Gorga: Journal of Constructive Theology

The Power of Hope in Delivering Justice

Nadia Simanjuntak — 2024-08-19

Hope is closely related to faith. Jesus' resurrection from the dead produces a living hope for Christians. On the other hand, hope is always associated with misery and injustice. Injustice is a challenge that must be faced with faith and hope. This research highlights the importance of hope in the context of Christian faith and the role hope plays as a motivation in achieving justice. The focus of this research is on the views of Jürgen Moltmann and Anthony Kelly on the relationships between faith and hope, as well as hope in efforts to social transformation towards justice. Moltmann, in "Theology of Hope", states that faith provides the basis for hope, which anticipates the manifestation of divine promises. Anthony Kelly, in "Eschatology and Hope", describes hope as a confident movement towards a divine promise that is beyond human control. This research identifies the main problem of misunderstanding hope as a personal desire rather than a hope rooted in the Christian faith. Using a theological approach and literature analysis, this research explores how Christian hope actively motivates individuals and communities to fight for justice in an unjust world. It also discusses the conflicts and challenges that arise in pursuing justice and how Christians face these challenges with hope-driven determination and perseverance. The results show that hope based on faith in Christ provides the power to effect significant social change, inspiring Christians to play an active role in justice efforts.

Creation and Environment from the Perspective of Niels Henrik Gregersen

Fernando Tobing — 2024-08-19

Debates persist between environmental concerns and human activities, particularly as the number of disasters caused by human greed and insatiable demands continues to rise. While advancements in science and technology have undoubtedly benefited humanity, they have also introduced harmful consequences that threaten human life. These technological advancements have fostered increasing selfishness in humans, leading to the gradual erosion of environmental rights. News reports frequently highlight environmental damage due to human activities, such as floods, forest fires, landslides, and earthquakes. These disasters are not solely the result of natural phenomena but are also exacerbated by human greed and negligence. This article explores the church's responsibility to fulfill its vocation, particularly through tangible actions and applying the JPIC (Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation) principle introduced by the World Council of Churches (WCC). This principle emphasizes the importance of achieving peace and preserving the integrity of nature and humanity, as ordained by God. The research employs a descriptive method, analyzing the situation surrounding a PT in Toba through factual reports and insights from theologians, particularly Niels Henrik Gregersen, as well as other experts who advocate for ecological issues, alongside the author's own perspectives.

Wrapping Food in Rituals (Partangiangan) as a Symbolic Act of Christian Religious Education in the Batak Land

Herman Tampubolon — 2024-08-19

Partangiangan influences Batak Christians at Tarutung as the representation of Batak Land and areas outside North Sumatra as a comparative context. One exciting thing about it is that in the partangiangan ritual, there is an activity of wrapping food, which describes a symbolic interaction. The practice of wrapping food holds a significant meaning for the Christian Batak community. However, it is regrettable that nowadays, some people no longer uphold or practice this symbolic act for their reasons. In understanding this phenomenon, this article elaborates on Victor Turner's theory of liminality and Max Weber's theory of religion, providing a deeper analysis. This article conducts qualitative research, employing a phenomenology approach. My hypothesis suggests that the practice of wrapping food during partangiangan is closely related to Christian religious education in the Batak community and that this tradition should be preserved, as Christian religious education requires various forms of media, with food wrapping being one of them.

Identity Inconsistency

Novita Grace Sitorus — 2024-08-19

Social media, with all its excitement, provides many conveniences for every generation, including generation Z. After the COVID-19 pandemic, social media (internet) have increased sharply. This is due to the situation that forced offline meetings to be eliminated and replaced with online meetings. This article will examine how far social media has influenced the lives of Gen Z and see what problems social media has caused for them. Gen Z experiences many issues due to their unpreparedness to face the digitalization that has been happening lately. The author applies the literature method by analyzing the concept of Solitude Theology proposed by Sherry Turkle as an alternative for Gen Z to overcome identity problems arising from the use of social media, such as excessive anxiety about the lack of information from social media, as well as addiction/dependence that has the potential to cause inconsistency of identity in a generation Z person. This research aims to introduce solitude as a method of "detox" in social media by getting out of the hustle and bustle of digital technology development through social media.

Ars Cooperativa Naturae

Rosyeline Tinggi — 2024-08-19

The teaching is understood mainly as the task and role of the teacher, at the same time, the learning outcome is heavily dependent on the role and responsibility of the teacher. This view has brought some impacts, such as the teacher-centred education, the one-way teaching method, and the view on the student who is seen as a container of the lesson taught by the teacher. However, as a human being involved in the learning process, the student comes with the capacity to think, to feel and to act. Therefore, the learning and teaching process should involve the readiness and role of students, which interact with the responsibility and roles of the teacher. Thus, an alternative paradigm of teaching is needed, which, on the one hand, does not ignore the teacher's authority. Still, on the other hand, it does not violate the presence of students as human beings involved in the learning process. In this article, the author explores an alternative paradigm of teaching by presenting an analysis and a dialogue from two educational ideas, and they are Bushnell's emphasis on the important role of parents in education based on his theory of Christian nurture and Maritain's proposal about two intermingling elements in education. This dialogue discovers Maritain's idea of ars cooperativa naturae as the art of teaching and shares a philosophical basis with Bushnell's ideas of Christian nurture. Ars cooperativa naturae is the art of service, which states that teaching is not just the teacher's one-sided action, but rather there is student readiness as elements that blend in a dynamic teaching and learning process. By applying the art of teaching “ars cooperative naturae,” it is hoped that teachers will acquaint their roles as text-people as they grow as professional teachers.