The Churches in North East India have been taught how to be self-supporting, self-propagating and self-governing, but they have not learned how to be "self-theologizing."

The traditions and experiences of the tribal Christians in North East India have not been theologically reflected. Prof Dr. Thanzauva has made sincere effort to reflect theologically on the cultures, experiences and aspirations of the tribal Christians in North East India. He had edited and published a book entitled "Towards a Tribal Christian Theology: The Mizo Perspective" in 1989. Since then Zauva has been working on Contextual Theology to develop a Tribal Christian Theology and wrote a Thesis on A Theological Basis for Social Transformation in the Context North East India which he submitted to the melbourne College Divinity for his Doctor of Theology.

After he returned from Australia, Zauva joined the Eastern Theological College where he was conferred Professorship and became the first Dean of Post-Graduate and Tribal Studies. He delivered series of lecture on Methodological Issues Tribal Theology which is incorporated in this book. This book is an outcome of his on-going research on Contextual Theology and teaching at the Post-Graduate and B.D levels. This book is a theological reflection from the tribal perspective which is now commonly known as Tribal Theology. A few more books on the subject are yet to appear.

Acknowledgements
Forwarding

CHAPTER I
MEANING OF THE TERM “TRIBAL

A. Original Meaning
B. The Indian Usage
C. Is “Tribal” a redeemable term?

CHAPTER II
TRIBAL SITUATION IN NORTH EAST INDIA

A. Tribals : Alienated People
B. Tribal Situation in North East India
C. From Armed Struggle to Transformation Struggle
D. Theological Agenda

CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN TRIBAL THEOLOGY

A. Theological Vision
B. Paradigm Shift in Theology
C. Major Issues in Contextual Theology
D. Models of Contextual Model
E. Choice of Methodology for North East India

CHAPTER IV
TRIBAL HERMENEUTICS

A. Tribals and the Bible
B. Need of Tribal Hermeneutics
C. Tribal Hermeneutical Principle
D. Aliens in the Bible
E. Hermeneutical Significance for Tribals
F. Other Hermeneutical Clues

CHAPTER V
TRIBAL CONCEPT OF HUMANITY

A. Communitarianism
B. Rediscovery of Communitarianism
C. Theological Validity of Communitarianism
D. Theological Significance for Social Transformation

CHAPTER VI
TRIBAL SOCIAL ETHICS

A. Tlawmngaihna the basis of Tribal Social Ethics
B. Meaning of Tlawmngaihna
C. Critical Analysis of Tlawmngaihna
D. Concept of Tlawmngaihna in Other Communities
E. Reconstruction of Tlawmngaihna
F. Theological Validity of Tlawmngaihna
G. Theological Significance for Social Transformation

CHAPTER VII
TRIBAL ECLESSIOLOGY

A. Community Home as the Basis of Tribal Eclessiology
B. Functions of Community Home
C. Rediscovery of Community Home
D. Theological Validity of Community Home
E. Theological Significance for Social Transformation

CHAPTER VIII
THE COMMUNITY OF GOD-HUMAN-WORLD

A. Theological Debate on God-Human-World Relationship
B. The Tribal Voice in the Debate
C. Rediscovery of a Community Model of God-Human-World
D. Theological Validity of a Community Model of God-Human-World Relationship
E. Theological Significance for Social Transformation

CHAPTER IX
COMMUNITY LAND

A. Human attitude towards Land and Other Creatures
B. The Tribal Concept of Land
C. Rediscovery of the Tribal Concept of Land
D. Theological Validity of the Tribal Concept of Land
E. Theological Significance for Social Transformation

CHAPTER X
COMMUNITY OF MEN AND WOMEN

A. Commonality and Diversity of Women Issue in NEI
B. Relationship of Men and Women in the Tribal Community
C. The Relationship of Men and Women among the Tribal Christians
D. The Relationship of Men and Women Today
E. Vision for a New Tribal Community

CHAPTER XI
SINGING THEOLOGY

A. Songs as the Source of Theology
B. Origin and Development of Indigenous Christian Songs
C. Tribals Sing their Theology

CHAPTER XII
THEOLOGY OF DEVELOPMENT

CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dr. K. Thanzauva hails from Mizoram. He was born and brought up in a conservative Christian family and ordained in 1976 by the Baptist Church of Mizoram. He served as a Pastor since 1974 until he joint the Easter Theological College in 1981. He than became the General Secretary of the Baptist Church of Mizoram, the Vice President of the Asian Pacific Baptist Federation and the Vice President of the Commission on Human Rights of the Baptist World Alliance. Presently he is the Director of Greenhill public school which he founded in 2015.