Author: Elia Maggang
Maggang, Elia, 2017 THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY IS THE KEY TO ENCOURAGING CHRISTIAN CHURCHES IN EAST NUSA TENGGARA PROVINCE OF INDONESIA TO BE RECONCILING COMMUNIONS IN THE LIGHT OF THE INDONESIAN MASSACRE OF 1965/66 , Flinders University, School of Humanities and Creative Arts
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This thesis discusses how the doctrine of the Trinity becomes the foundation of Christian faith to encourage the Christian church in Indonesia to be a reconciling communion in the light of the Indonesian Massacre of 1965/66. The discussion is divided into three chapters. The first examines how a doctrine of Christian faith, particularly the doctrine of the Trinity, can lead to Christians’ practices in their daily lives. This discussion has its basis on the thought of Catherine M. LaCugna in her book God For Us, arguing that human beings can only know God (theologia) if God reveals God’s self through God’s actions (oikonomia). From the oikonomia, human beings know that God also invites them to participate in God’s actions, certainly, in a creaturely way.
Based on that pattern, the second chapter discusses the reconciling action of the Triune God that makes God known as the relational God. This chapter insists that reconciliation is the work of the Triune God – the Father initiates the reconciliation, the Son executes it, and the Spirit activates it. The last chapter examines how the knowledge of the Triune God, as the reconciling God, has impact in Christian church fellowship where its members are in broken relationship as an impact of the Indonesian Massacre of 1965/66. God is the reconciling God as God is the relational God. The relational God that reconciles human beings to God also invites them to participate in the reconciling work of God. This is by living in loving relationship with God and with their neighbours. This chapter also insists that this participation of Christians is actually the identity of every Christian as the imago Dei that echoes the Triune God as the relational (theologia) and reconciling (oikonomia) God.
Keywords: Trinity, Reconciliation, Christian Church, Indonesian Massacre 1965/66
Subject: Theology thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2017
School: School of Humanities and Creative Arts
Supervisor: Rev Prof Adrew Dutney, PhD.