{"title":"Politics of Spirituality","authors":"Siaw Fung Chong, Chuin Min Chong","doi":"10.54424/ajt.v38i1.81","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54424/ajt.v38i1.81","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000\u0000\u0000Interethnic communion is very much desired in the multiethnic and multireligious society of Malaysia. However, minority ethnic and religious groups experience the political climate dominated by the majority race and religion of the country as threatening. Interethnic relationships are often disturbed by tension due to the sense of insecurity among different ethnic and religious groups, which gives rise to fear and distrust. The frequent use of the politics of emotion to provoke the majority group is definitely not helpful in promoting interethnic communion. In this article, we analyze the Malaysian situation and propose a model of public theology for Malaysian Christians to engage the multiethnic society they are living in with a politics of spirituality in the everyday life of the Malaysian setting.\u0000\u0000\u0000","PeriodicalId":262921,"journal":{"name":"Asia Journal Theology","volume":"225 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140704567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Spirituality of Struggle","authors":"Victor Aguilan","doi":"10.54424/ajt.v38i1.89","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54424/ajt.v38i1.89","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000\u0000\u0000The Philippines is known to be the only predominantly Christian country in Asia. Christianity in both Catholic and Protestant forms came with the Western colonizers. However, despite its identification with the colonizers, Christianity became the faith of the ordinary Filipinos. Western Christianity, the religion of the colonizer, became Filipino Christianity, the religion of the struggling people for independence and self-determination. Philippine Christianity developed an anti-West and anti-colonial character. It became part of the Filipino postcolonial national identity. However, neocolonialism and globalization are undermining and eroding Philippine Christianity’s anti-colonial tradition. Philippine Christianity continues to emulate Western spirituality, such as the prosperity gospel and the health and wellness movement. The paper argues for a spirituality using the perspective of the Theology of Struggle (ToS) developed by Filipino Christian activists. The paper claims that ToS can foster a spirituality of resistance, repentance, solidarity, and renewal in the struggle against globalization and neocolonialism.\u0000\u0000\u0000","PeriodicalId":262921,"journal":{"name":"Asia Journal Theology","volume":"276 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140754218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Disciples of the Green Spirit","authors":"Eleazar Fernandez","doi":"10.54424/ajt.v38i1.126","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54424/ajt.v38i1.126","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000\u0000\u0000This essay pursues the subject of eco-justice spirituality by offering a critique of our ecological crisis in the context of predatory capitalism. Predatory capitalism is the socioeconomic and political system that is driving this rapacious pursuit of profits at the expense of people and the ecosystem. But our ecological crisis is also a matter of faith, particularly of toxic theologies and spiritualities. It is for this reason that we must detoxify toxic theologies and spiritualities. Beyond the call for detoxification, we must articulate theologies or ways of knowing and pursue spiritual practices that promote ecological sensibility. Central to this articulation is the reclaiming of the identity of the church as an embodiment of the green spirit and as followers of the green Christ. Finally, it calls us to action by practicing green spirituality.\u0000\u0000\u0000","PeriodicalId":262921,"journal":{"name":"Asia Journal Theology","volume":"94 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140755334","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring Indigenous Spirituality","authors":"Judy Berinai","doi":"10.54424/ajt.v38i1.131","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54424/ajt.v38i1.131","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000\u0000\u0000The indigenous peoples in Sabah, Malaysia, who comprise diverse ethnic communities such as the Kadazandusun, Murut, Rungus, Lundayeh, and Bajau are identified as bumiputera (Sanskrit: bhumiputra), which means “sons of the land” or “sons of the soil.” There are many traditional stories about the belief systems of the indigenous peoples of Sabah which are not documented but only transmitted through oral tradition. These stories are quite similar and yet distinct from one another depending on each particular ethnic group. This article discusses the religious and cultural background of the indigenous peoples of Sabah, specifically the Eastern Kadazandusun, in an attempt to explore their spirituality.\u0000\u0000\u0000","PeriodicalId":262921,"journal":{"name":"Asia Journal Theology","volume":"12 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140754459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Contextualization and the Old Testament: Between Asian and Western Perspectives","authors":"C. H. Yee","doi":"10.54424/ajt.v37i1.56","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54424/ajt.v37i1.56","url":null,"abstract":"This is a book review of Jerry Hwang, Contextualization and the Old Testament: Between Asian and Western Perspectives (Carlisle, UK: Langham Global Library, 2022), xxi + 238 pp., ISBN: 978-1-83973-413-7, $29, paperback.","PeriodicalId":262921,"journal":{"name":"Asia Journal Theology","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123783241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Covenant, Constitutionalism, and Christian Liberty","authors":"Joyce Xiao","doi":"10.54424/ajt.v37i1.67","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54424/ajt.v37i1.67","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000\u0000\u0000This article explores how Wang Yi lays the foundation for considering a political theology based on the ways in which covenant and related ideas were transformed into concrete social and political realities manifested in the American experiment. It further explores how the concept of covenant points Wang toward embracing the Reformed tradition and constructing his Reformed political theology to tackle problems he sees with current church-state relations in mainland China. This exploration shows that Wang’s construction of political theology is based on a misreading of the covenant concept and its relation to American constitutionalism. Wang also overlooks some biblical and theological meanings of covenant and draws on a particular reading of the Bible to justify his sociopolitical arguments. This misreading indicates that Wang’s approach to political theology is questionable because it is rooted in his misinterpretation of American constitutionalism and covenant.\u0000\u0000\u0000","PeriodicalId":262921,"journal":{"name":"Asia Journal Theology","volume":"39 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122926979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Interpreting Scripture across Cultures: An Introduction to Cross-Cultural Hermeneutics","authors":"Wen-Pin Leow","doi":"10.54424/ajt.v37i1.85","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54424/ajt.v37i1.85","url":null,"abstract":"This is a book review of Will Brooks, Interpreting Scripture across Cultures: An Introduction to Cross-Cultural Hermeneutics (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2022), x + 200 pp., ISBN: 978-1-6667-0748-9, $29.00, Paperback.","PeriodicalId":262921,"journal":{"name":"Asia Journal Theology","volume":"2016 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121491130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Peoples’ Theology in Asia","authors":"S. Kuek","doi":"10.54424/ajt.v37i1.66","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54424/ajt.v37i1.66","url":null,"abstract":"This is a book review of Michael Amaladoss, SJ, Peoples’ Theology in Asia (Phnom Penh: MAGGA Jesuit Research Center, 2021), xii + 146 pp., ISBN: 978 9924 35 030 9, ₹250, paperback. ","PeriodicalId":262921,"journal":{"name":"Asia Journal Theology","volume":"216 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128893827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ontological (In-) Security and the Dark Night of the Soul","authors":"L. Kung","doi":"10.54424/ajt.v37i1.104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54424/ajt.v37i1.104","url":null,"abstract":"This study reflects on how Christian political prisoners in Hong Kong utilize their Christian resources to articulate and live with the ontological insecurity caused by incarceration. Hong Kongers consider political prisoners to be sufferers for Hong Kong rather than criminals, an interpretation that corresponds to the Christian notion of redemptive suffering. The Christian political prisoners interviewed in this study see their days in prison as the dark night of the soul in which a generative sense-making has emerged. The days in the dark night are painful, but ironically, their spirituality in the dark night exposes the injustice of rule by law, disempowers the threat of demoralization, changes the game theory from prisoner’s dilemma to warden’s dilemma, and illustrates that imprisonment can be turned to an unexpected platform for personal growth. This sense-breaking, despite as yet being weak, gives birth to a social narrative characterized by suffering in solidarity in contrast to the official narrative,“from chaos to order, from order to prosperity.”","PeriodicalId":262921,"journal":{"name":"Asia Journal Theology","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115088822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"God at Work in the World: Theology and Mission in the Global Church","authors":"A. Peh","doi":"10.54424/ajt.v37i1.102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.54424/ajt.v37i1.102","url":null,"abstract":"This is a book review of Lalsangkima Pachuau, God at Work in the World: Theology and Mission in the Global Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2022), xiv + 177 pp., ISBN: 9781540961365, $16.09, paperback.","PeriodicalId":262921,"journal":{"name":"Asia Journal Theology","volume":"GE-19 2","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121009774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}