Indonesian Journal of Theology

Post-Biological Imago Dei

Gabriel Hotmartua Pardede, Frans Best Soma Marpaung — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This article examines mind-uploading in transhumanism through a dialogue with Christian eschatological theology and the doctrine of the imago Dei, particularly concerning personal identity and the continuity of existence. By employing the concepts of futurum–adventus and creatio continua, mind-uploading is understood as an expression of human creative participation in the ongoing dynamics of creation, which remains continually open to the action of God as the giver of the future. Furthermore, through a dynamic reading of the imago Dei, this article proposes that post-biological entities embody both discontinuity and continuity of identity, as an “I and not-I” in an eschatological sense. These post-biological entities carry traces of the image of God in the form of relational patterns, memory, and self-expression that participate in history. This study thus proposes a rearticulation of the imago Dei within a post-biological context.

Artificial “Spirit” Intelligence In The Virtual Reality Church

Josua Estomihi Butarbutar — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This article proposes an ecclesial communion pneumatology as a theological framework for a virtual church that operates through artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR). Specifically, it answers the ontological and theological questions pertaining to whether the Holy Spirit is present and works in digital liturgy mediated by technologies, as well as how AI might be an instrument for genuine personal connectedness. This research employs a transdisciplinary descriptive qualitative method drawing from John Zizioulas’s ecclesial communion, Amos Yong’s theology of participation, and discourses on vanity and theopoetics, articles on AI and VR, church documents, and metaverse studies. The author’s reflection oscillates among the aesthetics of digital sacred space, contemporary spirituality, and cultural critiques. The result is an understanding of the Holy Spirit that constitutes the church in her relational and ecstatic “mode of being,” therefore provoking an idea of the digital medium (AI/VR) as a space where the Spirit establishes ecclesial hypostasis—the church’s identity no longer identified by spatial and physical limits—insofar as such a medium facilitates, not substitutes for, personalized love relations. The virtual church, as this article concludes, must be perceived in terms of a new expression of the communion reality that is already present in the God of the Trinity

Becoming Deu-Hu-Moid

Evans Sagala, Frans Best Soma Marpaung — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The emergence of humanoid technologies in the era of Society 5.0 raises new theological questions concerning the relationship among God, humanity, and artificial beings. This article proposes Becoming Deu-Hu-Moid as a constructive theological model for interpreting this relationship. Drawing on Catherine Keller’s theology of becoming and the doctrine of creatio continua, the study examines the presence of humanoid technologies within the ongoing dynamism of creation. The article argues that humanoids should not be understood as spiritual subjects or as substitutes for human relationality with God. Rather, they function as limited relational participants whose instrumental capacities may enrich pastoral practices and support the church’s participation in the missio Dei. Within this construction, the relationship among Deus (God), Hu (humanity), and Moid (humanoid) may be imagined as a co-creative relational network emerging within the open and dynamic process of becoming, while remaining attentive to the ambiguities and limits of humanoid technological mediation

Presenting Ya'ahowu in a New Way as a Liturgical Greeting

Eirene Kardiani Gulo, Rasid Rachman — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This article addresses the increasingly complex and urgent mental health challenges facing younger generations. In this context, church liturgy is examined not only as a site of ritual practice and faith formation, but also as a pastoral space. The article argues that the liturgical utterance of ya’ahowu (“may you be blessed”) in the Banua Niha Keriso Protestan (BNKP) liturgy has the potential to function as a pastoral resource that strengthens and sustains Nias youth amid mental health-related struggles. Employing a descriptive-qualitative approach, this study draws on BNKP liturgical texts, scholarly discussions of ya’ahowu, liturgical pastoral theology, liturgical inculturation, and youth mental health. These sources are complemented by in-depth interviews with two Nias cultural informants to elucidate the meaning of ya’ahowu, as well as with four Nias Christian adolescents to explore their lived experiences of mental health challenges. The findings suggest that the liturgical practice of uttering ya’ahowu within BNKP worship can affirm a positive communal identity, foster hope, and reinforce a sense of meaningful life among worshippers.

Non-Heteronormative Incarnational Spirituality

Obed Reinhard Siregar — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The discourse on homosexuality in Indonesia continues to produce polarization across social and theological domains. Within Christian theology, many churches, under dogmatic authority and a singular interpretation of Scripture, maintain conservative attitudes that result in socio-theological rejection of gay persons, particularly regarding their sexual identity. This study offers a reflective theological response to such tension by giving voice to gay personsin articulating their spiritual and sexual experiences. Using a practical-empirical theological approach and a phenomenological-hermeneutical method, it presents a holistic theological reflection on the spirituality and sexuality of gay persons. The main thesis of this article is that homosexuality—materially and phenomenologically understood as the bodies and experiences of gay persons–are not merely objects of theological debate, but are instead loci of revelation and encounters with God within an incarnational horizon, which affirm the Divine presence within the human body as an authentic space for the gay individual’s spiritual experience. This study contends that human embodiment, including that of gay persons, should be recognized as a vital dimension shaping spiritual formation. Therefore, this article expands the discourse of practical-empirical theology within the context of queer spirituality in Indonesia.

Rengget and Molmann's Lament

Joice Ria br Sitepu — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This article argues that, in the face of suffering, humans attempt to find patterns formed by certain interests, whether in the effort to survive or to find meaning. This article discusses rengget (a chant of the Karo people) and two ideas from Moltmann concerning the languages of lamentation as responses to suffering. By imagining Moltmann lamenting through his work, the two techniques are placed side by side as models of lamentation in an effort to understand theodicy. Rengget, as a cultural product, is an instrument that nurtures relationships, memories, and hopes. Moltmann’s works point to the meaning of hope. These two models of lamentation converge on the idea of the interconnectedness of all things. The convergence of rengget and Moltmann’s lamentation offers a way to theologically reflect on suffering and theodicy.

Muslim Perspectives on Islamophobia: From Misconceptions to Reason

Feiziya (Fay) Patel — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A book review of Muslim Perspectives on Islamophobia: From Misconceptions to Reason

Melampaui Diri sebagai Jalan Mistik: Interspiritualitas Bunda Teresa dan Ki Ageng Suryomentaram dalam Kajian Perspektif Bernard Lonergan tentang Self-Transcendence

Jonathan Wijaya — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A book review of Melampaui Diri sebagai Jalan Mistik: Interspiritualitas Bunda Teresa dan Ki Ageng Suryomentaram dalam Kajian Perspektif Bernard Lonergan tentang Self-Transcendence

How to Read Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics in One Book: A Sequential Guide to His Magnum Opus

Aulia Simon Partogi Situmeang — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A book review of How to Read Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics in One Book: A Sequential Guide to His Magnum Opus,

Religion, Decolonization, and the Planetary Community: Voices from the Indonesian Archipelago

Gde Ngurah Reza Rizaldy — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A book review of Religion, Decolonization, and the Planetary Community: Voices from the Indonesian Archipelago.

The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s

Rynaldi Mahardika Situmeang — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A book review of The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s.