Not Forbidden but a Fellowship “Food”

This article highlights a dynamic encounter between Christians and the local religion in Sumba, Indonesia. The encounter raises the question of identity among Christians. Identity as a Sumbanese on the one hand and as a Christian on the other collides when dealing with the tradition of eating together. Before the arrival of Christianity, the tradition of sharing meat and eating together among the Sumbanese in a traditional ceremony was a form of fellowship. Animal meat that has been used as a ritual medium for ancestral spirits is then distributed to the family members. The meat was cooked and eaten together to strengthen the brotherhood/sisterhood among them. After the church’s arrival, Christians had to stay away from tribal religious traditions. With thorough investigations of cultural texts and exegesis from the biblical source of 1 Corinthians 10:23- 11:1, I argue that eating together between Christians and their tribal relatives is a theological act reflecting a Christ-imitating attitude of faith.