Indonesian Journal of Theology

Matuari dan Hospitalitas: Relasi Kristen dan Muslim Kampung Jawa

2025-01-04T16:02:10+00:00

A book review of Matuari dan Hospitalitas: Relasi Kristen dan Muslim Kampung Jawa.

Resensi Buku Perempuan, Konflik, dan Perdamaian: Tuturan Perempuan Korban dan Penyintas Konflik dan Perdamaian di Poso, Ambon, dan Atambua

2022-12-23T01:07:32+00:00

A book review of Perempuan, Konflik, dan Perdamaian: Tuturan Perempuan Korban dan Penyintas Konflik dan Perdamaian di Poso, Ambon, dan Atambua.

The Eucharistic Spirit: A Renewal Theology of the Lord’s Supper

2025-06-02T08:31:56+00:00

A book review of The Eucharistic Spirit: A Renewal Theology of the Lord’s Supper

Weaving Holy Communion

2025-01-30T13:26:05+00:00

Protestant churches in Indonesia, including in West Timor, still find it difficult to articulate the relationship between living believers and their deceased family members and ancestors. This article aims to develop a contextual theology of holy communion in West Timor. The article draws upon a dialogue between the practice of offering woven cloths to bereaved families among the Timaubus community in Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, with the Christian observance of holy communion (communio sanctorum). In the Timaubus tradition, when a close relative dies, women present woven cloths, which serve not only as a sign of solidarity and support for the bereaved family (amut) but also as provisions for the deceased and a deposit for the ancestors (sofit). At burial, a woven cloth from the closest relative is placed in the coffin as a gift to the ancestors. This article suggests that Christians in Timor offer woven cloths to bereaved families and their deceased, as an expression of their faith in relation to holy communion. Our study employs qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews, observations, focus group discussions, and literature review. We utilize Elizabeth Johnson’s feminist theology to create a dialogue between the practice of presenting woven cloths at death and feminist theological principles concerning communio sanctorum.

Discerning Culture, Constructing Dogma

2025-03-07T03:49:02+00:00

Igya Ser Hanjob is a tradition of the Arfak tribe in the Arfak Mountains of West Papua that emphasizes the importance of maintaining boundaries in forest use to ensure environmental sustainability. However, external influences such as government and corporate entities have undermined these values, resulting in forest degradation and the loss of indigenous authority. The Evangelical Christian Church in West Papua/Gereja Kristen Injili di Tanah Papua (GKI-TP), which plays an important role in maintaining and re-teaching these values, must change its anthropocentric approach to better support ecological balance and environmental sustainability. Through the method of dogmatics in ecclesiological perspective, we place into integrative dialogue the ecological values presented in Igya Ser Hanjob and the church’s teachings. In doing so, we argue that the ecological damage in the provincial capital, Manokwari, can be mitigated and even anticipated by retrieving the values of Igya Ser Hanjob. This local wisdom serves not only as a conservation concept but also as a contribution to a contextual eco-ecclesiological doctrine for the church (GKI-TP) and the contemporary Arfak indigenous community.

She is Not a Foolish Woman

2024-07-22T21:30:48+00:00

The figure of Job is shared among Abrahamic traditions. Christian readings of Job’s wife are dominated by masculinist perspectives that erase gender dynamics within patriarchal society. Unlike the Islamic tradition, which portrays Job’s wife as a faithful woman who stands by Job in his afflictions, the Jewish-Christian tradition associates Job’s wife with being a tool of Satan to test Job’s faith. This article aims to revisit the Christian interpretation of the dialogue between Job’s wife and Job, with special attention to gendered imbalances of power both in the text and its reception. Through socio-historical analysis, I explore gender dynamics during the text’s formation to sketch the complexity of the roles and social locations of women in antiquity. Employing Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza’s hermeneutics of suspicion to engage a progressive interpretation lens, I portray Job’s wife as an autonomous and resistant woman within a space of systemic injustice. Consequently, I critically analyze Job’s rebuke in saying to his wife, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak” (Job 2:10, ESV), arguing that this remark presents a reflective narrative that serves as self-criticism for men who enjoy the privileges of a patriarchal society. Furthermore, I contend that this rebuke mirrors a crisis of masculinity among men in religious spaces who are prone to using power and mystical premises to silence women’s voices. Absent any intent to co-opt women’s voices, I conduct this reinterpretation in solidarity with women and, as a man, intend it as a contribution to the struggle for gender equity, particularly in the interpretation of religious texts.

Protest and the Holy Spirit

2025-01-31T22:57:58+00:00

This article examines protest as pneumatological praxis that has so far received little recognition within Christian theology. A review of two major approaches—protest to God and protest to others—shows that protest is often understood symbolically and not as a public practice of Christianity. Precedent research also indicates that protest against the government is often instrumental, rather than an integral expression of faith. This article argues that protests against institutions can be understood as an ecclesial praxis supported by the Holy Spirit. Through a philosophical approach to protest (Clayton Bohnet and Sara Ahmed) and a Third Article Theology characterization of the Holy Spirit (Myk Habets and Gregory J. Liston), protest is interpreted as a pneumatological act rooted in the church's liturgy. Through protest, the church is politically present in the public sphere as an expression of fidelity to the Holy Spirit's work in a suffering world

"Why do You Submit to Regulations?"

2025-01-29T18:42:26+00:00

Although Friedrich Nietzsche is known for his critical stance on Christianity, his philosophy can offer valuable insights for examining Christian life. Building on Merold Westphal’s assertion that Nietzsche’s philosophy might contribute to Christian theology, this paper demonstrates that Nietzsche’s ideas can aid Christians in pursuing authenticity by encouraging them to question established traditions. This paper explores Nietzsche’s critique of morality and Christianity, his concept of authenticity, and provides a theological analysis of Nietzsche’s thought.