Toward inclusive Christian religious education:

Abstract

This study has been wrestling with the problem of dichotomy of this-worldly and other-worldly oriented, as formulated and discussed on the subject dichotomy of reality and spirituality. The purpose of the study is to provide clarity of the possible solutions to the problem. Following is the conclusion of the study come from discussion that has been elaborated in six chapters. Christian religious education, in one way or another, has been facing the problem of dichotomy since very early of its history. From the research made by this thesis, it is found that social dimension was a close part in CRE by the time it faces the problem. It has to do since each time dichotomy going forth in church's life, the trend was followed by great ignorance to social reality. In the course of interpreting early development of CRE in Indonesia, I found that the fact of naming "Pendidikan Agama Kristen" (PAK), was a decision grounded on contextual and concrete social reality. Therefore, I prefer the term "Christian Religious Education" as a translation of "PAK" instead of "Christian Education". In its later development CRE is much more concern with reality. I understand this is necessary and opens up a good opportunity to solve the problem we deal with. Concerning reality which is qualities of social and individual phenomena (that is objective and subjective reality). I have explored that reality is rooted in "what people know" from everyday life, which is taken for granted. This "knowledge" is divided in non-, pre-theoretical and theoretical knowledge. Since theoretical knowledge dominated by elegy specialists, then ordinary members of society receive the reality from non- and pre-theoretical sources. As compared to present modern era, the sources are belong to primordial source which patterned around taboo and mythology. As they are living in modern age, people are still rooted in reality of the past. The condition established dichotomy. Besides that, reality attached to people. They cannot wish reality away as they might want to. The problem of dichotomy pinned up to this very fact: As people want to escape from reality to spirituality reality could not detach from them because reality rooted to their organism and life. Analytically, the reality, which is not static, opens up possibility to social and individual changes. Especially, the emergence of pluralism has been compelling new inevitable choices. The shifting of values happened, and typically easy tendencies to cope with are return to primordial oriented communities. Again the condition stimulates dichotomy. I have elaborated that spirituality is human side of faith. This understanding is not in conflict against traditional under- standing about faith as God's grace. With emphasis to both sides faith, CRE shows its inclusive character and can do a lot of things to develop lay spirituality, in theological formulation, spirituality is human and divine encounters, especially in state of normative ecstasy. Normative ecstasy is a condition of being (or more precisely, standing) outside one’s self and/or being outside everyday routine reality without losing one’s self and his/her rational structure. Concerning Protestant church, which being judged as "not much" saying about The Holy Spirit biblical elaboration argues that Christians can speak about The Holy Spirit without mentioning. The Spirit explicitly. All the God's works in Christ and therefore analogously in Christians, have pneumatic character. In utilizing faith development theory, which in this thesis I prefer to call it spirituality development, I argue that the more lay member understand reality and spirituality which are in direct relation with them, the more CRE can teach them to develop, from their present stage to successive stages. I prove that in stage V (Conjunctive stage of Fowler), the problem of dichotomy will find its solution. By that stage spirituality will not living without reality and universal principles already come around.