and ask probing questions to help them discern the values driving their decisions. Churches can teach on KFB and Khmer Christian values, comparing the two and pointing out tensions. They can also make extended prayer a regular part of their meetings, with discipleship coaches available to pray with others.

Christianity began in Asia Minor, but today many Khmer believers have received more spiritual input from Western Christians than from fellow Asians or Global South believers. If we as cross-cultural workers aren't careful, Christianity can seem like a Western religion tainted by our naturalist bent: a philosophical alternative to classical Buddhism, but not a practical alternative to Cambodian folk traditions. We need to constantly reflect on our biases, deeply consider a Cambodian perspective on power, and realize how much wisdom our Khmer brothers and sisters have to offer. As the Cambodian church matures, they need to develop their own theology and "assume a posture of interdependence with Global Christianity" (222). Let's not only learn from them ourselves, but pray that their unique insights strengthen the worldwide church. 

Learning all of this has been super convicting for me. What is my deepest desire: for a tranquil life, or God's presence and kingdom? How is that affecting my prayers and attitude toward life circumstances? I want to be like the sons of Korah, who know what satisfies them:

How lovely is your dwelling place, 
   Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
   for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
   for the living God."

Psalm 84:1-2