Religion in Society
Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
Tudor Cosmin Ciocan
Lexi Gardocki
Vivencio Ballano
Claire Follis 
Amy SmithSonny Zaluchu’s Shares
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Deuteronomy and Contextual Teaching and Learning in Christian-Jewish religious education
This research explores the contextual approach within Christian-Jewish religious education, addressing a notable gap in existing literature and offering fresh insights into the application of the Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) model within Christian contexts. Through a qualitative literature study employing a three-step methodology, including an in-depth analysis of Deuteronomy 11:19–20, this study reveals that this biblical text provides both educational guidance and theological significance, serving as a foundational support for the CTL model in Christian-Jewish religious education. The integration of digital media into biblical sources holds promise for future research, while the central challenge lies in harmonising life experiences and empirical phenomena with biblical reflections to seamlessly integrate inquiry processes and pedagogical phases, with potential avenues for further exploration in scripture models endorsing CTL. This research provides valuable insights for educators, parents and policymakers in Indonesia and beyond, advancing educational research in contextualised teaching models within religious education. Contribution: This article demonstrates that the CTL model in the digital era has the potential to revolutionise religious education and profoundly impact learners, making it a significant scientific contribution in the context of Christian-Jewish religious education.
Credit: Sonny Eli Zaluchu
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Pastoral Theology: A Methodological Approach to Analyzing Social Cases
Religious life cannot be separated from society. As a religious institution, the church must impact society through concrete action. One of these approaches is through pastoral theology. This research aims to provide a methodological template for academics and churches, in particular, to use pastoral theology to analyze societal problems. This is necessary because some churches are still bound by dogmas that restrict the church’s role to “spiritual” matters rather than matters of concrete social concern. So, churches often distance themselves from the social theory approach in dissecting society's problems. The analytical tool used in this paper is the pastoral cycle method. A pastoral theological approach focuses on cases that have occurred or are currently occurring in society. This paper uses the case of food scarcity, namely cooking oil, which has occurred in Indonesia. The research results show that the social theological approach, which has been shunned by evangelical theology, can be used in dissecting and mapping social cases in society to contribute to the church in determining anticipatory steps and responding with concern to these social problems. Through this research, it can be concluded that the social function of the church as light and salt of the world can be achieved by using pastoral theology. The implications of this research will encourage churches to position themselves as government partners in realizing the achievement of SDG targets on the one hand and the other hand, provide new insight that pastoral theology does not only deal with “spiritual” (i.e., intangible) matters. It can be seen that a Biblical approach can be intertwined with social analysis for the purpose of social welfare.
Credit: Sonny Eli Zaluchu and Frederik R.B. Zaluchu
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Digital Religion, Modern Society and the Construction of Digital Theology
Using a literature approach and a sociology of religion perspective, this research discusses the concept and phenomenon of digital religion in modern society. It is concluded that digital religion is not just the phenomenon of online religious practice for spiritual purposes but rather the extension of traditional religion into a new culture due to the digitalisation of society. The networked nature of modern society has a significant impact on the way people shape their experience of religiosity. Dialogue about God takes place in new forms as a form of cyber-theology. The results of this study challenge further research to see the extent to which people build their faith when spiritual experiences change into digital forms.
Credit: Sonny Eli Zaluchu
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Theological Insight of Digital Religion
This research aims to analyse the emergence of digital religion from its historical root, to formulate its definition, and finally build the theological construction on how religion and digital media are closely related and mutually influence the contemporary community. Using the integrated critical thinking approach in the literature review, the conclusion can be drawn that the theological perspective of digital religion is crucial. The traditional construction of how to behave according to the religion being followed has to broaden its horizon and cover the explanation of divinity in media digitalization. It is necessary to be done so that the religious congregation and even the academicians accept it as part of the divine work in the 21st century and still maintain it in the path to keep the Christianity faith. This research investigates and contributes to the thinking collaboration of theology and computer sciences in digital theology.
Credit: Sonny Eli Zaluchu
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“God Has Commanded Me”: A Spiritual Code of a Traditional Birth Attendance (TBA)
Many studies have demonstrated the significant involvement of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) during pregnancy and delivery. In several countries, including Indonesia, the role of the TBA cannot be easily replaced by Skilled Birth Attendants (SBAs), reducing the capacity of the health sector to reduce the maternal mortality rate. The TBA has a religious and social connection with the community in her area which is often undervalued by the medically-trained SBA; this disconnect interferes with the provision of quality care. In this paper, with the use of a narrative approach, a TBA reveals her reflection and perspective as rooted in the community where she lives. This ethnography provides living evidence that the point of view of modern health professionals often fails when faced with the world view of the community. TBAs have social power that cannot be separated from the social context where they live. Therefore, an analysis of the religious aspects of a TBA’s practice should enrich the effort to decrease the maternal mortality rate. The religiosity of a community is closely connected with the community’s perspective on health.
Credit: Sonny Eli Zaluchu
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Transformation of elementary Puang Matua in Toraja belief system into Christianity
This study aimed to examine missionaries’ success in transforming the elementary Puang Matua from the Toraja religion of Aluk Todolo into a Christian-based one. Puang Matua is the name of the Toraja people’s god that created the earth and everything. The concept was transformed into Christianity through contextualisation efforts to become a God of the Universe (YHWH). Descriptive analysis showed that the reconstruction was supported by the theological similarities between Puang Matua’s concept and the conception of God the Creator. The theological similarity is an absolute requirement for successful contextualisation to introduce Christianity into indigenous peoples strongly controlled by culture. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This research could be a model for formulating a cross-cultural mission strategy that unites missiology with biblical and cultural anthropology.
Credit: Sonny Eli Zaluchu
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Religion and Spirituality in Society International Award for Excellence
The International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society offers an annual award for newly published research or thinking that has been recognized to be outstanding by members of the Religion and Spirituality in Society Research Network.
Credit: Sonny Eli Zaluchu
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Urban Mission Strategy Through One-on-One Online Dialogue in Melbourne Australia
This paper reports the results of research on urban evangelism conducted online using a Zoom application with one-on-one techniques. The method is to conduct worldview talks with other religions in Melbourne, Australia. The dialogue refers to three key questions: (1) What is the worldview of your belief or religion? (2) Is there more to life than this? and (3) How does your belief or religion contribute to your life? The paper is presented in the form of descriptive reports. As a result, dialogue between religious people through a worldview approach in urban areas is effective as an effort to deepen the beliefs of others and introduce religious teachings embraced by other religions. The research contributes to the strategy of contemporary urban missions in the pandemic in the digital community. It provides new insights that evangelism can be done using technological devices in addition to the traditional way.
Credit: Yanto Paulus Hermanto, Petrus Antonius Usmanij, Sonny Eli Zaluchu
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A Fondrakö text: Cultural religious tradition and social integration of community
Fondrakö is the local wisdom of the Nias ethnic community and has two functions. First are the oral religious holy book teaching ancestors' values and philosophy. Second is the highest consensus institution of the traditional society formulating and making decisions on the socio-religious law to guarantee the order of the community. This paper explains that social differentiation has happened in the modern era; philosophical values of fondrakö remain to live up to this day and experience the proliferation of rites. The argumentation built through this paper is that primitive culture will not simply disappear in the modern community just because it experiences accommodation and the decrease of emotional intensity into new forms. Social laws of primitive religion are not always contradictory and can run parallel with civilization
Credit: Sonny Eli Zaluchu
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Interpretation about Death Rite of the Nias Ethnic and its Relation to Social Order
This study reports on the description and analysis of death rituals that are a tradition of the Nias tribe in Indonesia. Descriptive discussion of rites and rituals of death using the perspective of cultural anthropology and the sociology of religion. In Nias belief, the spirits of the dead can be transferred into statues and become objects of worship, which are highly respected but also feared. Although Christianity has replaced tribal religion, the strength of tradition in the old beliefs persists to this day, so syncretism is unavoidable. The research findings show that death rituals become religious tools that maintain traditional values on the one hand and become legitimate tools to increase social status and cohesion in society. The rituals of death are integrated into social interactions where people carry out symbols and form social order. This finding proves that modern society’s social cohesion is inseparable from tradition’s role.
Credit: Sonny Eli Zaluchu
