KODI Thomas Emlyn anali ndani, nanga n’chiyani chinamuchititsa kuti ayambe kuteteza choonadi? Kodi tingaphunzire chiyani kwa iye, zomwe zingatithandize masiku ano?

Kuti tiyankhe mafunso amenewa, tiyeni tikambirane mmene zinthu zinalili ku England ndi ku Ireland chakumapeto kwa zaka za m’ma 1600 ndi koyambirira kwa zaka za m’ma 1700. Pa nthawiyi tchalitchi cha ku England chinali ndi ulamuliro waukulu ku England. Koma magulu osiyanasiyana a Apulotesitanti sankagwirizana ndi zimene tchalitchichi chinkaphunzitsa komanso kuchita.

Pa nthawi imeneyi, ndi pamene Thomas Emlyn anabadwa. Iye anabadwa pa May 27, 1663, ku Stamford, m’chigawo cha Lincolnshire ku England. Analalikira ulaliki wake woyamba ali ndi zaka 19. Kenako anakhala mlangizi wa mkazi wa munthu wina wotchuka amene ankakhala ku London. Koma kenako Emlyn anasamukira mumzinda wa Belfast ku Ireland.

Atakhala kwa nthawi ndithu ku Belfast, anakhala mkulu woyendetsa zinthu pa parishi inayake. Patapita nthawi, Emlyn anatumikira monga m’busa m’malo osiyanasiyana, kuphatikizapo ku Dublin.

Pa nthawi yonseyi, Emlyn ankaphunzira Baibulo mozama n’cholinga choti alimvetse bwino. Zimene anaphunzira m’Baibulo zinachititsa kuti ayambe kukayikira chiphunzitso cha Utatu, ngakhale kuti poyamba ankachikhulupirira.

Emlyn sanauze anthu nthawi yomweyo zimene anapeza m’Baibulo. Komabe anthu ena a m’tchalitchi chake anazindikira kuti akamalalikira, sakutchulanso zokhudza Utatu. Podziwa kuti anthu ena sangagwirizane ndi zimene wapeza, Emlyn analemba kuti: “Ndikuona kuti sindingapitirize kugwira ntchito ngati m’busa pomwe ndikudziwa kuti ndinasiya udindowu.” Mu June 1702, akuluakulu awiri anamupeza n’kumufunsa chifukwa chake sankatchula za Utatu akamalalikira. Emlyn anawauza kuti wasiya kukhulupirira zokhudza Utatu ndipo akhoza kuchoka m’tchalitchichi.

Pasanapite nthawi yaitali, Emlyn anachoka ku Ireland n’kupita ku England. Koma patatha milungu 10 anabwereranso ku Ireland n’cholinga choti akachite zinthu zina, n’kubwereranso kukakhazikika ku London. Ali ku Ireland, anasindikiza buku. Iye analemba bukuli pofuna kudziwitsa anthu zimene anapeza m’Malemba zokhudza Yesu Khristu. M’bukuli anafotokoza momveka bwino chifukwa chake Yesu si Mulungu Wamphamvuyonse. Zimenezi zinakwiyitsa kwambiri anthu ena a m’tchalitchi chake chapoyamba. Choncho anamusumira kukhoti.

Emlyn anamangidwa chifukwa cha mlanduwu ndipo June 14, 1703 anakaonekera m’khoti lina mumzinda wa Dublin. M’buku lake lakuti, True Narrative of the Proceedings, Emlyn anafotokoza kuti ankaimbidwa mlandu “chifukwa cholemba ndi kufalitsa buku limene anthu ankati analembamo zonyoza Mulungu, zabodza zokhudza Mulunguyo, zoti Yesu Khristu si wofanana ndi Mulungu komanso zinthu zina.” Koma mlanduwu sunaweruzidwe mwachilungamo. Panali  mabishopu 7 a tchalitchi cha ku Ireland amene anakhala limodzi ndi oweruza mlanduwu. Emlyn sanaloledwe kuti afotokoze mbali yake. Loya wina, dzina lake Richard Levis, anauza Emlyn kuti amukhaulitsa. Kumapeto kwa mlanduwu, woweruza wamkulu wa khoti la ku Ireland, dzina lake Richard Pyne, anauza oweruza amene ankayenera kunena ngati Emlyn anali wolakwa kapena ayi, kuti ngati savomereza kuti Emlyn ndi wolakwa, mabishopu awapatsa chilango.

Emlyn atapezedwa wolakwa pa mlanduwu, loya wa boma anamuuza kuti asinthe maganizo, koma iye anakana. Choncho anapatsidwa chilango choti alipire ndalama komanso akakhale m’ndende kwa chaka chimodzi. Koma popeza sakanatha kulipira ndalamazo, anayenera kukhala m’ndende kwa zaka ziwiri, mpaka pamene mnzake wina ananyengerera akuluakulu kuti amuchotsere ndalamazo. Emlyn anatulutsidwa m’ndende pa July 21, 1705. Mavuto amene anakumana nawowa, ndi amene anamuchititsa kulankhula mawu aja oti: “Ine ndikuvutika chifukwa chofuna kuteteza choonadi [cha Mulungu] ndi ulemerero wake.”

Emlyn anasamukira ku London komwe anakumana ndi katswiri wina wa Baibulo, dzina lake William Whiston, yemwenso anthu ankadana naye chifukwa choti anafalitsa zimene iyeyo ankaona kuti ndi choonadi cha m’Baibulo. Whiston ankalemekeza kwambiri Emlyn ndipo ankati iye ndi “m’busa woyamba komanso wamkulu wa Chikhristu.”

Mofanana ndi William Whiston komanso katswiri wina wamaphunziro amene anthu ankamulemekeza kwambiri, dzina lake Isaac Newton, Emlyn anapeza kuti chiphunzitso cha Utatu sichochokera m’Baibulo ngati mmene anthu ena ankanenera. Emlyn ananena kuti: “Nditaiganizira kwambiri nkhaniyi, n’kuona zimene Malemba oyera amanena, . . . ndaona kuti . . . ndi bwino ndifotokoze maganizo anga pa nkhani ya chiphunzitso cha Utatu chomwe poyamba ndinkachikhulupirira.” Pomaliza iye ananena kuti: “Mulungu ndi Atate wa Yesu Khristu choncho ndi wamkulu koposa Yesuyo.”

Kodi n’chiyani chinapangitsa Emlyn kunena zimenezi? Anapeza malemba ambiri amene amasonyeza kuti Yesu si wofanana ndi Atate wake. Taonani ena mwa malemba amenewo. Mawu apendeketsedwawo ndi amene Emlyn ananena pofotokoza tanthauzo la lembalo.

•  Yohane 17:3: “Lembali silikusonyeza kuti Mulungu yekhayo, amene watchulidwa m’vesili ndi Khristu.” Atate ndi amene akutchedwa “Mulungu yekhayo amene ali woona.”

•  Yohane 5:30: “Mwana sachita zofuna zake koma za Atate wake.”

•  Yohane 5:26: “Atate ndi amene anapatsa Mwana moyo.”

•  Aefeso 1:3: “Nthawi zambiri Yesu Khristu amatchedwa Mwana wa Mulungu. Koma Atate sanatchulidwepo kuti Atate wa Mulungu ngakhale kuti nthawi zina amatchedwa Atate wa Ambuye wathu Yesu Khristu.”

Emlyn ataganizira umboni wonsewu, ananena motsimikiza kuti: “M’Malemba oyera mulibe vesi ngakhale limodzi limene tinganene kuti limanena zoti Atate, Mwana ndi Mzimu Woyera ndi mmodzi ndipo amapanga mulungu mmodzi.”

Masiku ano anthu ambiri amaopa kuikira kumbuyo zimene Malemba amaphunzitsa. Komatu Emlyn sanachite mantha kuteteza choonadi cha m’Baibulo. Iye ananena kuti: “Ngati munthu sangathe kukhulupirira choonadi chomveka bwino chimene wapeza m’Malemba oyera, ndiye kuti kuwerenga Baibulo komanso kufufuza mfundo zofunika kulibe phindu lililonse.” Emlyn ankaona kuti sangapitirize kutsatira zinthu zabodza pamene choonadi akuchidziwa.

Chitsanzo cha Emlyn komanso anthu ena, chingatithandize kuganizira ngati ifenso tili okonzeka kuteteza choonadi, anthu ena akamatsutsa zimene timakhulupirira. Tiyenera kudzifunsa kuti: “Kodi chofunika kwambiri kwa ine n’chiyani Kulemekezedwa ndi anthu akudera kwathu, kapena kutsatira zimene Mawu a Mulungu amanena?”?