Communal Religious Education in a Multicultural Indonesian Church

Authors

  • Jeniffer F. P. Wowor Fordham University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46567/ijt.v8i2.201

Keywords:

communal, religious education, Gereja Protestan di Indonesia bagian Barat (GPIB), unity, diversity

Abstract

The reality of diversity is an integral part of Gereja Protestan di Indonesia bagian Barat (The Protestant Church in Western Indonesia, abbreviated as GPIB). This contextual plurality is the church’s wealth, which should make an essential contribution to its ministry. However, a singular challenge that arises in light of that diversity relates to the strong emphasis on “church unity”—which should be a supportive element—thus contributing to problems with the church’s ministry and pedagogy. How is this so? Given that centralized efforts to promote unity correlate closely with the imposition of rules that dominate and determine Christian religious education in the church, this article asserts the necessity of communal identity for an ongoingly diverse reality; communal identity, in other words, must not be destroyed in the name of promoting unity. The argument unfolds in three stages, entailing (1) a summary of the current context of the GPIB and problems it faces, (2) an academic study of the objectives of Christian religious education, to be considered in the context of the GPIB, and (3) a rationale for setting these objectives. Through these three stages, the communal vision is expected to contribute to the church’s ministry and education in the midst of the congregation and the whole Indonesian society with its multicultural context.

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Author Biography

Jeniffer F. P. Wowor, Fordham University

Jeniffer F. P. Wowor is a lecturer at the Faculty of Theology, Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana, Yogyakarta. After being ordained as a pastor of Gereja Protestan di Indonesia bagian Barat (GPIB) in 2008, she served at GPIB Bethesda Marau, West Kalimantan until 2012. She obtained her MA in Christian Education at Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in Seoul, South Korea. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Religious Education at Fordham University, New York, while raising three children with her husband, Rev. Romy Fardo Pelupessy. Her research interests are Christian education (or: Christian religious education), intergenerational and intercultural approach to Christian education, the study of motherhood and feminist pedagogy.

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Published

2020-12-31

How to Cite

Wowor, J. F. P. . (2020). Communal Religious Education in a Multicultural Indonesian Church . Indonesian Journal of Theology, 8(2), 157-171. https://doi.org/10.46567/ijt.v8i2.201