JAET Vol. 22 Nos.

1-2 (March-September 2018): 69-84

The Calling of Female

Evangelical Scholars
in Indonesia
Dwi Maria Handayani

Introduction

T
he female evangelical scholars of Indonesia face serious
challenges today. In a country with the largest Muslim
population in the world,1 we should not only play a more
active role in the Christian community but also make a greater
contribution to Indonesian society. However, our churches have
not developed a solid theological foundation on issues related to
gender that would empower us to accomplish our mission. Very
few Indonesian female evangelical scholars are contributing to
contemporary discussions of the correlation between the gospel,
feminist theology, and social justice.

DWI MARIA HANDAYANI (Ph.D., Asia Graduate School of Theology-

Philippines) is Professor of Old Testament and Director of the Th.M. Program
at Bandung Theological Seminary, Bandung, Indonesia. She presented an
earlier version of the material in this article in a plenary session of the ATA
Theological Consultation held at South East Asia Bible Seminary, Malang,
Indonesia, July 18-20, 2017.
1
“Muslim Population of Indonesia,” Pew Research Center: Religion and
Public Life, November 4, 2010, http://www.pewforum.org/2010/11/04/muslim-
population-of-indonesia/, accessed April 8, 2018.
70 Journal of Asian Evangelical Theology 22:1-2 (2018)

In contrast, Indonesian female Muslim scholars are very active

participants in discussions of feminist theology around the world. For
example, Diah Ariani Arimbi, in her book, Reading Contemporary
Indonesian Muslim Women Writers, examines the construction of
gender and Islamic identity in works by four prominent Indonesian
Muslim women: Titis Basino P. I., Ratna Indraswari Ibrahim,
Abidah El Kalieqy, and Helvy Tiana Rosa. Arimbi summarizes:
“Within their feminist reading the writers understand that gender
roles are negotiable rather than inherent. In representing women
in a variety of discourses they draw multi-faceted women struggling
against repression and domination, and resisting their status as
‘powerless.’”2
Nina Nurmila, in her book, Women, Islam, and Everyday
Life: Renegotiating Polygamy in Indonesia, examines the issue of
polygamy. Considering the Qur’anic verses often cited to support
this practice,3 she insists that it is actually against Islamic teaching.4
Since it has been such a source of injustice toward women and
children, she argues, a truly just Islamic legal system would call
for its abolition.5 Dina Afrianty’s book, Women and Sharia Law in
Northern Indonesia, examines the lives of women in the province
of Aceh, where Islamic law was introduced in 1999. In Afrianty’s
account, although this has led to restrictions on women’s freedom,
“[t]he Acehnese women respond to it by mobilizing for change,
shaping local discourse on women’s equality and status, promoting
equality, women’s civil and political rights, and demanding law
reform within an Islamic framework.”6 In addition to these books,

2
Diah Ariani Arimbi, Reading Contemporary Indonesian Muslim Women
Writers: Representation, Identity, and Religion of Muslim Women in Indonesian
Fiction, ICAS Publications Series (Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amsterdam
University Press, 2009), 181.
3
Especially Qur’an 4:3.
4
See Qur’an 4:129.
5
Nina Nurmila, Women, Islam and Everyday Life: Renegotiating Polygamy
in Indonesia, Women in Asia Series (Abingdon, England: Routledge, 2009).
6
Dina Afrianty, Women and Sharia Law in Northern Indonesia: Local
Women’s NGOs and the Reform of Islamic Law in Aceh, Women in Asia Series
 Dwi Maria Handayani, The Calling of Female Evangelical Scholars in Indonesia 71

Indonesian female Muslim scholars have published a number of

other titles on related topics.7
Sadly, the contributions of Indonesian female Christian scholars
to this discussion have been minimal. Representing the Protestant
conciliar perspective, we have only Marianne Katoppo, the author of
Compassionate and Free, the first book of Asian feminist theology in
English, which criticizes patriarchal religion and society and calls for
a life-giving theology that would affirm women’s dignity.8 To date,
there has been nothing like this from the evangelical perspective. In
fact, female evangelical scholars in Indonesia are in a crisis. Though
we should have much to say about endemic poverty, corruption,
and injustice, so far we have contributed little to addressing such
pressing social issues. Why is it so difficult for female evangelical
scholars in Indonesia to make a real contribution in this regard?
What can be done to change the situation?

Indonesian Female Muslim

Scholars: A Closer Look
Before taking up that question, we need to take a closer look at
Indonesian female Muslim scholars. While Indonesian female
evangelical scholars are struggling to define their role in society,
female Muslim scholars in my country have developed their theology
in such a way that it empowers their active engagement with social
concerns. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, Muslim
women in Indonesia have been deeply involved in the development

(Abingdon, England: Routledge, 2015), 1.

7
For example, Eka Srimulyani, Women from Traditional Islamic Educational
Institutions in Indonesia: Negotiating Public Spaces (Amsterdam, Netherlands:
Amsterdam University Press, 2012); and Kurniawati Hastuti Dewi, Indonesian
Women and Local Politics: Islam, Gender and Networks in Post-Suharto Indonesia
(Singapore: National University of Singapore Press, 2015).
8
Marianne Katoppo, Compassionate and Free: An Asian Woman’s Theology
(Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis, 1979). See also Kwok Pui-lan, Introducing Asian Feminist
Theology, Introductions in Feminist Theology 4 (Sheffield, England: Sheffield
Academic Press, 2000), 25.
72 Journal of Asian Evangelical Theology 22:1-2 (2018)

of Islamic theology and mission. For example, ‘Aisyiyah, an Islamic

women’s organization that takes its name from Muhammad’s wife
Aishah, was founded in 1917. The largest Muslim NGO in Indonesia,
it focuses on female charitable work and empowerment. Its workers
have trained a multitude of Muslim women to study the Qur’an
while providing many with access to health care and social services.9
The Muslimat Nahdlatul Ulama (Muslim Women of the
Renaissance of the Ulama), established in 1945, is broadly similar.
This organization trains both women and men to be experts in
Qur’anic reading and “the complex science of its interpretation.”10
Today there are thousands of institutions throughout the country,
including universities as well as pesantren (Islamic boarding schools),
in which women can study to be Islamic and Qur’anic scholars.11
These women often go on to take positions in the front lines of
the struggle for justice, human rights, and gender equality. The
feminist movement in Indonesia endeavors to empower women
while remaining faithful to Islam.12 Unlike Muslim radicals, who
tend to react strongly against any criticism, moderate Indonesian
Muslims have begun to reexamine their teachings concerning the
issue of women in leadership.13

9
Rachel Rinaldo, Mobilizing Piety: Islam and Feminism in Indonesia (New
York: Oxford University Press, 2013), 36-37.
10
Pieternella van Doorn-Harder, Women Shaping Islam: Indonesian Women
Reading the Qur’an (Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2006), 165.
11
Natana J. DeLong-Bas, “Women, Islam, and the Twenty-First Century,”
Oxford Islamic Studies Online, http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/Public/focus/
essay1107_women.html, accessed April 5, 2018.
12
C. M. Amal, “Current Issues Affecting Muslim Women,” in Ministry to
Muslim Women: Longing to Call Them Sisters, ed. Fran Love and Jeleta Eckheart
(Pasadena, Calif.: William Carey Library, 2000), 12.
13
A visit by Indonesia’s Minister of Religious Affairs, Lukman Hakim
Saifuddin, to the Kongress Ulama Perempuan Indonesia “was seen as a clear
message that women ulama were recognized as legitimate.” Priyanka Borpujari,
“In Indonesia, Female Clerics Seek Recognition and Rights for Women,”
NewsDeeply: Women and Girls, May 31, 2017, https://www.newsdeeply.com/
womenandgirls/articles/2017/05/31/in-indonesia-female-clerics-seek-recognition-
and-rights-for-women, accessed June 22, 2017.
 Dwi Maria Handayani, The Calling of Female Evangelical Scholars in Indonesia 73

Julian Millie describes the lives of older Muslim women in

Bandung. Many of them are very active, joining religious study
groups and traveling all over town on spiritual pilgrimages. One
reason he proposes for the piety of these women is the concern
they feel about social issues such as corruption and rising crime.
They believe that acquiring religious knowledge will help them to
strengthen society against such perils.14
On April 24-27, 2017, I was an observer at the Kongress Ulama
Perempuan Indonesia (KUPI, Indonesian Female Ulama Congress),
in Cirebon, West Java. This was a historic event, the first of its kind in
the world.15 Its theme was “The Role of Women Clerics in Upholding
the Values of Islam, Nationhood, and Humanity.” In attendance
were 1,200 women from Indonesia as well as fifteen other countries,
the vast majority of those women being ulama (Islamic religious
scholars).16 KUPI’s aim was to launch a movement reflecting the
humanitarian spirit of Islam which would empower Muslim women
to be actively involved in building the nation. During the congress,
participants searched for solutions to some of the most pressing
problems of Indonesian Islam, including religious radicalism, sexual
violence, polygamy, child marriage, environmental degradation, and
the lack of protection for Indonesian migrant workers.17
In addition to social concern, Indonesian Muslim women are
very open to interreligious dialogue. For example, in 2016 the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Semarang’s Commission for Ecumenical

14
Julian Millie, “Pious and Mobile,” Inside Indonesia, January 9, 2011, http://
www.insideindonesia.org/pious-and-mobile-2, accessed April 5, 2018.
15
Jack Britton, “The Importance of the World’s Largest Gathering of Female
Islamic Clerics,” Jakarta Globe, April 29, 2017, http://jakartaglobe.id/opinion/
worlds-first-womens-islamic-cleric-congress-hosted-w-java-significant/, accessed
May 30, 2017.
16
Tri Ispranoto, “Kongres Ulama Perempuan Di Cirebon Dihadiri Oleh
15 Negara,” DetikNews, April 25, 2017, https://news.detik.com/berita-jawa-
barat/d-3483496/kongres-ulama-perempuan-di-cirebon-dihadiri-oleh-15-negara,
accessed May 31, 2017.
17
Britton, “The Importance of the World’s Largest Gathering of Female
Islamic Clerics.”
74 Journal of Asian Evangelical Theology 22:1-2 (2018)

and Interreligious Affairs facilitated a dialogue for Catholic and

Muslim women held in Ungaran, Central Java. About 400 women
participated—270 Muslim women along with 130 Catholic nuns.18

Challenges Facing Female

Evangelical Scholars in Indonesia
In contrast to female Muslim scholars, female evangelical scholars
in Indonesia are now at a crossroads. Although we continue to meet
opposition, there have been leadership opportunities in a number
of places. For example, in the Gereja Masehi Injili di Minahasa
(Christian Evangelical Church in Minahasa), there are 1,548
female pastors but only 656 male pastors.19 Since 2015 the General
Secretary of the Persekutuan Gereja-Gereja di Indonesia (Council of
Churches in Indonesia) has been Henriette Hutabarat Lebang, a
female pastor of the Gereja Toraja (Toraja Church).20 Nevertheless,
the number of female theologians in Indonesia is still so small that
their role in formulating theology and facilitating involvement in
campaigns for social justice is necessarily limited. Stefanus Raharja,
an assessor with the Badan Akreditasi Nasional Perguruan Tinggi
(National Accreditation Agency for Higher Education), says that
today Indonesia has fewer than fifty female biblical scholars and
theologians in the entire country.21
Overall, our theology has not provided a solid foundation to
facilitate women’s active role in society. This reflects the influence of
Western evangelical theology; in Indonesia as in the US, evangelicals

Katharina R. Lestari, “Nuns, Muslim Women Join to Promote Peace in

18

Indonesia,” UCA News, March 10, 2016, https://www.ucanews.com/news/nuns-

muslim-women-join-to-promote-peace-in-indonesia/75455, accessed April 5, 2018.
19
“Peta Pelayanan,” Gereja Masehi Injili di Minahasa: The Christian
Evangelical Church in Minahasa, June 29, 2012, https://www.gmim.or.id/peta-
pelayanan-2017/, accessed April 5, 2018.
20
“CCA Bids Farewell to Dr. Henriette Hutabarat Lebang,” Christian
Conference of Asia, July 11, 2015, http://cca.org.hk/home/news-and-events/1138-2/,
accessed April 9, 2018.
21
In a private conversation, April 2017.
 Dwi Maria Handayani, The Calling of Female Evangelical Scholars in Indonesia 75

have tended to think more about personal salvation, without being

too concerned for social issues. David Moberg observes, “There was
a time when evangelicals had a balanced position that gave proper
attention to both evangelism and social concern, but a great reversal
early in this [twentieth] century led to a lopsided emphasis upon
evangelism and omission of most aspects of social involvement.”22
Female evangelical scholars in Indonesia face a crisis: we are
very few in numbers, yet the task confronting us is enormous. If
we want to communicate more effectively with Indonesian female
Muslim scholars, we must challenge ourselves to make greater
contributions to contextual theology, especially the theology of
social engagement.

Theological Education
in Indonesia
One of the main reasons Indonesian female evangelical scholars
are not actively involved in producing serious theological works
that would empower women’s engagement with society is the poor
quality of our theological education.
The number of theological schools in Indonesia is increasing
every year. According to Karel Steenbrink and Jan Aritonang,
in 2004 there were about 200 theological schools;23 in Daniel
Ronda’s account, by 2012 the number of schools had reached about
300.24 Most of these were founded by evangelical or Pentecostal

22
David O. Moberg, The Great Reversal: Reconciling Evangelism and Social
Concern, rev. ed. (Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1977; reprint, Eugene, Ore.: Wipf
and Stock, 2007), 25-26.
23
Karel Adriaan Steenbrink and Jan Sihar Aritonang, “The Spectacular
Growth of the Third Stream: The Evangelicals and Pentecostals,” in A History of
Christianity in Indonesia, ed. Jan Sihar Aritonang and Karel Adriaan Steenbrink,
Studies in Christian Mission (Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, 2008), 878.
24
Daniel Ronda, “Transformasi Pendidikan GKII Menuju Tahun 2032”
(Rapat Koordinasi Nasional I Departemen Pendidikan Gereja Kemah Injil,
Jakarta, Indonesia, 2012), https://www.academia.edu/7827125/Daniel_Ronda_
Paper_Dari_Rakornas, accessed April 5, 2018.
76 Journal of Asian Evangelical Theology 22:1-2 (2018)

churches or denominations that were strongly committed to mission

and evangelism, but they were generally weak in academics.
Steenbrink and Aritonang say: “There are even some Evangelical
and Pentecostal schools that offer higher degrees, like Master of
Divinity, Master of Theology, and even Doctor…, in only a few days,
weeks, or months of quasi-study, without a thesis or dissertation, or
by faking it….This… actually insults the quality of education and
jeopardizes the future of the nation.”25
The low quality of academics in these theological schools is
probably at least partly due to evangelical and Pentecostal churches’
stress on producing as many workers as possible as quickly as
possible. Consequently, they have tended to focus more on spiritual
formation and basic biblical and theological training; serious
academic research has not been a priority. No doubt this reflects the
model of theological education brought by Western missionaries.26
However, given the current crisis, it should be reevaluated.
Because of the lack of emphasis on academic quality, there has
been little serious doctrinal discussion. Indonesian evangelicals
have tended to import Western theological categories and concepts
without any serious attempt at contextualization. They have locked
themselves into the defense of received dogmas and confessions,
expending most of their energy on debates about church doctrines
and traditions. Instead, we should ask how to make sense of theology
in the midst of pervasive poverty, economic globalization, religious
and ethnic conflict, gender injustice, and other challenges to the
gospel.

Steenbrink and Aritonang, “The Spectacular Growth of the Third Stream,”

25

878.
Ekaputra Tupamahu, “American Missionaries and Pentecostal Theological
26

Education in Indonesia,” in Global Renewal Christianity: Spirit-Empowered

Movements Past, Present, and Future, ed. Vinson Synan and Amos Yong, vol.
1, Asia and Oceania (Lake Mary, Fla.: Charisma House, 2016), 253; Sutrisna
Harjanto, “Faculty Research in Asian Seminaries,” InSights Journal for Global
Theological Education 3, no. 1 (November 2017): 33-46.
 Dwi Maria Handayani, The Calling of Female Evangelical Scholars in Indonesia 77

Evangelicalism and Feminism

Another important factor that has had the effect of minimizing
the contributions of Indonesian female evangelical scholars is
the perceived conflict between evangelicalism and feminism. In
the Indonesian evangelical context, feminist thought has strongly
negative connotations, reflecting the assumption that it is necessarily
tied to liberal theology. Many people assume that feminist theology
is a product of Western civilization and therefore irrelevant to
Indonesian society. They associate evangelicalism with social
conservatism and the defense of traditional gender roles, therefore
seeing evangelical feminism as a contradiction in terms.
However, things look very different to Rebecca Groothuis, who
insists, “The goal of evangelical feminism is that men and women be
allowed to serve God as individuals, according to their own unique
gifts rather than according to a culturally predetermined personality
slot called ‘Christian manhood’ or ‘Christian womanhood.’”27
Although some conservative evangelical scholars insist that
evangelical feminism is nothing more than a liberal stalking horse,28
they seem to have obscured the distinctions setting it apart from the
more familiar Christian feminism as well as secular feminism.29 More

27
Rebecca Merrill Groothuis, Women Caught in the Conflict: The Culture War
between Traditionalism and Feminism (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 1997), 110.
28
See, for example, Wayne Grudem, Evangelical Feminism and Biblical
Truth: An Analysis of More Than 100 Disputed Questions (Sisters, Ore.: Multnomah,
2004); Wayne Grudem, Evangelical Feminism: A New Path to Liberalism?
(Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 2006); Wayne Grudem, Countering the Claims of
Evangelical Feminism: Biblical Responses to the Key Questions (Sisters, Ore.:
Multnomah, 2010); and John Piper and Wayne Grudem, eds., Recovering Biblical
Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism (Wheaton, Ill.:
Crossway, 2012).
29
Robert Letham distinguishes between Christian feminists, who accept the
Bible as authoritative, though only in a limited sense, and religious feminists, “who
do not identify with Christianity, but whose beliefs nevertheless include a religious
worldview.” Robert Letham, “The Hermeneutics of Feminism,” Themelios 17,
no. 3 (April 1992): 4. Secular feminists do not accept the Bible as authoritative in
any sense. Thomas J. Fricke, “What Is the Feminist Hermeneutic? An Analysis
78 Journal of Asian Evangelical Theology 22:1-2 (2018)

importantly, the interminable debate concerning the compatibility

of feminism with evangelicalism seems never to move beyond the
struggle over gender equality, thus preventing female evangelical
scholars from addressing a broader agenda of social concerns.
Feminism is deeply rooted in the women’s liberation movement
of the 1960s, which insisted on women’s equality with men in every
area of society.30 However, with the passage of time, it has become
a much broader movement concerned not only with gender-related
issues but with the struggle to end all forms of subjugation. Bell
Hooks, a prominent African American feminist, says: “Feminism
as a movement to end sexist oppression directs our attention to
systems of domination and the interrelatedness of sex, race, and
class oppression….The foundation of future feminist struggle must
be solidly based on a recognition of the need to eradicate the
underlying cultural basis and causes of sexism and other forms of
group oppression.”31
Similarly, Gita Sen and Caren Grown insist: “For many women
in the world, problems of nationality, class, and race are inextricably
linked to their specific oppression as women. Their definition of
feminism to include the struggle against all forms of oppression is
legitimate and necessary.”32 Given this definition, it would seem
that all female evangelical scholars in Indonesia should identify
themselves as feminists. In fact, feminism is not exclusively for
women but for everyone. Its essence, the fight against oppression, is
very biblical; that fight was an important part of Jesus’ own mission,
and now it is a part of our calling as evangelical scholars.33

of Feminist Interpretation of the Bible,” Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly 91, no. 1

(Winter 1994): 45.
30
Alison M. Jaggar, Feminist Politics and Human Nature, Philosophy and
Society (Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 1988), 5.
31
Bell Hooks, Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center (London: Pluto Press,
2000), 33.
32
Gita Sen and Caren Grown, Development, Crises, and Alternative Visions:
Third World Women’s Perspectives (London: Earthscan, 1987), 19.
33
Robert Kysar, Called to Care: Biblical Images for Social Ministry
(Minneapolis, Minn.: Fortress, 1991), 42.
 Dwi Maria Handayani, The Calling of Female Evangelical Scholars in Indonesia 79

The Calling of Female Evangelical

Scholars in Indonesia
This means that as female evangelical scholars, we should not limit
ourselves to the issue of women’s eligibility for ordination or even
the struggle for women’s equality in the church more generally.
Instead, we must fight against all kind of oppression. Together with
our Muslim friends, we should offer our own theological contribution
to the struggle against social injustice.

Developing a Contextual
Feminist Theology
There is a great need in Indonesia for a biblical theology of women—
for a theology that would not only facilitate the struggle for gender
equality within the church but also empower women battling against
all forms of oppression, including the oppression experienced by
Muslim women. In this way we can build a bridge for dialogue with
our Muslim sisters. They have developed their feminist theology
to address issues such as the legal status of women in Islam, Islam
and women’s education, women and marriage in Islam, women and
polygamy, women and inheritance, women and politics, Islam and
sexuality, and the individual dignity of women.34 Their concern is
not merely with whether or not women can serve as imams but with
building a solid theological foundation that will empower women’s
advance more generally. We should learn from their example.
In 2014 the Society of Biblical Literature published a book titled
Feminist Biblical Studies in the Twentieth Century: Scholarship and
Movement, edited by Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza. The essays in
this book show that discussion among Christian feminists has seldom
if ever moved beyond the ordination of women and the politics

34
Asghar Ali Engineer, The Rights of Women in Islam (New Delhi, India:
Sterling Publishers, 2008); Haifaa A. Jawad, The Rights of Women in Islam: An
Authentic Approach (London: Macmillan, 1998).
80 Journal of Asian Evangelical Theology 22:1-2 (2018)

of power.35 In response, I propose a new paradigm for Christian

feminist theology:

Old Paradigm New Paradigm

Addresses the church context only
Concerned only with women’s ordination and
the struggle for power
Develops feminist methods and approaches
to the Bible
Develops biblical and theological foundation
for gender justice in the church
Biblical analysis, textual criticism
Academic, scholarly orientation
Addresses church and society
Concerned with all kinds of oppression in
society
Develops feminist methods and approaches
to the Bible and society
Develops biblical and theological foundation
for gender justice in the church and society
Social and anthropological analysis
Academic, yet also pursues practical
applications for broader society

Revisiting Our Model of

Theological Education
Implementing a new paradigm for feminist theology will require
developing a new model for theological education. We should
learn from Jesus’ model; he did his teaching, not in a well-
equipped classroom in a beautiful building on the campus of an
elite theological school, but mainly in everyday places accessible
to ordinary people, including women: on the street, in a home (the
parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son; Luke 15), in a
kitchen (the parable of the yeast; Luke 13:20-21), at a well (John
4:1-42), and so on. In his ministry, he focused less on theological
debate and more on serious social concerns.

35
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, ed., Feminist Biblical Studies in the Twentieth
Century: Scholarship and Movement, The Bible and Women: An Encyclopedia of
Exegesis and Cultural History (Atlanta, Ga.: Society of Biblical Literature, 2014).
 Dwi Maria Handayani, The Calling of Female Evangelical Scholars in Indonesia 81

Judo Poerwowidagdo has proposed a new model for theological

education.36 What follows is based on that, with some adjustments
reflecting today’s context.

Old Paradigm New Paradigm

Dominated by men in leadership Both men and women in leadership
Exclusive Inclusive, striving to build relationships with
our Muslim neighbors
Based on campus, in classroom Based on campus, in local community, and
wider society
Education for ordination Education preparing men and women to
make sense of theology in real life for the
sake of mission and evangelism
Study dominated by male heroes of the faith, Both male and female heroes studied
fathers of the church
Oriented toward dogma, denominational Oriented toward interdenominational,
confessions interfaith dialogue
Students motivated to submit, loyal to Students motivated to critical, reflective,
church doctrines, traditions creative innovation regarding church
doctrines in order to address social issues
Practical, spiritual orientation Academic, research-based orientation
Content-, knowledge-based approach Methodological, skills-based approach
Top-down learning process Group learning process
Biblical-historical orientation Biblical-contextual orientation
Metaphysical-ontological orientation Existential-phenomenological orientation
Textual analysis, criticism Social-anthropological, textual analysis

36
Judo Poerwowidagdo, Towards the 21 st Century: Challenges and
Opportunities for Theological Education (Geneva, Switzerland: World Council
of Churches, 1994).
82 Journal of Asian Evangelical Theology 22:1-2 (2018)

Some Practical Issues

to be Addressed
The Oppression of Women
The oppression of women is a crucial concern in Indonesia, even
more so than the debate about women’s ordination to the Christian
ministry. Exploitation of female migrant workers, human trafficking,
and sexual exploitation are common occurrences. Unfortunately,
female evangelical scholars in Indonesia have not dealt with such
gender-related issues.
One of the most important of these issues is the status and
freedom of women in areas that have implemented sharia law.
For example, the protection of women in Aceh is still minimal.
Aceh’s provincial government has yet to recognize violence against
women, including domestic violence, as a problem that needs to
be addressed. Many female Islamic organizations in Indonesia
have strongly resisted the implementation of sharia law in Aceh.
Dina Afrianty has shown that sharia law is used there as a tool of
discrimination against women.37 Since the provincial government
implemented sharia law in 2001, the number of court cases involving
sexual abuse, human trafficking, or domestic violence has increased
significantly.38
Female evangelical scholars in Indonesia must demonstrate
that they are part of Indonesian society by taking their place in the
fight against the oppression of women in Aceh. Since sharia law
is ultimately rooted in the Law of Moses, female biblical scholars
should study local laws concerning women in relation to sharia law
as their contribution to this struggle.

Afrianty, Women and Sharia Law in Northern Indonesia, 70-73.

37

Sarina, “Pada 2016, Kekerasan Pada Perempuan Dan Anak Bertambah 10

38

Kasus,” GoAceh, March 2, 2017, https://www.goaceh.co/berita/baca/2017/03/02/

pada-2016-kekerasan-pada-perempuan-dan-anak-bertambah-10-kasus/, accessed
June 1, 2017.
 Dwi Maria Handayani, The Calling of Female Evangelical Scholars in Indonesia 83

A Response to Radicalism
One of the results of KUPI was a statement condemning religious
radicalism as a form of religious oppression that must be opposed.
The women who attended the congress and approved that statement
demanded a reinterpretation of the Qur’anic verses that are often
appealed to as justification for acts of terrorism.39 Key to this will be
developing a hermeneutical approach distinct from that of terrorists.
Now that Indonesian Muslim women have taken a stand against
religious radicalism, it is time for us to join them. Some Indonesian
Muslims still associate Christianity with the Crusades, so it is
imperative that we offer biblical and theological insights which
demonstrate that such terrorism is incompatible with our faith.
We must strongly express our opposition to all religious violence.
We should take a stand not only against the persecution of
Christians in Indonesia but also against all forms of racism and
hate crimes aimed at Arabs and Muslims around the world. Both
Christians and Muslims suffer because of prejudice and religious
violence directed at them. As a result, we have an unprecedented
opportunity to express our love for our Muslim neighbors by working
with them in the fight against terrorism.

A Response to Corruption
Corruption is a serious problem in Indonesia.40 There have been
many discussions of this among Indonesian Muslims;41 some Islamic
boarding schools even include anti-corruption courses in their

39
Qur’an 2:190-191; 4:74-76; 9:5; 22:40-41; etc.
40
“Corruption by Country: Indonesia,” Transparency International, https://
www.transparency.org/country/IDN, accessed April 7, 2018.
41
Azyumardi Azra, “Islam, Corruption, Good Governance, and Civil
Society: The Indonesian Experience,” Islam and Civilisational Renewal 2, no.
1 (October 2010): 109-125; Angga Fauzan, “Korupsi di Indonesia,” Pinterest,
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d5/2b/03/ d52b03a02550a2a753b17909dbcd27fd.
jpg, accessed April 7, 2018.
84 Journal of Asian Evangelical Theology 22:1-2 (2018)

curricula.42 Unfortunately, Indonesian churches have not yet taken

an active role in the fight against corruption. There have been no
solid academic articles in Indonesian journals offering a biblical
response. Indonesian female evangelical scholars should present
seminars and publish books and articles addressing this issue.

Conclusion
Female evangelical scholars in Indonesia must realize that we
are part of the Indonesian community, confronted by the same
complex problems as our Muslim neighbors. This means that our
response should not be limited to issues within the church, even
issues related to women’s equality in the church. As part of our
calling to be Christ’s witnesses in the world, we must fight against
all forms of oppression. Indonesian female evangelical scholars
should be encouraged to speak up—to produce a biblical framework
appropriate to our context and develop an effective theological
response to the challenges facing our nation today.

42
Kathy Richards, What Works and Why in Community-Based Anti-Corruption
Programs (Blackburn: Transparency International Australia, 2006), 28-29, http://
transparency.org.au/tia/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/What_works_and_why_
FINAL_Report.pdf, accessed May 22, 2018.