THE MENACE OF BOKO HARAM AND THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE: A NEW TESTAMENT PERSPECTIVE OF LUKE 9: 51-56

This paper attempts to discuss the menace of Boko Haram and the Christian response from New Testament perspective of Luke 9:51-56. The paper first of all provides the conceptual clarification of terms used in this presentation. It also discusses the menace of Boko Haram as a religious and ideological movement in a secular state. Furthermore the paper makes analysis of Luke 9:51-56 as a paradigm for Christian response. Finally, the paper highlights the implications of Boko Haram to the Nigerian nation. The research adopts an inter-disciplinary approach of historical and textual analysis in presenting data. The study upholds that the menace of Boko Haram has caused security threats in Nigeria and the world at large. This has equally made every Nigerian a potential suspect in the international scene. The study suggests that compassion, forgiveness, reconciliation, inter-religious dialogue and mutual trust should be the virtues of the Christian response in Nigeria.