Analysis: Reclaiming the Sacred — Vaka‘uta’s Call for a Brave and Loving Faith
By Melino Maka – Tonga Independent News
In his landmark article for E-Tangata, “The performance of faith without the presence of love,” Reverend Professor Nāsili Vaka‘uta delivers a bold and deeply grounded theological reckoning. It is a courageous call to Pacific churches — particularly within Tongan and broader Moana communities — to confront a long-avoided truth: that faith, when practised without compassion, humility, and cultural accountability, becomes harmful.
A Theological Cry from Within
This is not a critique from outside the church — it is a lamentation and a hope-filled prophecy from within. As a faifekau, theologian, and cultural son of Tonga, Nāsili speaks with a rare blend of spiritual authority and cultural intimacy. He does not weaponise his position; rather, he uses it as a shield for the vulnerable, a platform for truth-telling, and a mirror for the collective practice of faith in the Pacific.
What makes his reflection so compelling is its gentle, yet unflinching confrontation. He names the disease — “delusional religion” — traces its colonial roots, identifies its visible symptoms in our communities, and offers a healing pathway forward: one grounded in justice, indigenous wisdom, and trauma-informed spirituality.
Exposing the Shadow Side of the Lotu
Nāsili’s thesis is simple but piercing faith without love is not merely empty — it is dangerous. He names the spiritual violence committed under the guise of divine authority, and his examples are heartbreakingly familiar:
- Abuse of power disguised as pastoral leadership
- Women encouraged to suffer silently in the name of submission
- Queer Pacific youth silenced or condemned under the pretext of prayer
- Survivors retraumatised by church silence or spiritual gaslighting
These are not theological abstractions. They are lived traumas — wounds inflicted on the bodies and spirits of Pacific people. Nāsili rightly identifies this as spiritual violence.
Colonial Christianity and the Erasure of Indigenous Wisdom
Crucially, Nāsili challenges the idea that these abuses are intrinsic to Pacific cultures. Instead, he places them within the context of colonial imposition — systems that introduced rigid hierarchies, gender binaries, and shame-based religiosity that continue to dominate church life today.
He mourns the silencing of Indigenous wisdom — a wisdom where the sacred was woven into the everyday, where leadership meant tautua (service), and where the vā (relational space) was a sacred trust to be nurtured, not policed.
This decolonial lens is not only intellectually liberating — it is spiritually affirming. It validates the intuitive sense many Pacific people carry that the faith of our grandmothers and ancestors was more expansive, more loving — and more real.
Reindigenised Faith: A Vision Forward
Where Nāsili is most visionary is in his blueprint for a reimagined, reindigenised faith. He paints a vibrant picture of what a transformed church might look like:
- Liturgies that blend traditional prayer with karakia
- Pulpits shared with survivors, women, and queer leaders
- Churches that advocate for housing, mental wellbeing, and food justice
- A gospel that listens, weeps, apologises — and transforms
This is no utopian dream. It is already happening — in the margins. And Nāsili calls us to centre those margins.
Karlo Mila: A Testimony of Recognition and Hope
Dr Karlo Mila’s response to Nāsili’s article captures the emotional resonance of his message:
“This made me cry. And want to go to a church… that I believe is not yet fully formed enough for me to feel ok about being there… but Nāsili… I’m so proud of you.”
Her words reflect both pain and longing — the aching hope for a faith space that embraces without conditions. She describes Nāsili’s theology as one that is “deconstructed, decolonised, rendering God as love.”
And perhaps most tellingly, she recounts the reaction of others encountering his depth:
“Is he a Christian?” — a question that ironically reveals how rare it is to witness such radical love embodied in religious spaces.
Final Reflections
This article will be remembered as a watershed moment in Pacific theology. Reverend Professor Nāsili Vaka‘uta does not seek to burn down the house of faith — he clears away the rot at its foundations so we might rebuild it with integrity, compassion, and cultural truth.
His message is clear: faith is only sacred when it protects, uplifts, and serves. It is up to all of us — pastors, theologians, laypeople, youth, and elders — to choose courage over comfort, to listen more than we preach, and to follow Christ not through performance, but through presence.
In Nāsili’s own words:
“Let us hold on to the sacred — and let go of the delusions.”
