Christology in the context of Indonesia: Opportunities and limitations

This article examines the existence, function and meaning of Indonesian contextual Christologies. It begins by outlining the discourse on the theological validity of the concepts of contextual theology, particularly against the background of traditions inimical to, or sceptical of, such enterprises. In then examines the development of recent Christologies in Indonesia, that is, in the world’s most populous Muslim nation, a country, moreover, with a sizeable Christian minority. The article then examines two seminal Christologies, produced by Indonesian theologians since independence. This is the examination of largely hidden theologies. The first is the work of the highly original Javanese theologian, Eka Darmaputera, set against the background of the varying streams of Indonesian Islam. The second is the work produced by indigenous ethnic
theologians, set against a background of pre-literary communal dynamics. From these, the article seeks to assess the issues of contextual Christologies and to evaluate these Christologies for international theological existence.