MENUJU SATU TUBUH DENGAN BERBAGAI ANGGOTA

In this article, I propose an gesture for Indonesian Evangelicals to mediate conflicts that have the potential to arise due to the diversity of the church denominations in Indonesia by using a centered-set approach, not bounded-set approach, by placing five Evangelicals commitments at the center: (1) conversionism, (2) activism, (3) biblicism, (4) cruci-centrism, and (5) transdenominationalism. I argue that these five commitments should become the identity of Indonesian Evangelicals. By confessing these five commitments with a centered-set approach, Indonesian Evangelicals can set aside other and less basic commitments and differences from the various church denominations in Indonesia in order to live and work together. The main purpose of mediating the conflict that could potentially arise due to the diversity of church denominations here is to achieve a vision of one body with multiple members as the church described in the Bible (1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 4:4, 16). To achieve the objectives of this article, I will first describe the context of the diversity of church denominations in Indonesia. Further, I will analyze the identity of Evangelicals in Indonesia and describe a centered-set approach for the attitudes of Indonesian Evangelicals in responding to the diversity of church denominations. Keywords: evangelicals, church denominations, christianity in Indonesia, church unity. Abstrak: Dalam artikel ini, penulis bertujuan untuk mengusulkan suatu sikap bagi kaum Injili Indonesia untuk memediasi konflik yang berpotensi muncul akibat keragaman denominasi gereja di Indonesia dengan menggunakan suatu pendekatan yang terpusat, bukan dengan pendekatan yang membatasi, yaitu dengan menaruh lima komitmen kaum Injili sebagai pusatnya: (1) conversionism, (2) activism, (3) biblicism, (4) cruci-centrism, dan (5) transdenominationalism. Penulis berargumen bahwa lima komitmen inilah yang semestinya menjadi identitas kaum Injili Indonesia. Dengan mengakui lima komitmen tersebut dengan pendekatan yang terpusat, kaum Injili Indonesia dapat menyampingkan komitmen-komitmen dan perbedaan-perbedaan yang lain dan kurang mendasar dari beragam denominasi gereja di Indonesia agar dapat hidup bersama dan bekerja sama. Tujuan utama dari memediasi konflik yang berpotensi muncul akibat keragaman denominasi gereja di sini adalah untuk menuju visi satu tubuh dengan berbagai anggota sebagaimana gereja yang digambarkan di dalam Alkitab (1Kor. 12:12-27; Ef. 4:4, 16). Untuk mencapai tujuan dalam tulisan ini, pertama penulis akan mendeskripsikan konteks keragaman denominasi gereja di Indonesia. Selanjutnya, penulis menganalisis identitas kaum Injili di Indonesia dan menjelaskan pendekatan yang terpusat bagi sikap kaum Injili Indonesia di dalam merespons keragaman denominasi gereja. Kata-kata kunci: kaum Injili, denominasi gereja, kekristenan di Indonesia, kesatuan gereja.

The mystery and the unity of the Church: Considerations from an Eastern Orthodox perspective

This article attempts an approach to discuss the mystery and the unity of the church and firstly, it underlined that the church cannot have a formal definition as the divine life extended from Christ’s resurrected body into those who believe and receive the Holy Mysteria. At the same time, the process of becoming part of the church is a mystical one. In order for life in Christ to be possible, Christ must be formed in the human being. Becoming a Christian is described in terms specific to the process of birth (cf. Gl 4:19), its end being the formation of Christ in us. Then, the theme of unity is dealt with from an Eastern Orthodox perspective, not in isolation, but in connection with the Roman Catholic, Protestant and ecumenical concerns for unity and collaboration amongst Christians. The cosmic unifying vocation of the church was accomplished because of the five syntheses realised by her Head, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Then there are references to the Theotokological aspect of the church, Holy Baptism as the bond of church unity; Holy Eucharist as the Mysterion of ecclesial unity, the ministry of the bishop for unity and the unity of Christians in the one Church.Contribution: The author, having experience in ecumenical dialogues as a former member of the Commmission on World Mission and Evangelism and, at present, of the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches, tried to offer a balanced perspective on the sensitive theme of the unity of the Christians in the one Church, referring to some of the main relevant sources, which facilitate dialogue, mutual knowledge and collaboration.

František Dvorník, Velehrad Unionism and Church Unity

This paper brings a so far neglected aspect of Francis Dvornik’s work to the fore, namely the influence of the Velehrad unionistic movement on the scientific and personal formation of Dvornik at the beginning of his scientific career on the one hand, which was on the other hand connected with the increasing Dvornik’s influence on the Velehrad unionistic movement. The reciprocal influence is documented on the gradual transformation of the period correlative unionism (on the background of the modernistic tension in the catholic theology) and by strengthening its protoecumenical tendencies towards the clear ecumenical program formulated by Dvornik himself.

Oikumene

Abstract; The ecumenical life movement is a movement that seeks to unite churches which are essentially one but separated by different denominational organizations. The ecumenical movement is a movement that must continue to be built but not to eliminate denominations because denominational wealth is God's work that is unique to His church. So the question that arises is what is the ecumenical spirit between the two denominations? The author discusses this topic with the aim of building an ecumenical spirit or church unity among church denominations. how to build an ecumenical spirit, which often results in the lack of an ecumenical spirit. The authors target in this study are all church members, be it the Toraja Church, GPdI, and also for all existing church denominations. In this study the authors have conducted research, and the method used in this study is a qualitative method, namely interviews and observations. In the interview, the author obtained or obtained information that sometimes the two congregations cornered each other in their territory so that sometimes there were disputes between members of the congregation of these two denominations, for this the conclusion of this study about ecumenicalism is that in building an ecumenical spirit, mutual respect between denominations is very important. It is important, besides building good relationships with other church members and then running away from cooperation in serving God and His people. These things can be done in building an ecumenical spirit between denominations Abstrak; Gerakan hidup ekumenis adalah gerakan yang berusaha menyatukan gereja-gereja yang pada dasarnya satu tetapi dipisahkan oleh organisasi denominasi yang berbeda. Gerakan ekumenis adalah gerakan yang harus terus dibangun tetapi tidak menghilangkan denominasi karena kekayaan denominasi adalah karya Tuhan yang unik bagi gereja-Nya. Jadi pertanyaan yang muncul adalah apa semangat ekumenis di antara kedua denominasi itu? Penulis membahas topik ini dengan tujuan untuk membangun semangat ekumenis atau kesatuan gereja di antara denominasi gereja. bagaimana membangun semangat oikumenis, yang seringkali mengakibatkan kurangnya semangat oikumenis. Sasaran penulis dalam penelitian ini adalah seluruh anggota gereja, baik itu Gereja Toraja, GPdI, dan juga untuk semua denominasi gereja yang ada. Dalam penelitian ini penulis telah melakukan penelitian, dan metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode kualitatif yaitu wawancara dan observasi. Dalam wawancara tersebut penulis memperoleh atau memperoleh informasi bahwa terkadang kedua tarekat tersebut saling memojokkan di wilayahnya sehingga terkadang terjadi perselisihan antar anggota jemaah kedua denominasi ini, untuk itu kesimpulan dari penelitian ini tentang ekumenikalisme adalah bahwa dalam membangun semangat ekumenis, saling menghormati antar denominasi sangat penting. Hal ini penting, selain membangun hubungan baik dengan anggota gereja lain kerjasama dalam melayani Tuhan dan umat-Nya. Hal-hal ini dapat dilakukan dalam membangun semangat oikumene antar denominasi

Ecclesiological Renewal for a Relevant Ministry and Church Polity, with reference to UCCSA and UPCSA in Zimbabwe

This article is a critique of Reformed Ecclesiology, particularly as regarding ministry and church polity. It is argued herein that a static ecclesiology results in church ministry that is seemingly deficient in responding to the context. This is seen in the current church polities and ways in which different denominations explain and carry out their ministry in the face of the new religious environment of the 21st century. This critique demands imperatives from the church, especially now in the advent of the emerging church, virtual ministry and such pandemics as Covid-19. The church cannot afford to remain ambivalent; her relevance is at stake. This article deals with Reformed Ecclesiology and polity in the context of Zimbabwe, with a special focus on the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) and the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA) in Zimbabwe. These two denominations are in a “prolonged” engagement for church unity. From a strategic perspective, a possible ecclesiology will be proposed that can facilitate this renewal in the context of a Calvinistic ecclesiology. It is argued that a change in ecclesiology will result in a refined church ministry and polity. This is done by investigating the “church as epiphany.”

Communal Religious Education in a Multicultural Indonesian Church

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.

Raakpunte in die ontwikkeling van ekumene in die wêreld met ekumeniese ontwikkelinge in die gereformeerde kerke in Suid-Afrika (1990–2020)

Points of communality in the development of ecumenism worldwide with reformed churches in South Africa (1990–2020)This historic-critical study analyses the development of ecumenism from 1990 to 2020 within the traditional Afrikaans speaking reformed churches in South Africa. The study attempts to determine whether the so-called change or shift in ecumenism within reformed churches and ecumenical bodies worldwide, influenced the theology and practice of ecumenism in Afrikaans-speaking churches in South Africa (1990 to 2020). Afrikaans-speaking reformed churches not only face political and social challenges in South Africa, but also face other major challenges brought about by a postmodern society and theological developments from 1990 to 2020. The development of ecumenism in reformed churches in the world, as described by Plaatjies-Van Huffel (2011:1–11) consists of a shift from conciliar ecumenism to transformative receptive ecumenism. In the past 30 years conciliar ecumenism took its stance in absolute certainties derived from a specific viewpoint on Scripture. Conciliar ecumenism partially failed because some reformed churches excluded other reformed churches from church unity, based on a particular interpretation of Scripture. These exclusions were claimed to be based upon the “authority” derived from Scripture. This ecumenical practice did not lead to significant church unity. The transformative receptive ecumenism, on the other hand, tends to reach out to the marginalised people of God, and not only try to transform the unrighteousness in the lives of people, but also tends to learn from and accommodate the needy in the understanding of ecumenism. If the developments in worldwide ecumenism influenced ecumenical thought among reformed Afrikaans-speaking churches, the question arises: to what extent was transformative receptive ecumenism able to contribute to a better understanding of ecumenism and church unity – especially in the development of an African transformative receptive ecumenism. Also, if a shift in ecumenical practise took place, does that mean that the conciliar ecumenism of the past was of minimal importance? Is a new understanding of ecumenism (as in transformative receptive ecumenism) the alpha and omega of ecumenism in theory and practice? Shouldn’t transformative receptive ecumenism be further discussed by all churches in South Africa and the world to bring forth an ecumenical model that suits the South African situation as part of worldwide ecumenism?This chapter attempts to understand recent developments and issues within the reformed ecumenical societies and agencies in the world, after which the Afrikaans-speaking historic-reformed churches will be viewed in terms of the understanding of their calling to ecumenism. The developments and issues in the reformed world will be compared with the latest developments and issues within the Afrikaans-speaking reformed churches. A conclusion based on a comparison between ecumenism in the world and in South Africa will be drawn before some remarks on the future of ecumenical understanding concludes this study.

The verbalization of the concept faith in the religious discourse by Josyf Slipyj

Nowadays, in linguistics, the interest in the field of religion and communication within it has increased and the study of the religious discourse is becoming very popular. It contributes to the understanding of the religious picture of the world and the concept as a representative of the values, ideas, feelings, and associations. The article is based on the testament, sermons and speeches by Josyf Slipyj who was a Major Archbishop and a Cardinal of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Previously he, as a public figure was banned and the issue of religious mentality was on the periphery, in particular, due to ideological considerations. Josyf Slipyj always tried to organize a church space in Ukraine, which remains relevant today, because of the events and the religious context in our country. However, the issue of the discursive and linguo-conceptual analysis of the concept FAITH is unresolved. It is shown that this concept belongs to the deep foundation, one of the most important personal values. The purpose of the research is to study the verbalization of the concept FAITH in the religious discourse by Josyf Slipyj, which is the basis for the krainian linguistic picture of the world, universal category, the foundation of national consciousness, and at the same time the unique concept. Realization of the set purpose provides solving necessary tasks: to trace the worldview of Josyf Slipyj and determine the place of the concept FAITH. The concept FAITH is considered from two aspects that are equally necessary for Christianity: understanding faith, which is trust and faith in someone or something through the recognition of truth and value (faith in the Holy Trinity, in the church). The religious heritage of Josyf Slipyj represents two mentioned aspects: Patriarch trusts and believes in Jesus Christ, eternal God, God’s will, God’s providence, God’s help, Liturgy, Church, unity, Ukraine, power of prayer, love, science, holidays. So, in conceptual terms, the concept of religious discourse often includes different aspects of constants that affirm the Patriarch`s faith and transmit the essence of universal and national values, including ethical and religious categories.