ASPAC Mission through Education and Research One of the SVD Directions concerns its mission through education and research. It calls on the provinces, regions, and missions that choose this as one of their priorities ad extra to evaluate their education policies, institutions and programs with a special concern for the Catholic character of the institution, social justice and interculturality. Accordingly, the Divine Word Missionaries in Asia and Pacific zone has initiated an organization of missiologists called ASPAC MER (Asia Pacific Mission, Education and Research), which commenced as a network of SVD scholars who organised meetings in the zone in 1991 by Frs Mike Siegel and Bob Kisala in Nanzan University, Nagoya (Japan). Then, in 1994, another meeting took place at Tegal Jaya, Denpasar/Bali (Indonesia) with the presence of Frs Mike Siegel, Leny Mercado, Hubertus Muda and many others. In 1997 another meeting took place in Hong Kong with the participation of some confreres such as Larry Nehmer, Jim Knight, Agustine Kanjamala, Jacob Kavunkal, John Prior, and so on. These meetings were conducted in a plenum called ASPAMIR (Asia and Pacific Missionar Research) every four years to discuss about Missiology and related fields of service to the missionary endevour. Then, a conference on Urbanization and Mission was held successively in 2001 in Mumbai, India. In 2005, the 4th conference turned to Madang, Papua New Guinea, at the Divine Word University from 3 – 7 October, hosted by Pat Gesch, Philip Gibbs to discuss the theme of Mission and Violence, which then resulted in the publication of a volume entitled Mission and Violence: Healing the Lasting Damage (2009). The 5th conference was held in 2010, from 27 Sept to 2 October in Ledug, Malang (Indonesia) hosted by Raymundus Sudhiarsa with the theme “Cross-Cultural Mission: Problems and Prospect”. Then, turned to Tagatay (DWIMS), Manila, Philippines in 2017, where a theme about Sorcery, Witchcraft and Mission was discussed, but unfortunately the proceedings were not published. Due to the Covid-19, the 6th ASPAC MER Conference planned at Widya Mandira University, Kupang (Indonesia), was postponed to the year 2022 and hosted by Philipus Tule, Yulius Yasinto and Jose Jacob. Its outcome appeared in a publication entitled “Challenges in A Postmodern World: Asia Pacific Christian Responses” (2023). Piotr Adamek, ASPAC MER in charge of SVD SIN Province, together with Jijimon Alakkalam will organize the 7th ASPAC MER Conference in Taiwan in 2025, taking the focal theme from the coming SVD General Chapter "Your Light Shall Shine Before Others: Faithful and Creative Disciples in the Wounded World". Most of the conference reflections were carried out in light of a document released by the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education, “Educating for Intercultural Dialogue in Catholic Schools: Living in Harmony for a Civilization of Love, and Vision and Mission of SVD International Society.” Our founder, St. Arnold Janssen, treasured the education and research apostolate at the service of manifold mission engagement of SVD Society and has been part of our mission from the beginning. Around 10% of our members are engaged in this apostolate, especially in parts of the ASPAC zone. Provinces, Regions, and Missions are increasing their commitment to this apostolate in response to the mission needs in the areas that tend to be wounded. We pray that further reflections on our commitment to the Catholic character of our schools and institutions in our ASPAC zone will result in new initiatives towards the promotion of social justice and interculturality that might better contribute towards the mission, education, and research of our young confreres in the future. Fr. Jose Jacob, SVD (ASPAC MER Coordinator)
Mission Work in Post-Nietzschean and Post-Schmidtian Society
The reality of change amidst globalization is increasingly preceded and guided by science, namely the intellectual study of the physical and natural world through observation and experimentation. In today’s increasingly science-oriented world, cognitive paradigm shifts will inevitably give birth to significant changes in all domains, including mission work. Such changes will demand new ways of conducting missionary activities. Postmodern mission work allows more openness to mission service and missiological theories transcending the boundaries of logic and reason. With changes in life patterns among people at the center of the church’s mission, the Church and missionaries need to re-reflect on the models of ecclesiastical missions. The old patterns successful in the past might not be relevant today. The Church needs to reorganize its mission strategy to answer the needs of the new generation in the contemporary era. In the 6 ASPAC MER International Seminar (2022), we discussed various issues and provided practical suggestions for the Divine Word Society and missionaries in general. More specifically, we suggest that local and Universal Churches reposition their mission and pastoral ministry. In this paper, “Culture: Specific Thinking and Acting” in the Postmodern and Post-Truth Society, I attempt to draw the attention of our readers to Post-Nietzschean Anthropology with its focus on multiple objective worlds and PostSchmidtian Anthropology with its idea of Urmonotheismus.
Post-truth and its Challenges to Christian Mission Work in Asia
Every year, the Oxford Dictionary chooses a “Word of the Year”. At the end of 2016 they announced, “After much discussion, debate, and research, the Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2016 was ‘post-truth,’ an adjective defined as ‘relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief”. The definition expounded: “The concept of post-truth has been in existence for the past decade, but Oxford dictionaries have seen a spike in frequency this year in the context of the Brexit EU referendum in the United Kingdom and the presidential election in the United States. It has also come to be associated with a particular noun, in the phrase ‘post-truth politics.” “Post-Truth” implies manufactured truth, in which no one truth can be trusted. The concept of post-truth acknowledges that non-elite humans of society have always been manipulated by powerful, aristocratic, and influential figures. People who hold power use their positions to make lay people believe that their particular “truths” are correct; in reality, “truth” is a matter of power and persuasion, not objectivity. In academic circles, post-truth means a “systematic pattern of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment, whereby inferences about other people and situations may be drawn in an illogical fashion. Individuals create their own ‘subjective social reality’ from their perception of the input”. Post-truth, in short, does not refer to deliberate lies. It is a phenomenon beyond mere statements we happen to disagree with. Post-truth means deliberately ignoring reason, rationale, facts, science, knowledge and statistics to follow an emotionallydriven agenda. It means shutting down and silencing truth-speakers in case the facts cause offence. In short, it means unfettered liberalism. Extreme liberalism is responsible for creating the post-truth society. In other words, it is Liberalism that normalized the idea that facts shouldn’t matter. It is Liberalism that prioritises emotions over facts and creates this Post-truth society. Historically, the origin of this term is from the Serbian-American playwright Steve Tesichwho coined the term “post-truth” in 1992 in an essay published in The Nation in the context of the Persian Gulf War. He stated, “We, as a free people have freely decided that we want to live in some post-truth world (Flood, 2016).” Though the realistic implications of “post-truth” is deplorable, many begin to accept it with the belief that it becomes useful if we read it as a shorthand for life after the pursuit of truth, or in other words, a way of life in which there is apparently no way to separate fact from fiction. oday we are told there is no such thing as fact, that there is no such thing as science, and that there is no such thing as reason. We are told that all “truth” is propaganda. What this mindset does to society, to our constitution, to our thoughts is far more menacing. All these ideas and processes have brought lack of clarity, confusion and reduced commitment to Christian values and life. Consequently, post-truth challenges Christian discipleship in the present world. This paper is divided into seven parts. The first part investigates the historical development of a post-truth society. The second and third sections describe the characteristics of the postmodern and relativistic world of today, and its movement towards post-truth society. This is followed by a study of the salient features of postmodern culture and a post-truth society. The fifth part concentrates on common reactions among laypeople to the present post-modern and relativistic society in terms of the rise of cultural nationalism, religious fundamentalism and people’s movements. The sixth part examines how these processes affect Christian life and its values in contemporary times in terms of loss of authority, loss of foundations of knowledge, and breakdown of important structures of society and culture. The last part is the conclusion drawn from the above study.
A Theological Interpretation of Second Burial (Makawera) Traditions in Sumba
This paper is the result of research on the tradition of makawera (exhuming and reburying bones of the dead) in Southwest Sumba, especially among those who have converted to Christianity. Some argue that this phenomenon is a symptom of a dualism of belief, or syncretism. However, other theological approaches might help us approach this practice positively. The purpose of this study is to observe the Sumbanese (Marapu) practice of exhuming the dead from a theological point of view. Data for this research was collected through literature reviews, in-depth interviews with a number of respondents, and observations of the Marapu practice of makawera using descriptive qualitative methods. The authors conclude that the purpose of Christians practicing makawera is not to ensure the salvation of the human soul, and so Sumbanese beliefs should not be seen as contradictory to Christian teaching. Christians in Southwest Sumba recognize that salvation is entirely granted by God through the redemptive work of his Son Jesus Christ. Marapu Christians also hold that this ceremony is critical for respecting the human body, the abode of God’s spirit. Even if the bones remain after Jesus causes the soul to depart, these bones are still worthy of respect.
Copyright (c) 2023 Herman Punda Panda, Mikhael Valens Boy
Remaining Poor on Rich Soil: Social Exclusion in Agricultural Development: A Case Study of Three Villages in South Amanuban – Timor, Indonesia
This paper examines major factors causing poverty among poor communities in three villages in the region South Amanuban, Timor despite significant developments in the agricultural infrastructure. Based on the theoretical concept of social exclusion, three aspects have been analyzed: changes in livelihood patterns, changes in cosmic balance, and policy failures. This research determines firstly that the change from traditionally dry land agriculture to irrigated rice field cultivation has resulted in profound changes in the social life of peasants, and some of them lead to impaired social networks. Secondly, a change in cosmic balance has occurred, where the traditional triangular balance between the Lord of Heaven, the Lord of Earth, and Social Harmony has been changed into the Christian Lord replacing the Lord of Heaven; Technology replacing the Lord of the Earth; Human Resources as Tools of Production replacing Social Harmony. Lastly, public policy in agricultural development tends to provide little room for poor peasants to access enough land, let alone finance (credit) and market their production. This paper suggests that community development programs and agricultural public policies be based on small peasants and small scale agriculture, and more sustainable cultivation technology.
Valedictory Address Prospects of Mission in the Postmodern and Post-Truth Society
On behalf of the SVD Generalate, I would like to thank all the persons responsible for organizing this symposium on “Mission in the Postmodern and Post-Truth Society.” ASPAC-MER has been organizing this seminar or symposium since 1997 in various places, mainly among the SVDs though some SSpS had joined at times. Over the years, we went on thinking that this association should organize the symposiums in one of our SVD administered Universities, so that the research papers, reflection and discussion would be enlarged to other collaborators and lay people. Widya Mandira Catholic University, Kupang took the initiative to organize it along with other staff and a number of students, and they have organized this symposium meticulously. My special thanks to Philipus Tule, SVD and Yasinto Yulius, SVD, for making wonderful arrangements to host this program in Kupang, and also to the lay collaborators who gave special attention to the details of this program. My gratitude to Jose Kuzhikkattuthazhe, SVD, the Area Coordinator for Mission Animation, who spearheaded the planning and motivating many participants to join this symposium. Understanding postmodern society and how it permeates the ordinary life of a person is not easy. The world is ever changing, the cyber world brings with it the Copernican revolution. Changes occur constantly. Thus, to understand the present is a challenge. In this situation, the post-truth society operates with ever-greater speed; fake news, fake videos, spin doctors in the media, political spokespersons and corporate marketers operate to gain advantage for themselves, leaving grassroots societies in lurch. Postmodern society has positive elements as well as negative elements. To advance the Christian mission in this age of postmodern and post-truth, which is rampant with skepticism, narrow fundamentalism, individualism and exploitation, remains a huge task. eople are swept away by the baseless claims of false narratives and truth that has been manipulated. To name a few trends of misinformation: that COVID-19 vaccinations cause autism, police brutality against people of color is a myth, the climate crisis is a farce, etc., are some of the false narratives. Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence and statistical studies that run contrary to each of these claims, many continue to espouse these views because they resonate with personal experiences or personal likenings that have otherwise gone unexplained. In the postmodern world, “we are placed squarely between the times of modernity and that which is yet to be complete and unnamed. Making the right choices is crucial.” Christian mission requires discernment, commitment and action to counter the prevailing situation of the postmodern and post-truth society. This is not easy, but it is an ongoing process. If we make concerted efforts and sow the seeds of the Gospel values today amidst this challenging society, we will reap the fruits in the coming years” (Michael, 2020: 237-250).
Copyright (c) 2023 Lazar Thanuzraj Stanislaus
The Influence of Mass Media Information on People of Silawan Village in the Republic of Indonesia and Timor Leste Border
This paper addresses the extent information from television has an impact on communities living at the Indonesia-Timor Leste borders and what kind of additional information they need. In conducting this research, I chose the residents of Silawan Village as a locus for my research inquiry. I selected Silawan Village as a representative sample because the local people demonstrate characteristics and conditions common among border communities. In order to answer research questions regarding televised media, I facilitated content analysis of media messages commonly aired on television in Silawan Village and juxtaposed these messages with the location-specific aspirations of local subjects. For the second part of my analysis, I used descriptive qualitative methods. Research results demonstrate that the types of information produced by both state-owned and private televisions as well as by newspapers have both positive and negative effects on my research subjects. Positive impacts are indicated by some worldly knowledge and skills among locals who commonly watch television. On the other hand, information distributed via television also generates problems, particularly behavioral ones, as the villagers become increasingly oriented towards consumptive impulses induced by advertisements. Additionally, television makes children more fearful from watching soap operas containing horror scenes, youths tend to get involved in street fights to imitate martial arts visualized on TV, and the general population fosters its inclination toward dangdut songs rather than traditional music conserving local solidarity. Private media supported by huge capital is proven to be more profit-oriented rather than considerate of the benefits of the users. The media being broadcasted or circulated hardly incorporate local content, and so hardly work for their benefit. Problematically, people at the borders expect the information publicized by local television, radio and newspaper to respond to local needs. Unfortunately, the large majority of these needs go unrepresented in common media. Consequently, collaborations must take place among stakeholders who distribute media on the state borders. Local problems related to agricultural technologies, animal husbandry, the salt industry, as well as education must be voiced to the public for resolutions for the common good and prosperity of local people. Meetings between local and media stakeholders can help media agencies devise strategies to voice relevant local concerns, avoid creating content confusion among viewers/listeners, and pave the way or harmonious coexistence among different peoples at the Indonesia-Timor Leste borders.
Cutting Through Perplexity Among the Youth: Tough Task for the Missions of Today – an Indian Perspective
In an age when truth is relative, and when appeals to emotion shape the truth, we are left to wonder what is there that the youth of today are seeking in life! Are they seeking truth, love, beauty, meaning, wealth, name and fame and happiness? The speed of life thrills everybody. Expertise and perfection in every department have multiplied. Material resources have grown manifold. Natural resources have been plundered at will, and the world is devastated brutally. Mountains are flattened, plains are scooped, rivers are ruined. Still the search for more material wealth is rising unceasingly. Does one look for an answer to the questions that are arising everyday? When questions themselves are so realistic, artistic, and beautiful, why must one go for an answer after all? It looks as if dwelling in the ambiguity of questions itself is the satisfaction that people are looking for. Getting something that is more humane or beneficial for everybody is out of the question. There are a number of questions that pop up to disturb minds: “Is the other person and the other community essentially a part of humanity?” “Are the material world and Nature allies for the happiness of humanity?” “Are the poor and the marginalized integral parts of this glittering world?” “Are religion, community, family, and social systems of any significance in the present world?” The subject matter that I have chosen for this paper is a result of reality based on studies of India East Province of the SVD, and therefore it has involved more field-study than academic research. Here, I have tried to present my findings of interaction with the youth of five Parishes where the SVD missionaries are working. Out of these five parishes, three are rurally based, whereas the other two are a combination of rural and urban. For the collection of data, two methods were used. The first was analysis based on my collection of written responses from the youth who completed the questionnaire that was circulated. Over three hundred responses were received. And, the second is analysis based on my collection of responses through direct discussion with youth groups, based on the questionnaire given. The respondents of both groups could be divided into three distinct categories: current college students studying for graduation and post-graduation, the college-educated but unemployed, and third, less educated youth staying at home and working some sustenance jobs in their villages or towns.
Oral Traditions and The Christian Mission in East and West Timor: Tracing the post-modern Life
This article discusses the current objectives and observations of the Christian Mission working among the people of East and West Timor, Indonesia, and particularly missionary efforts to learn oral traditions which today inform locals how to navigate postmodern life and a post-truth society. It must be conceded that many people tend to disregard oral tradition. The most practical reason for this attitude is that oral tradition relies on mouth-to-mouth communication (without writing), as well as the absence of any legislation supporting the authority of this system of communication. This causes people to deem oral history testimonies as less “official” than written accounts. Although oral tradition is not often considered a reliable source for scholarship, one can use it to document local worldviews. Oral history can also be useful in drawing back the curtain to view an area’s history. This paper discusses the worldview of the Timorese people- both West and East - in the context of oral tradition in order not only to emphasize the unity of the people in West and East Timor, but also to highlight the bias of oral tradition: reframing it as a useful tool for understanding our postmodern and post-truth society. In this regard, the aim of the paper is to further discuss the significant role of oral tradition in the Timorese worldview and its usefulness for conservation and missionary attention. I will frequently refer to the term “origins” to provide comparisons between the past and the current condition of postmodern and post-truth society. Better understanding of postmodernism and post-truth can help Timorese establish Christianity more centrally in local people’s daily affairs. In this way, I would like to discuss the subject of postmodern and post-truth society within the context of Timorese life and how biases on certain truths can be complicated by oral traditions. This paper is based on my research among the Biboki people of West Timor. The Biboki very often use oral tradition to trace their origins and root their philosophies of life informing their current lifestyles. Based on this research and also some material collected before (in East and West Timor), it is hoped that learning oral traditions can support current, locally-specific developments within this region of the country, especially those driven by theories of postmodernism and post-truth.
The Changing Dynamics of Christian Communication in a Postmodern and Post-truth Multireligious Society
I am glad to be part of this ASPAC MER seminar at the Catholic University at Kupang in Indonesia and the opportunity to share with you all some thoughts of mine on this very important topic, “Christian mission in the postmodern and post truth society.” While focussing on the challenges we face in a post-modern and post-truth society, I thought it might also be relevant to add the sitz-in -laben in most of the Asian countries, namely the religious pluralism. This is significant in so far as it is the lived experience of many of us living and working in Asian countries where religious pluralism has created some of the finest aspects of human civilizations, but at the same time it has also generated serious social and political upheaval and polarization. Unfortunately some of these trends are propelled by political machinations aimed at gaining and consolidating political power. Have the post-modern and post-truth trends abetted such socio-political churning or they are still to catch up with most of the Asian countries? The answer to this question cannot come in neat binaries for the simple reason that it is a complex situation: while on one hand one can certainly find some influence of the post-modern and post-truth trends in shaping and forming the contemporary social and political discourses in this part of the world, one can also trace the deep rooted beliefs and practices to the pre-modern mind set. As Meera Nanda rightly says, “Modern India has embraced the end products of the scientific revolution and the Enlightenment in the west – namely modern technology and a liberal-secular framework of law encoded in the Constitution. But it has done so without challenging the cultural authority of the supernatural and mystical world view derived from the idealistic strands of Hinduism (Nanda, 2006; 191). Contemporary Indian ethos is therefore a curious mixture of religious and mythical flavours that align with the fruits of modern scientific and technological developments. It isn’t a rare sight in India, where highly qualified scientists and technocrats appeal to the soothsayers before conducting significant events in their personal and professional lives. Astrology in India as well as in most of the Asian countries seems to be a coping mechanism for the stress and uncertainty of life. As Christopher French, Professor of Psychology at University of London says, “Anything that appears to provide a glimpse of what is waiting around the next corner may give someone a better sense of control, even if that sense of control is illusory.”
Copyright (c) 2023 Babu Joseph Karakombil
Religion, Human Fellowship, and Our Wounded World: The Relevance of the 2019 Abu Dhabi Declaration in Our Post-truth Society
This paper discusses the role of religion in reducing the trend of rising radicalism in Indonesia’s educational institutions. Educational experts in the country, such as Ahmad Syafi’i Ma’arif, Bagong Suyanto, Sidharta Susila, and many others, find that educational institutions in this country ‘have been turned into arenas for the ideological movement of radicalism’ and have produced intolerant individuals. “Radicalism and intolerance in educational institutions not only creates complexity and obscures the focus of education, but also threatens the existence of this country,” claims Sidharta Susila, illustrating his concern in one of the nation’s most well-regarded newspapers (Kompas, 17-06-2022). Negative prejudices against ‘others’ have increasingly intensified in the last few decades, and hate speech has become daily consumption. This phenomenon is especially true among religiously homogeneous schools, Bagong Suyanto asserts (0906-2022). How should we respond to this rise of intolerance? The Abu Dhabi Declaration on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahman Al-Tayyeb (2019) seems to offer relevant reflections. This paper argues that Indonesia must devise purposeful multicultural religious education for young people who must learn to dismantle the exclusive mindsets of those who misuse their powers.
Copyright (c) 2023 Raymundus I Made Sudhiarsa
Care for the Earth as Our Mission: Interpreting Eco-narratives
As a religious missionary society, the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) helps the Catholic Church fulfill its missionary task in various ways, responding to the signs of the times and the needs of each place the mission is stationed. However, until recently, we have not sufficiently committed to environmental protection in our missionary endeavors. We must slowly prioritize care for the earth as an essential dimension of our mission today. In the postmodern world, (mini) narratives play a central role. Hence interpreting the eco-narratives of various religious traditions becomes crucial for the ‘care for the earth’ mission. Today, many consider environmental protection an interreligious project because no one religious tradition has a privileged ecological perspective. Eco-narratives of different religious and spiritual traditions need to interact and engage dialogue to make lasting contributions to environmental protection. We must find appropriate tools to interpret the eco-narratives. This paper suggests that the hermeneutic phenomenology of Paul Ricoeur can be one of the best tools to do so.
Copyright (c) 2023 Jijimon Alakkalam Joseph
Postmodern Faith Response to Sorcery Accusations in Papua New Guinea
In this paper I discuss how a plurality of mini-narratives, logics, worldviews, and interpretive frameworks, typical of a postmodern understanding of the world contributes to the complexity of dealing with the issue of sorcery and witchcraft accusations and violence in contemporary Papua New Guinea. The standard response of missionaries has been to appeal to people’s intellect, inferring that those believing in witchcraft accusations are ignorant and they should be educated based on the findings of modern science. However, such a scientific approach has had limited success. Religious faith as an interpretive framework can provide an alternative or helpful accompaniment to views based on scientific logic and causality. A pre-scientific “magical” view is one possibility, but there are more appropriate alternatives, taking post-modern developments into account, if the Church can inspire and motivate people to pursue alternative causal thinking leading to peaceful solutions to life’s misfortunes. I propose that a faith response can be relevant, not as a master-narrative from a position of dominance, but in encountering truth by responding respectfully to the “multiple belonging” of narratives, logics, worldviews and interpretive frameworks typical of a post-modern approach to reality. I suggest four possible ways forward: further reflection on a theology of death, relevant Biblical studies focusing on Jesus’ ministry, consideration of the magical mindset compared with the Christian mind-set in assigning cause to an event, and a realistic liberative Christian response to currentday social concerns.
Copyright (c) 2023 Philip Jeferson Gibbs
Dialogue Between Practitioners of Catholicism and Biboki Traditional Religion (Atoni Pah Meto) Society Through Acculturation
This research addresses the unique quality of Christ’s presence among the Biboki people of West Timor. In this society, the traditional house (rumah adat) is the center of local groups’ religious celebrations. By analyzing the traditional house, we can find symbols that are valuable in the indigenous religious ceremonies, which can ultimately be related to the placement of the cross of Christ and the statue of the Virgin Mary. This helps the Bibokinese recognize Christ as “the way, the truth and the life”. I use four approaches to this research, namely: 1) dialogue and interviews with some Biboki’s customary figures: 2) direct observation of religious practices that occur in the traditional house, as well as daily life practices in Biboki societies, 3) interviews with the local community, and 4) promoting the possibility of the presence of Christ in the traditional house, transforming and purifying local offerings.
Vatican II Council as An Open Gate for The Church's Mission in Postmodern Society with some Case Studies from Flores-Indonesia
Drawing on case studies from Flores-Indonesia, this article aims to show how the Vatican II Council in the 1960s opened a gate for the Catholic Church to a new style of mission in the postmodern world. Keeping this aim in mind, the author will start by defining what postmodern society is all about, then relate it to some basic reforms carried out by the Catholic Church at the Vatican II Council. The author will then link these definitions to a number of matters relating to the Church’s pastoral mission in Indonesia, especially in Flores. The method used in this study is literature studies and direct observation on the overall development of missionary activity in Flores-Indonesia. One of the findings of this study is that the Catholic Church warmly welcomed postmodernism in a broad sense at the Vatican II Council by abandoning a number of grand narratives. The church embraced postmodernism before the council, challenging the previously long-standing adage extra ecclesiam nulla salus (outside the Church there is no salvation), which prioritized Church truth over all others. The church bravely opened itself up to the sparks of truth, wisdom, and morals cherished for ages by the world’s diverse religions and cultures. This openness will undoubtedly bring abundant fruits for the Church’s missionary work. Christian mission work is about giving the light of salvation to all people, as the author observed and experienced in Flores-Indonesia.
Missiological Reflection of the SVD Mission in the Postmodern and Post-Truth Society with a Special Reference to Tribal Mission in INM Province
God reaches out to His creations because the very nature of God is love. Therefore, the very identity of God is mission. So, the Church’s identity can be defined by the Divine reaching out through mission work. The Church on earth is missionary by her very nature. It is well said that the Church exists by its mission just as a fire exists by burning. Perhaps one of the most important initiatives by the SVDs in the past nearly 150 years since it came into existence has been its empowerment of the most vulnerable sections of the society. This keeps burning the fire of the SVD mission passionately. True to its vision and mission, the Society of the Divine Word in India and elsewhere has spent a great deal of resources both in terms of finance and of personnel. In doing so the Society has established preferential options for the poor and subaltern groups. In today’s parlance as Pope Francis would call it ‘going to the peripheries’: going to the peripheries for mission work doesn’t mean only going to remote, rural villages, but rather going to existential peripheries, ‘smelling the sheep’. In a postmodern scenario, the clarion call of Pope Francis is quite revealing and challenging. He states “I am a Mission; You Are a Mission”. He doesn’t intend to say that ‘I have a Mission’, but rather emphasizes “I am a mission on this earth; that is the reason why I am here in this world”. By emphasizing functionality and action, Pope Francis puts the spotlight on ontology (being). Mission infuses our genes; it’s our self-defining DNA. Incidentally, the SVDs’18 th General Chapter documents says ‘Our Name is our Mission’. Why does the mission give preference to the poor? What type of new mission methodologies need to be adopted upon studying the transformations of the time? This paper is an attempt to glimpse the salient features of post-modernity and post truth, as well as note the influences of postmodernity and mission of the Church. I explore a way forward in the backdrop of postmodern and post-truth induced challenges, in the hope to further discussion on important innovative mission methodologies with a special reference to the SVDs’ tribal mission in the INM province. What strategies, activities, methodologies and ethno-methodologies must be employed to address the issues of our time? How can challenges be translated as opportunities? What is the way forward?
Making Sense of Postmodern Conditions for Christian Living
One of the longstanding epistemological questions of the philosophers is: what is truth and how do we know it? Postmodernists are suspicious of the traditional philosophical answers that base reliable knowledge of the world on foundationalist principles or self-evident concepts. Post-truth society is anti-foundationalist at the core. Truth in postmodern times is more of a dominant political and social construction for practical purposes than a concrete objective lying hidden to be discovered by a scientific methodology. The Nietzschean aphorism, “there are no facts, only interpretations,” captures the mood of a postmodern/post-truth society (Nietzsche, 1967: 481). The first part of this essay is aimed at providing the theoretical position of a postmodern/post-truth society in contrast to modernism. The second half of the essay reflects on the conditions the postmodern/post-truth society imposes on Christian theology and the life of the Church.
Copyright (c) 2023 Antony Honyla Puthussery