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Worship services display the spiritual stand of the Dutch Reformed Church. In theological and clerical circles, it is accepted that the content of church services in Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) congregations shows its spiritual state as a church, or the basic convictions of its Christian faith. From their General Synod as the broadest assembly in this church, stipulations of the DRC Church Order, as well as other resolutions about church services, are accepted to be implemented by congregations. From personal experiences during visits to congregations, the author came to the conclusion that there are tendencies in these church services that are no longer in accordance with its church order and the viewpoints of its General Synod, regarding church services. These tendencies lead to a derailing of the biblical lines of church services. It also indicates a lack of loyalty in this regard, by ministers of the DRC. What it boils down to, is that church services indicate the spiritual stand of the DRC. Contribution: This article shows that church services show the spiritual approach and practice of churches. It states a principle for Reformed churches, and its critique on the Dutch Reformed Church aims at a reformation. The article stresses that the integration of the confessions of a church, as well as the understanding of the church, reflects in the services.

The fivefold ministry is the belief in the functioning of the five offices in ecclesial leadership such as apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists. Contrary to the practice in mainline Christianity and classical Pentecostalism, African neo-Pentecostals believe that the fivefold ministry is functional in the contemporary church as much as it was in the early church. Hence, the clergy in these churches takes on various titles such as ‘apostles’ and ‘prophets’ as opposed to traditional titles such as ‘reverend’ and ‘priest’. However, some African neo-Pentecostals have used this conceptual framework for the attainment of titles without training, ordination, and formal recognition. In addition, the practice of fivefold ministry in African neo-Pentecostalism has opened a door for other non-conventional titles like ‘major 1’ and ‘seer 1’ to name a few. Furthermore, there is also an overemphasis of titles as if there is competition within the fivefold ministry. This article argues that the biblical (particularly the New Testament) purpose of the fivefold ministry, is the edification of the church rather than the abuse of titles and competition by the clergy within African neo-Pentecostalism. The theoretical framework for the Pentecostal theology of edification is constructed within the biblical perspective on fivefold ministry in Ephesians 4:11. The framework is important in demonstrating that the fivefold ministry is important for the edification of the body of Christ. The use of the fivefold ministry is expected to benefit the church, not individual apostles, and prophets. Equally, the fivefold ministry encourages the participation of all believers. Contribution: This article discusses the challenges of the abuse of ministry titles and other non-conventional titles by neo-Pentecostal groups from a Pentecostal perspective, and compares it to the biblical justification for the existence of such ministries in the early church.

This two-article submission suggests a new lens through which to read and study the Bible. This lens generates new perspectives for teaching, preaching, and writing about the Bible. Called gender balance, the lens applies to both the Old and New Testament. Gender balance not only is simple, but also is in plain sight. If there is a story, passage, theme, or text about a man, look for a similar one about a woman; if there is a story, passage, theme, or text about a woman, look for a similar one about a man. The accounts often not only complement each other, but also provide additional details and insights. Combining canonical and literary methodologies, these two articles acknowledge the preponderance of biblical references to men. However, they show that a similar reference to a woman can usually be found quickly. Given that these two articles represent a survey with examples, an extensive exegesis is not provided. Comments on each gender balance entry are brief and framed in supplemental scholarship. The examples incorporate a conscious choice of looking for a similar story, passage, theme, or text about the opposite gender. The examples illustrate the premise that gender balance is clearly within the Scriptures. While a new way, a new lens of looking at the Bible, is presented, the first article supplies an extensive literature review showing it is a new idea. It then proceeds with examples of gender balance from the Old Testament and ends with a short conclusion and a bibliography. The second article contains New Testament examples of gender balance, a longer conclusion, and a bibliography. Contribution: The concept of looking at the Bible through a new lens – that of gender balance – may be both revolutionary and revitalising. It may be a tool for evangelism (for it consciously seeks to show stories about men and women); it may prove a more effective way to teach, preach, study, and write about the Bible (for it seeks complementary passages for both genders). These articles – by illustrating the concept through literary tools such as round and flat characterisation and literary categories such as epic tale – offer more ways to address the Bible’s wonderful diversity. These two articles advocate making gender balance a standard practice in reading the Bible. They illustrate that the lens of gender balance offers new perspectives and insights on the Bible. After all, it is in plain sight! Gender balance affirms the Bible’s glorious, wide-armed, concluding invitation to all – Jew or Greek, slave or free, rich or poor, male or female – ‘Come’ (Rv 22:17a).

This article examined the concept and notability of mimetic desire in Augustine’s autobiographical work Confessiones. Mimetic desire is based primarily on the knowledge that there is a Perfect Being, viz. God, ideal forms (in Platonic idiom), which may be known and imitated by humans. Mimesis demonstrates that humans have a natural capacity and tendency to imitate and possess what others have. Despite this, in popular culture, mimesis has the connotation of feyness and is discouraged in place of inventiveness. The culture and spirit of our day promote originality and inventiveness without an understanding of the human nature and its inherent mimetic desires. The concept of mimetic desire is rooted in Rene Girard’s theory of anthropology but can be traced back as far as Plato’s Republic. Therefore, this interdisciplinary concept has been explored through Augustine’s narratological composition of Confessiones. The introspective tone and cultural forming narratives that make up Confessiones were succinctly examined in the context of mimetic theory. The triangular structure of mimetic desire was further explored to gain a better understanding of how Augustine relied on mimesis in his conversion to Christianity. The choice of imitating authentic models led to Augustine’s moral renewal, and likewise such implications are relevant to modern-day Christians. Moreover, this article aims to promote the concept of mimesis as an ideal practise concerning human nature and conditioning, towards a virtuous and morally acceptable society. The results of this article underline the importance of narrative theory and friendship in developing positive cultures through mimesis. Through contrasting Augustine’s earlier Manichaean life and his later Christian life, an illustration of mimetic desire can be drawn, and for Augustine, this could only mean Christ. Contribution: This article contributes to the ongoing interdisciplinary studies of ontology, anthropology, theology, and sociology. By interpreting or reading Augustine’s Confessiones through the lens of mimetic desire, this article offers an alternative perspective on Augustine’s natural theology and virtue ethics. It further presents the conceptual framework of mimesis on Christian and Platonist praxis of the ideal forms. Moreover, the article of the narratological composition of Confessiones expounds the importance of interpersonal relationships in our spiritual growth. The triangular structure of mimesis was further expounded in the context of interior life, viz. interior homo [inner man] as the ultimate model.

This article investigates the attribute of God’s wisdom in Matthew’s Gospel as personified in the ministry of his Son, Jesus. This Gospel identifies Jesus as ‘Immanuel’. He is ‘God with us’. The focus falls on several statements exhibiting wisdom motifs that are either uttered by or ascribed to Jesus. These statements are quite puzzling and continue to evoke scholarly discussion. The central theoretical argument of this article is that these statements cannot be fully understood without considering the echoes of the Jewish context exhibited in them. The objective of his investigation is to demonstrate how the recognition of similarities between the statements in Matthew and in Jewish literature contribute towards the understanding of wisdom statements in the Matthean Gospel. This article therefore begins by identifying key wisdom motifs within Jewish tradition, followed by an investigation of wisdom sayings in Matthew. Parallels in Luke are considered to sharpen peculiarities of Matthew’s narration. From this investigation it became clear that the ministry of Jesus in Matthew is met with similar reactions as that of Wisdom in Jewish literature. The article accentuates a significant dimension of Matthew’s Christology. Matthew vindicates Jesus against his opponents and justifies Jesus’ acceptance within the Matthean community. For this community, he is not only recognised as wise teacher, but even the one who reveals and personifies wisdom. As ‘Immanuel’, he presents the attribute of God’s wisdom. Contribution: This article contributes to the ongoing scholarly discussion of several puzzling and seemingly obscure statements echoing wisdom motifs, either attributed to or uttered by Jesus.

The divinely derived authority of the Bible to teach and guide, is somewhat mixed with the authority of traditions to interpret Scripture and document such interpretations outside Scripture. Tradition-based Bible translations pose a threat of elevating the authority of tradition over that of Scripture. All concerned traditions should not occupy or tame the authority of Scripture by producing Bibles attuned to tradition. The Scriptures were inspired by the Holy Spirit who inspires Bible readers to understand them. Tradition should not shape or formulate Scripture in accordance with its interpretive convictions. The Bible translations, produced under the auspices of specific traditions, should be exposed to guard the authority of Scripture not to be subdued by any tradition. The endless production of Bible translations has been considered to determine what could necessitate them. Among other findings, traditions have been found to be active in producing Bible translations, when their purview should be doing biblical interpretations and publish them within their traditions, and not to release them to the public as alternative Bibles or versions. The authority of God through the Holy Spirit, who inspired the prophets and apostles to write Scripture, is not transferable to any tradition. Regardless of the proliferation of tradition-based Bible translations, the authority to guide and teach believers, remains with God and the outlook of believers should be based on the supreme authority of God. The principle of Sola Scriptura is somewhat unsafe in the light of the production of tradition-orient Bible versions. The inspiration of the Bible by the Holy Spirit predates canonisation, redaction and restructuring of Scriptures. The production and publication of tradition-based Bibles with synthetic translation rules, poses a threat of diluting Scripture to align with specific traditions. Tradition is fallible and cannot be as authoritative as God. All authority to teach and guide continues to rest with the infallible God. Contribution: Continuous Reformation could regress to the outgrown pre-Reformation teachings that were subject to the authority of tradition, if the proliferation of tradition-based Bible translations is not noticed with a threat that they pose on the divinely derived authority of the Scriptures to teach and guide believing people. The gains of Reformers and Reformation should be guarded by being aware of Bible translation trends.

Matthew’s story of Jesus shows striking similarities to Greek biographies and ancient writings describing famous rulers, their miraculous births, gloriously won wars, deaths, and deification. Matthew’s work was first given the appearance of a biography by the story of the birth of Jesus which is found at the very beginning of the Gospel. It contains numerous motifs that are widespread in the wider ancient literature: the motif of the birth of a child announced by angels, prophets, or heavenly phenomena; the motif of a miraculous birth; the motif of the persecuted royal child. It shows that in the description of the birth of Jesus, Matthew was significantly close to some ancient models; the question is: whether consciously or unconsciously. Answering the question adequately is possible only after looking at the literary content, the motif parallels between the story of the birth of Jesus in the Gospel according to Matthew and the stories of miraculous births in ancient literature. Of the utmost importance is certainly the conclusion that although it is possible to make comparisons between Matthew’s Infancy Gospel and many ancient stories about miraculous births, the motif of the Holy Spirit in Matthew’s story of Jesus’ conception and birth is an early Christian concept that should point to the unique action of God throughout Jesus’ life, so that there is no corresponding parallel in the surrounding world. For the members of Matthew’s community, Jesus’ entire earthly life was designed from his very birth. The Spirit at Jesus’ birth is the same prophetic Spirit that led Jesus into ministries at baptism, like the prophet Jeremiah and other Old Testament prophets. Nevertheless, that Spirit made Jesus’ conception possible and, for Matthew and his community, Jesus was the first and the last born of the Holy Spirit, the incarnated Son of God.

Neglecting God’s love for humankind significantly decreases the role of faith in creating better relations among people. The responsibility of the faithful is to constantly witness the endlessness of God’s patience, which should also encourage mutual tolerance. This is extremely important because tolerance in human relations is often reduced to ideological propaganda and often is an enforced situation controlled by the majority. This then creates a tyranny of the majority over the minority, while sometimes the situation changes and creates a tyranny of the minority over the majority. The reason for this is the downgrading of humanity’s God-given freedom to mere human rights and responsibilities, which is actually our self-denial in the state of powerlessness. We have lost the theanthropic dynamic due to the unwillingness of self-proclaimed super-people to recognize humanity’s likeness to God; they think of themselves as self-sufficient, while the others are needed as long as they are ready to submit. Therefore, the self-proclaimed super-people turn out to be non-people, unable to recognize their tragic situation because of their need to dominate. All their actions are determined by their urge to possess others, which makes the ideas they preach senseless. Tolerance, as something that self-sufficient individuals enforce upon others, loses its true meaning since irresponsible people turn it into an instrument of extortion, forgetting that without responsible freedom, there is no real tolerance. In order to make our lives meaningful, we must emphasize God’s love for humankind and overcome all our dubious and self-centered ideas. That is the only way to understand and implement tolerance correctly as a societal necessity and a maximum of human goodness.

Sergey V. Troitsky was a theologian, historian, and an excellent jurist. He spent a significant portion of his life studying Saint Sava’s Zakonopravilo. Since 1948, when he became an associate of the SANU, and until his death on 27th November 1972, Troitsky tirelessly studied this invaluable source of Serbian medieval civil and ecclesiastical law. He wrote many significant studies that became a basis for the future publishing of the phototypes of Saint Sava’s Zakonopravilo. Due to his scientific achievements, which are the results of his independent study of this fundamental medieval juridical collection as well as reactions to the ideas of contemporary eminent scientists (such as Mošin, Jagić, and Solovjov), the role and significance of Saint Sava’s Zakonopravilo in the life of the Serbian Church and State cannot even be comprehended without consulting his works. Troitsky did not only prove the authenticity of this unique Nomocanon, but he also improved our understanding of its influence on the life and organization of the Churches in Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia. This was one of Troitsky’s main arguments in proving that the translation of Zakonopravilo with interpretations did not exist in the Slavic language before Saint Sava. In other words, Troitsky claimed that Saint Sava enabled the Slavic Churches (and even states) to function independently, according to the laws and canons, with the best Byzantine interpretations collected in one place. He paid particular attention to the issue of printing the Krmčija that was, unlike Zakonopravilo, somewhat modified and adapted to the needs of the Russian Church.

Confession and repentance, being the sacrament of the Church, constitute a place of meeting between God’s grace and human freedom, which is thus transformed into the true freedom of God’s sons and daughters. A man who loves the beauty and purity of graceful, sacramental, and virtuous life cannot live without confession. Just like any Christian who does not participate in the communion of Christ, in the liturgical gifts of Christ’s Body and Blood, cannot call himself by this holy name, the neglect of the grace by which those who confess educate themselves represents spiritual death. The correct and salvific life in freedom, as given in the Church, cannot actualize if one neglects repentance and confession. Modern man, sick from the consequences of sin, cannot get better without the salvific confession. Many psychological and somatic disorders stem from reducing the confession to mere “custom” and obligation. Rediscovering the pure spring of the graceful life in Christ and renovating graceful freedom through the tears of repentance and honest confession represent a way threaded by the Church’s Fathers. If we want to show the graceful perspective of freedom and God’s love to modern humanity, we are obliged to personally and communally approach Christ through confession and repentance, so we might be transformed into gods by grace. A cleansed and Christ-bearing man is truly free and capable of living as God has intended – in eternal joy and grace of God’s Kingdom. This cleansing and transfiguration begin in time and continue in eternity. The education for eternal life is based on confession and our decision to follow Christ and fulfill his commandments. We rise if we fall and stumble, all thanks to Christ, who brings us into eternal life.

The Arabs were descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham. In the Byzantine sources, they were known as Saracens, Hagareanes, and Ismailites. Christianity was present among the Arabs since Pentecost. The mention of several Holy Apostles is linked to the ethnically Arab Nabatean areas, Edessa, and the Arabian Peninsula itself. The Metropolitanate of Bostra was the first ecclesiastical unit that, within the Jerusalem Patriarchate, had jurisdiction over the Arab border areas that extended towards the Arabian Peninsula. From the 4th century, to the East of the Holy Land, new Arab tribes were settled and Christianized. These were the Byzantine federates, the Tanukhid, Salihid, and Gasanid tribal alliances. The Bishop of the Arabs was present at the First Ecumenical Council. During the reign of Tanukhid Queen Mavia, the Arabs waged a successful war against the Roman Empire because they wanted the freedom of worship and the Orthodox faith. King (Phylarch) David (Dawud) of the Salihids was the founder and builder of Christian monasteries, and he held the title of Christian Gaziya. Among the Arabs, the most potent Byzantine federations were the Ghassanids. They were known for practicing the cult of the Desert Fathers of the Orthodox Church and the cult of the Holy Warriors. With the appearance of Islam among the Arabs (7th century), the freedom to practice Christianity was suppressed. Part of the Christian tribes moved to the free Byzantine territories. In the Rashidun Caliphate, proselytism was forbidden, so there was a general stagnation in Christianization. The following period was characterized by religious polemics. The initiative of the Byzantine Reconquest in the East in the 10th century led to the borderline re-Christianization of the Arab tribes. Notable examples of this trend are the re-Christianization of the Banu Habib tribe and the success of the Nikon Metanoiteʼs mission in Crete. Examples of individual conversion are also evident, like the stories of the Saint Barbaros and the Digenis Akritas.

The formation of Liturgics as an autonomous theological discipline in Russian theological academies began in the first decades of the 19th century and was completed with the establishment of a special cathedra for Liturgics and Church Archeology during the spiritual and academic reform in 1869. This was followed by the notable successes of the so-called “historical Liturgics.” The establishment of the cathedra for Liturgics is a formal result of the independence of this theological discipline, which was further confirmed during the 1880s by significant achievements and studies of this cathedra’s professors and their students, such as I. D. Mansvetov, N. F. Krasnoselcev, A. A. Dmitrievsky, A. A. Almazov, etc. Their heritage has received a significant amount of attention recently, although a complete understanding of their scientific achievements still requires much effort. The basis for studying Orthodox worship in Russia was laid at the beginning of the 19th century at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy by Saint Philaret (Drozdov). Although he approved the systematic exposition of the “scholastic” theology, Saint Philaret has applied the historical-theological method to the study of Holy Sacraments. Saint Innocent (Borisov) proposed an alternative in the 1830s at the Kazan Theological Academy, bringing the study of worship into the theological system along with the symbolics (the study of the Christian faith), canonics (canon law), and hierarchics (the study of hierarchy), thus proposing a very complex systematical-hierarchical approach to the theological studies. Nevertheless, this model produced little results. Much better was the method of St. Petersburg Theological Academy’s professor V. I. Dolocky who attempted to combine dogmatical, historical, and symbolical methods in the study of worship. In this way, Dolocky enabled a more active application of the historical method and emphasized the importance of the liturgical texts. Among the most distinguished champions of the historical method in the pre-reform generation of professors of theology was A. L. Katansky who combined his teacher’s ideas with the historical trends of the Moscow Theological Academy. The potential of this theological-liturgical approach was actualized at the beginning of the 20th century. The study of liturgical manuscripts preserved in various libraries began at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The researchers have published many papers on ancient manuscripts, as well as many translations of liturgical services from Ancient Greek into the Church-Slavonic language. Due to the efforts of Russian theologians from this period, liturgical theology in Russia reached its peak by 1917.

In spiritual conversations with believers, the opinion is often expressed that there is no salvation without Baptism. Believers base this attitude on the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; and he who does not believe shall be condemned” (Mark 16:16), as well as the words: “Unless one is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (John 3:5). The paper analyzes the foundation of such a point of view. Firstly, the words from the New Testament, as well as from the Holy Fathers’ literature, which highlight the importance of the Holy Sacrament of Baptism, are cited. But then another argument from the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament is presented, which testifies that the act of Baptism itself does not guarantee salvation. The most obvious example is Captain Cornelius who was filled with the Holy Spirit even though he had not yet been baptized. Also, we see that the repentant thief on the cross was saved even though he could not show acts of repentance. He was not baptized but he displayed sincere faith. In the conclusion, it is emphasized that the most important criterion for salvation is faith, and all according to the words of the Savior recorded by the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John: “Truly, truly, I say to you: He who heeds my word and believes in the One who sent me shall have eternal life, and not come to judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

In this interdisciplinary study brought to your attention, a rather bold effort was made to develop a certain qualitatively improved scientific paradigm that would satisfy all informational, spiritual, and material aspects of being. That is, the author quite consciously sets himself an unimaginable and, it seems, a difficult task of integrating most of the present laws of nature. And, besides, his arguments are also supported by a number of appropriate equations of theoretical physics. For instance, it is from such a purely techie’s positions that an original secular rationale of the phenomenon of the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ is given here (as well as, however, the rather complex process of formation of the incorruptible relics of eminent Orthodox saints). But most importantly, this article, with its pacifist orientation and readiness for general open dialogue, visibly differs from many other thematically similar studies, which makes it very relevant in our days, when it is urgently required to learn, after all, to think in a new way, i.e. creatively and impartially.

The church, as a representation of God's family, should actively provide support and guidance to individuals who have been released from prison and are capable of reintegration into society. Unfortunately, in reality, many churches fail to demonstrate acceptance towards former inmates, which leads to their isolation and drives them to seek support in less positive environments. This study utilizes a literature review approach, involving the search, selection, and evaluation of published materials like books, academic journals, articles, theses, and prior research reports relevant to the subject. The findings from this method reveal that the church's role as God's family remains largely unfulfilled, especially concerning those individuals labeled as 'ex-convicts.' Hence, it is imperative for the church to rekindle its commitment to embracing, loving, and guiding former prisoners through spiritual and social assistance, recovery and rehabilitation programs, community empowerment initiatives, and by offering hope and forgiveness to those seeking redemption BAHASA INDONESIA ABSTRACT: Gereja sebagai keluarga Allah harus berperan dalam memberikan dukungan dan bimbingan kepada para mantan narapidana yang sehat setelah mereka dibebaskan dari penjara. Namun, pada kenyataannya, banyak gereja yang tidak menerima kunjungan mantan narapidana, sehingga kehadiran gereja justru mengucilkan mereka dan mendorong mereka untuk mencari dukungan dan bimbingan di lingkungan yang kurang positif. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah tinjauan pustaka. Metode ini melibatkan pencarian, pemilihan, dan evaluasi literatur yang telah dipublikasikan, seperti buku, jurnal ilmiah, artikel, tesis, dan laporan penelitian terdahulu yang berkaitan dengan topik yang diteliti. Berdasarkan metode ini, diperoleh hasil bahwa peran gereja sebagai keluarga Allah belum sepenuhnya terlaksana, terutama bagi mereka yang dikenal sebagai ekses. Oleh karena itu, gereja perlu menyadarkan kembali bahwa hal tersebut termasuk menerima, mengasihi dan membimbing para mantan melalui pendampingan rohani, pendampingan sosial, pemulihan dan rehabilitasi, pemberdayaan masyarakat, serta memberikan pengharapan dan pengampunan kepada para mantan penyandang disabilitas.

The philosophy of Christian education is based on the foundation of restoration of man as the image and likeness of God who fell into sin to be reconciled and redeemed to God. Christian education aims to transform students towards the likeness of God's character. Unfortunately, the practice of Christian education pays less attention to the development of the whole aspects of a student and instead only focuses on particular aspects, so that many students only obtain knowledge, but are lacking character and spiritual life shown in their life. This gap awakens the needs for a holistic approach, namely focusing on all aspects of human life. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to explain the implications of holistic Christian education practices based on the importance of students' natures in achieving the goals of Christian education. The method used here is literature study based on several focus studies, namely philosophical views, students as the image and likeness of God and holistic Christian education. As a result, the existence of holistic students is directed to learning that comes from God's truth through holistic Christian education. The practice of Christian education is recommended to provide teachings that touch the heart to bring humans to recovery towards the right way of life before God. Educational institutions present an integrated curriculum of spiritual aspects to realize a positive response and responsibility of students towards others and nature. BAHASA INDONESIA ABSTRACT: Filsafat pendidikan Kristen mendasari pada pemulihan manusia sebagai gambar dan rupa Allah yang jatuh ke dalam dosa untuk direkonsiliasi, ditebus dan didamaikan dengan Allah. Pendidikan Kristen bertujuan mentransformasi individu secara utuh untuk menuju keserupaan karakter Allah. Faktanya, praktik pendidikan Kristen kurang memperhatikan pengembangan semua aspek dan tidak jarang hanya terfokus pada satu aspek saja, sehingga banyak siswa yang hanya berpengetahuan baik namun karakter dan kehidupan spiritual yang ditunjukkan malah kurang atau buruk. Kesenjangan ini menyadarkan perlunya pendekatan holistik yaitu memberi perhatian kepada seluruh aspek kehidupan manusia. Oleh sebab itu, tujuan penulisan ini yaitu memaparkan implikasi praktik pendidikan Kristen yang holistik berdasarkan pertimbangan pentingnya natur siswa dalam mewujudkan tujuan pendidikan Kristen. Metode yang dipakai adalah studi literatur berdasarkan beberapa fokus kajian yakni tinjauan filosofis, siswa sebagai gambar dan rupa Allah dan pendidikan Kristen yang holistik. Hasilnya, keberadaan siswa yang holistik diarahkan kepada pembelajaran yang bersumber dari kebenaran Allah melalui pendidikan holistik. Praktik pendidikan Kristen disarankan memberikan pengajaran yang sampai menyentuh hati untuk membawa manusia kepada pemulihan menuju cara hidup yang benar di hadapan Allah. Institusi pendidikan menghadirkan kurikulum terintegrasi aspek spiritual untuk mewujudkan respons positif dan tanggung jawab siswa terhadap sesama dan alam.

Education has a role to teach knowledge as well as morals so that students are not only smart, but also have noble character. Juvenile delinquency occurs when moral values have not been internalized. Therefore, Christian education responds by stating that the purpose of Christian education is to bring students to spiritual growth, where moral values and Biblical values are components that must be realized in real action. This paper will focus on how Christian education relates to the learning community in the classroom and how to find a learning community that can bring about spiritual growth. Using a literature review, it is found that learning in a learning community must be done in conjunction with discipleship. Discipleship is the process of learning knowledge as well as instilling the value of biblical truth. The growth of spirituality is characterized by the awareness and desire to serve as salt and light or have a good impact on their environment (Matthew 4:13-14). Through anthropological studies, it is also found that humans have been created to live together. Teachers have a role to lead discipleship in the classroom and students also play a role. Therefore, teachers and students need to work together to achieve this spiritual growth through discipleship in the learning community. BAHASA INDONESIA ABSTRACT: Pendidikan memiliki peran untuk mengajarkan ilmu pengetahuan sekaligus moral sehingga murid tidak hanya cerdas, namun juga berakhlak mulia. Kenakalan remaja yang terjadi sampai saat ini menunjukkan bahwa ada nilai moral yang belum di aplikasikan oleh seseorang. Oleh sebab itu, pendidikan Kristen menjawab hal ini dengan menyatakan bahwa tujuan pendidikan Kristen adalah membawa siswa sampai kepada pertumbuhan spiritualitas, yang mana nilai moral dan nilai Alkitabiah merupakan komponen pertumbuhan spiritualitas yang harus diwujudkan dalam tindakan nyata. Pendidikan Kristen akan berhubungan dengan komunitas belajar di dalam kelas dan memikirkan bagaimana menemukan komunitas belajar yang dapat membawa pertumbuhan spiritualitas adalah hal yang akan dijawab melalui karya tulis ini. Dengan menggunakan kajian literatur, di temukan bahwa pembelajaran di dalam komunitas belajar harus dilakukan bersamaan dengan pemuridan. Pemuridan adalah proses pembelajaran ilmu pengetahuan sekaligus penanaman nilai kebenaran Alkitab. Pertumbuhan spiritualitas ditandai dengan adanya kesadaran dan keinginan untuk melayani sebagai garam dan terang atau memberikan dampak yang baik bagi lingkungannya (Matius 4:13-14). Melalui kajian antropologi, juga ditemukan bahwa manusia memang sudah diciptakan untuk hidup bersama. Guru memiliki peran untuk memimpin pemuridan di kelas dan siswa juga berperan. Oleh sebab itu, guru dan siswa perlu bekerja sama untuk mencapai pertumbuhan spiritualitas tersebut melalui pemuridan dalam komunitas belajar.

The 5th century was a bleak time for the development of the church. The Bishop of Rome showed his supremacy over all churches and teachings, which led to the Reformation and the concept of Holy Communion. Holy Communion or Eucharist is interpreted as a form of Jesus' sacrifice accepted by His people through the fellowship of food and drink, namely the body (bread) and blood (wine). This raises the question of whether there is the presence of Christ Jesus in the food and drink or is it just a symbol. This research is to look at the views of reformer theologians Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin and the Anabaptists on Holy Communion. The results of this study show that there are differences in understanding of Holy Communion. The Anabaptists understood the Supper in almost the same context as Zwingli, namely as a memorial without the presence of Christ. While John Calvin thought that Christ was present in the revelation of His Spirit to awaken His people to the work of salvation. The thing that makes their views on Eucharist theology the same is the excavation carried out based on the Word of God. The renewed understanding of Holy Communion is inseparable from the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church at that time which seemed to show its superiority where the Eucharist was considered the way for humans to get forgiveness of sins. The focus of Holy Communion can be understood as God's action to reveal the concept of Jesus' sacrifice as the powerful Christ, ruling through His Spirit and working in His members. And the specific meaning for His people today is to remember, repent, and have faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. BAHASA INDONESIA ABSTRACT: Abad ke 5 merupakan masa suram bagi perkembangan gereja. Uskup Roma menunjukkan supremasinya atas seluruh gereja dan pengajaran sehingga menggerakkan Reformasi dan salah satunya terhadap konsep Perjamuan Kudus. Perjamuan Kudus atau Ekaristi dimaknai sebagai bentuk pengorbanan Yesus yang diterima oleh umatNya melalui persekutuan makanan dan minuman yaitu tubuh (roti) dan darah (anggur). Hal ini menimbulkan pertanyaan apakah terdapat kehadiran Kristus Yesus dalam makanan dan minuman atau hanya merupakan simbol saja. Penelitian ini untuk melihat pandangan dari para teolog reformator Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin dan Kaum Anabaptis terhadap Perjamuan Kudus. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan adanya perbedaan pemahaman tentang Perjamuan Kudus. Bagi kaum Anabaptis memahami Perjamuan dalam konteks yang hampir sama dengan Zwingli yakni sebagai peringatan tanpa kehadiran Kristus. Sementara John Calvin beranggapan bahwa Kristus ada dalam penyataan RohNya untuk menyadarkan umatNya tentang karya keselamatan. Hal yang menjadikan pandangan mereka pada Ekaristi teologi sama adalah penggalian yang dilakukan berdasarkan Firman Allah. Pembaharuan pemahaman terhadap Perjamuan Kudus tidak terlepas dari pengajaran Gereja Katolik Roma pada masa itu yang nampaknya menunjukkan superioritasnya dimana Ekaristi dianggap sebagai jalan manusia mendapatkan pengampunan dosa. Fokus dari Perjamuan Kudus dapat dipahami sebagai tindakan Tuhan untuk menyatakan konsep pengorbanan Yesus sebagai Kristus yang berkuasa, memerintah melalui Roh-Nya dan bekerja dalam anggota-anggotaNya. Dan makna khusus bagi umatNya saat ini adalah mengingat, bertobat, dan memiliki iman kepada Yesus sebagai Tuhan dan Juruselamat.

Humans can only understand salvation through God's revelation in the Bible. The Bible teaches that the matter of salvation is both God's sovereignty and man's inseparable responsibility, which is understood as a paradoxical concept. But in reality, 6 out of 11 Christian students do not understand the paradoxical truth about salvation taught by the Bible according to a randomly distributed survey. Christian students who have accepted theological doctrines should understand the paradoxical truth about salvation. An important aim of writing this essay is to show the understanding of Reformed theology (represented by John Calvin, Louis Berkhof, Anthony Hoekema, and J.I. Packer) regarding salvation as God's sovereignty and human responsibility using literary sources. Reformed theologians (Calvin, Berkhof, Hoekema, and Packer) accepted the paradoxical concept and believed that humans contribute to the regeneration of identity through God's grace. God's grace is the main reason humans can obey this. Therefore, understanding the concept of paradoxical truth must be accompanied by love and humility before God. BAHASA INDONESIA ABSTRACT: Manusia hanya dapat memahami keselamatan melalui wahyu Allah melalui Alkitab. Alkitab mengajarkan bahwa mengusahakan keselamatan adalah kedaulatan Tuhan dan tanggung jawab manusia yang tidak terpisahkan, yang dipahami sebagai konsep paradoks. Namun pada kenyataannya, 6 dari 11 mahasiswa Kristen tidak memahami kebenaran paradoksal tentang keselamatan yang diajarkan oleh Alkitab, berdasarkan survei yang disebarkan secara acak. Mahasiswa Kristen yang telah menerima doktrin teologi seharusnya memahami kebenaran paradoksal tentang mengerjakan keselamatan. Tujuan penting dari penulisan esai ini adalah untuk menunjukkan pemahaman teologi Reformed (yang diwakili oleh John Calvin, Louis Berkhof, Anthony Hoekema, dan Packer) mengenai keselamatan sebagai kedaulatan Allah dan tanggung jawab manusia atas keselamatan dengan menggunakan sumber-sumber literatur. Konsep paradoksal dalam mengerjakan keselamatan sebagai kedaulatan Allah dan tanggung jawab manusia. Kebenaran yang diajarkan oleh Alkitab, para teolog Reformed (Calvin, Berkhof, Hoekema, dan Packer) menerima konsep paradoksal dan percaya bahwa manusia berkontribusi dalam regenerasi identitas melalui kasih karunia Allah. Kasih karunia Allah sebagai penyebab utama manusia dapat taat mengerjakan keselamatan. Oleh karena itu, memahami konsep kebenaran paradoksal harus disertai dengan kasih dan kerendahan hati di hadapan Tuhan.

How can eco-theology impact people, communities, countries, and continents? Two things are necessary. First, a thorough engagement with the beliefs, attitudes, and actions, both past and present, that make up a community’s interactions with each other and with their environment. Secondly, an examination of these beliefs, attitudes, and actions in the light of Scripture. All aspects of land use should be considered as related and interconnected, whether farming, herding, fishing, hunting, tree cutting, tree planting, or mining. Engaging with traditional and current beliefs and practices in the local language in the light of Scripture helps churches and communities to consider local environmental degradation, celebrate local wisdom, and release community members to move forward with hope as they seek to make positive changes in every aspect of land use in their communities and beyond. This article laments the widespread environmental degradation in Africa but celebrates indigenous wisdom about the environment. It draws hope that the spiritual connections to nature and Scripture in the local language can inform a Scripture-infused eco-theology which will enable communities to flourish. Inspired by experiences of the Faith and Farming program in Nigeria and beyond, it concludes with eight practical steps that communities can take to help them move forward with hope.

Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) has been lauded as a more inclusive, rights-based, and progressive approach to sexuality, particularly in its assumed impact on youth sexuality in Kenya. An emotive approach is proposed by both protagonists and antagonists of CSE. This article, however, seeks to ground the discussion on a theological and ethical approach, by way of utilizing a customized practical theological methodology. First, it utilizes inter-disciplinary methods to analyze the CSE policy in Kenyan society. Second, its normative aspect is grounded in a theological reflection on the sexual ethics espoused in key New Testament passages. Third, its practical recommendations explore the ramifications of this research for sexual ethics in youth and family ministries and public theological engagement with Kenya’s society.

The need for trauma healing has significantly increased in recent years, and new innovative and cost-effective ways must be found to help sufferers, particularly those in economically challenged areas. In this study, literature trauma theory is applied, using the biblical story of Ruth and some lament psalms, to help sufferers find a measure of healing. It was found that engaging with the emotions experienced by the characters in the biblical text enabled sufferers to express their own pain and to identify with the way God interacted with the biblical characters. The approach also provided a creative interaction with the text which participants enjoyed. In these days of increasing emotional challenge, it is a means worth exploring in various contexts while using relevant biblical texts.

This article suggests a paradigm for a biblical theology of missions in Africa. The research was prompted by the observation that previous theological designs and models have laid emphasis on effectiveness and issues of identity. Then too, Africa is marked by a renaissance of African Traditional Religion, pandemics, and societal problems. The paper hypothesizes that African theologians are better positioned to articulate a biblical theology of missions that addresses the continent’s contemporary realities. The methodology combines soteriology and symbolism. The findings indicate that an African theology of missions is anchored on indigenized theology, functional Christology, and relational Christology. These results illustrate the need to engage biblical authority, theology, and anthropology for a missional theology in Africa. The present research may be situated within the current commitment of African scholars to develop contextual theologies for the Global South.

Boko Haram’s insurgence wreaked havoc in some Nigerian societies. The Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State was specifically affected from September 2014 to February 2015, when the insurgents laid siege to the city. The insurgents left many people homeless, sick, or dead, and many properties were also destroyed. The Church of the Brethren, known in Hausa as Ekklisiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria, (EYN), was at the center of this destruction. This article discusses the effects of Boko Haram, focusing on its impact on the church in the Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State. The article looks at how the church struggles after the impact of Boko Haram. These struggles include economic, theological, and pastoral care challenges. The study adopts a critical phenomenological research method because the subject demands that the experiences of the victims be documented and interpreted. The study found that many people in the Michika Local Government Area sustained injuries, and lost property, loved ones, or even their own lives. Some women were also raped. Because of the people’s predicament, the church has been drastically affected. Despite these divesting effects, the government has not yet done enough to help the victims. The church also struggles to provide theological responses to the problem. This article recommends that religious leaders have a more significant role than anyone else in providing comfort, rehabilitation, empowerment, and seeking justice for the residents.

Ephesians 5:7–14 is an enigmatic pericope fraught with interpretive challenges that have generated much scholarly debate. The appeal in verse 11, “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them,” is contested in terms of what is to be exposed, and how it is to be exposed. The text is usually interpreted in one of two ways. Some scholars interpret the text as Paul instructing Christians to expose sinful behavior of other Christians. Others hold that the behavior of non-Christians are to be exposed. While the interpretation requires some nuance, this study argues in favor of the second interpretation. The significance of the article is to demonstrate the missional value of non-verbal gospel communication—Paul urges Christians to live missional lives, though not through proclamation, but rather through a nonconformist lifestyle that rejects secular norms. The research demonstrates this by employing an exegetical, literary study of verses 7–14. This methodology includes 1) a lexical study of ἐλέγχω (expose), 2) a discourse analysis of verses 3–14, 3) an investigation of the concepts, sons of disobedience (v. 6), and children of the light (v. 7), and also the imagery of light and darkness (v. 8), and (4) an exposition of the pericope (vv. 11–14).

Schools have enormous potential to prevent and respond to violence against children. In this paper, we describe a new intervention to protect children from violence in Zimbabwe’s Catholic primary schools, initiated and developed by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC). ZCBC and academic institutions in Zimbabwe and the UK are partnering to conduct formative research to understand the school context, barriers, and facilitators to intervention implementation. Semi-structured qualitative interviews with teachers and other stakeholders [n=18] suggest that this intervention will be well received. Perceived facilitators include utilising existing structures within the Church, the intervention being viewed as in alignment with Catholic values, and the use of familiar structures within Catholic schools to deliver intervention activities. Challenges will include perceptions of “child protection” among parents and teachers. ZCBC is refining the intervention model, which will be evaluated for effectiveness in reducing violence against children in a randomised controlled trial.

The Jogini, or Devadasi, system sees young girls “married” to a deity after which she is seen as the property of the village and required to perform religious duties and often sexual favours, typically without payment or freedom of choice. There is a paucity of published research on the factors which make women vulnerable to this exploitation and the factors which increase the likelihood that they are able to extricate themselves from it. This is a population study of 657 women who had previously been dedicated as Joginis living in 10 villages in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana, South India. The primary outcome of interest was whether the women were practicing as a Jogini at the time of the survey. Data was analyzed using a mixed effect logistic regression test to determine possible determinants of practicing status. Four factors were found to be significantly associated with continued Jogini practice: 1) being a person with a disability, 2) reason for dedication given as family tradition of other Joginis in the family, 3) poverty in the family of origin, and 4) living in a village with more than ten percent of the population belonging to a scheduled tribe. One factor significantly negatively associated with continued practice was having one or more male children. Analysis of the demographic data for these women confirmed the previously known fact that the exploitation in the form of the Jogini system disproportionately affects those who are already vulnerable in society — those from scheduled castes (SC) and tribes (ST), other backward castes (OBC), the disabled, the uneducated, and the poor. Between them, SCs, STs, and OBCs make up the non-forward castes, i.e., those who are socially disadvantaged. The scheduled castes, formally known as untouchables, are the lowest of the Indian castes. Scheduled tribes are tribal people, not part of any organized religion. Other backward castes are those between the forward castes and the scheduled castes in terms of social order.

Background and Objective: Anaemia is a common clinical condition that affects the majority of school aged children. Reduced resistance to disease, increased susceptibility to infection, impaired physical development, and poor school performance are all consequences of anaemia in this group. The present study was designed with the objective of estimating the prevalence of anaemia among school children in Bengaluru. This included identifying the associated factors or causes and consequences of anaemia. Methods: A school based cross-sectional study was conducted among children in schools from 3rd to 8th standard in Bengaluru Urban North Division Karnataka State, India, over a period of one year. 250 children were selected using convenience sampling. Results: The overall prevalence of anaemia among school going children was found to be 21.2%. Prevalence of anaemia was significant among variables like socioeconomic status, dietary habits, increased heart rate, breathlessness, lack of energy, dizziness, irregular menstrual cycles, jaundice, blood loss during menstruation, menstrual cycle pattern, pallor signs of palpebral conjunctiva, mucous membrane, and skin, splenomegaly and hepatomegaly, consumption of chicken, fish, citrus fruit, milk, Mizāj ‘Ām (overall mizaj of body, specifically choleric) duration of menstrual flow, headache, poor wound healing, and chronic disease. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of anaemia in our study of school children in Bengaluru (21.2%) was lower than the prevalence in the data recently shown by NFHS-5. Prevalence of anaemia was highly significant among variables like low socioeconomic status, dietary deficiencies, blood loss, and chronic infections. There were also highly significant correlations with several clinical findings.

Stress on students can cause a decrease in sleep quality and potentially reduce academic achievement. Understanding the effect of stress-induced sleep quality on academic achievement allows for selecting the most appropriate intervention. This study aimed to determine the impact of sleep quality due to stress on the academic achievement of medical students at Universitas Ciputra Surabaya. The method used in this study is quantitative research in the form of analytic observational with a cross-sectional approach. Sampling was done by using a random sampling technique. The population is 80 students from the Faculty of Medicine at the Universitas Ciputra Surabaya, third year and fourth year medical students. The sample size in this study was 63 students. Data was collected using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) questionnaire to measure stress levels and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire to measure sleep quality. Sampling was only done with the consent of the respondent. The data analysis used was the correlation test which was carried out to determine the relationship between sleep quality and stress levels; the linear regression test was carried out to assess the effect of sleep quality due to stress on academic achievement. All respondents experienced stress and sleep disturbance to various degrees. The highest proportion was mild stress and moderate sleep disturbance, respectively, 50.8% and 73%. Correlation test results showed a significant relationship between sleep disturbances and stress levels (r= 0.29; p= 0.021), and the linear regression test results showed no effect of sleep quality due to stress on academic achievement (p= 0.241). Based on the data analysis, it can be concluded that the decrease in sleep quality due to stress does not affect academic achievement in medical students.

Introduction Moral injury among healthcare missionaries leads to negative consequences for the individual, healthcare team, patients, and sending agencies. Conflicting values in clinical care, culture, and spirituality provide unique potentially morally injurious experiences. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the phenomenon of moral injury among western healthcare missionaries to develop effective support and treatment strategies. Methods A qualitative interview guide was developed based on the existing literature on moral injury. Twenty-one key informant interviews were completed by two former healthcare missionaries. Participants were based in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe healthcare mission settings. Questions were based on clinical, cultural, and spiritual domains of potential ethical and moral conflicts. Protective factors were also explored based on one’s faith and spiritual practices. Interviews were transcribed and coded independently by two analysts. The team reviewed the codes and determined themes from across the three domains. Results Seven themes emerged from the interviews ranging from morally injurious experiences with cultural leadership practices and unfamiliar clinical care experiences to guilt over practicing outside of one’s scope of practice and addressing suffering alongside God’s sovereignty. The themes led to the development of an injury/growth pathway as a potential model for helping healthcare missionaries describe and move through potentially morally injurious experiences. Conclusion The themes allow for healthcare missionary sending agencies to develop strategies, training, and support systems for teams preparing to enter the mission field and for individuals already in the field. Recommendations for growing through potentially morally injurious experiences are suggested to guide practice and support for missionaries in the field. The growth values and strategies could inform the development of a screening tool to assess moral injury among healthcare missionaries.

The purpose of this research was to describe lecturers’ practices of integrating a biblical Christian worldview in teaching courses in sociology, Indonesian language, art, and pedagogy (assessment and teaching and learning theories). The participants were the lecturers in one of the education faculties in Tangerang. The data were derived from interviews with five faculty members and collecting their course syllabus. Descriptive qualitative research with a case study approach was employed. The data were described and analyzed in the light of the current literature. The findings showed that those five faculty members have been implementing a biblical Christian worldview in their teaching with a pedagogy of transferring new information. This paper suggests faculty not use a biblical Christian worldview as just intellectual information with a goal of increasing head knowledge but rather use it to reorient students' hearts.

Students as beings created in the image of God have qualities that exceed other creatures, namely intellectual, social, and spiritual abilities that direct them to positive goals through their involvement in the learning process. Not only do they need to learn to listen to the teacher, but students are also expected to play an active role in their learning. In fact, the situation found indicate the tendency of student to only listen to the teacher's delivery, thus the learning is less interactive and collaborative. As a result, the learning atmosphere seems stiff and boring and even student does not have the opportunity to express their perspective on the learning material. This indicates the teacher's lack of attention to the existence of students as Imago Dei who have been specially equipped to experience the learning process. Thus, the problem of activity urges teachers to create an interactive learning atmosphere. The author proposes a method that can be applied, namely the cooperative learning model. The purpose of this study is to examine the results of the implementation of the cooperative learning model as an effort to increase student activity. The research method used is descriptive qualitative through a literature review of previous studies. The results of the implementation of the cooperative learning model can increase student activity measured based on three indicators of research success, namely student participation, social interaction and paying attention to teacher explanations in participating in learning. The author's suggestion for further research is to apply a cooperative learning model by using supporting methods such as role play and mind mapping to increase student activity. BAHASA INDONESIA ABSTRACT: Siswa sebagai ciptaan yang diciptakan menurut gambar dan rupa Allah memiliki kualitas yang melebihi ciptaan lainnya, yaitu kemampuan intelektual, sosial, dan spiritual yang mengarahkan siswa kepada tujuan yang positif melalui keterlibatannya dalam suatu proses pembelajaran. Siswa tidak hanya belajar dengan mendengarkan guru, tetapi siswa diharapkan dapat berperan aktif dalam pembelajaran. Kenyataannya, kondisi yang ditemukan menunjukkan adanya kecenderungan siswa hanya mendengarkan penyampaian guru sehingga pembelajaran kurang interaktif dan kolaboratif. Akibatnya, suasana pembelajaran terkesan kaku dan membosankan bahkan siswa tidak memiliki kesempatan untuk mengemukakan pendapatnya terhadap materi pembelajaran. Hal ini mengindikasikan kurangnya perhatian guru terhadap keberadaan siswa sebagai Imago Dei yang telah dibekali secara khusus untuk mengalami proses pembelajaran. Dengan demikian, masalah aktivitas mendesak guru untuk menciptakan suasana pembelajaran yang interaktif. Penulis mengajukan sebuah metode yang dapat diterapkan, yaitu model pembelajaran kooperatif. Sehingga tujuan penelitian adalah untuk mengkaji hasil penerapan model pembelajaran kooperatif sebagai upaya meningkatkan aktivitas siswa. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah deskriptif kualitatif melalui studi literatur terhadap penelitian-penelitian sebelumnya. Hasil penerapan model pembelajaran kooperatif dapat meningkatkan aktivitas siswa yang diukur berdasarkan tiga indikator keberhasilan penelitian, yaitu partisipasi siswa, interaksi sosial dan memperhatikan penjelasan guru dalam mengikuti pembelajaran. Saran penulis untuk penelitian selanjutnya adalah menerapkan model pembelajaran kooperatif dengan menggunakan metode pendukung seperti role play dan mind mapping untuk meningkatkan aktivitas siswa.

The teacher as a guide must be able to motivate students, not only in terms of knowledge but also guide students to understand their true purpose in life, which is to be like Christ. Based on research, 7 out of 10 children experience demotivation in learning because there is no guidance from the teacher, this shows that there are teachers who do not understand their role well. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to demonstrate the importance of the relevance of understanding Christ as the Great Shepherd. The research method used is a literature review. Christian teacher must first personally experience the shepherding of Christ so that he can understand that the students also need guidance to be able to understand their responsibilities. Christian teachers should improve the competence that is in themselves and always undergo transformation. Christian teacher must make Christ as the shepherd in his teaching and life because Christ is the authoritative God. Christian teacher should show his obedience to God in his duties and responsibilities as a guide who shepherds his students. Suggestions for future researchers are to focus more on studying how to measure a Christian teacher who has been shepherded by Christ. BAHASA INDONESIA ABSTRACT: Guru sebagai pembimbing harus dapat memotivasi siswa, tidak hanya dari segi pengetahuan tetapi juga membimbing siswa untuk memahami tujuan hidup mereka yang sebenarnya, yaitu menjadi seperti Kristus. Berdasarkan penelitian, 7 dari 10 anak mengalami demotivasi dalam belajar karena tidak ada bimbingan dari guru, hal ini menunjukkan bahwa masih ada guru yang belum memahami perannya dengan baik. Oleh karena itu, tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menunjukkan pentingnya relevansi pemahaman tentang Kristus sebagai Gembala Agung. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah studi literatur. Guru Kristen harus terlebih dahulu mengalami sendiri penggembalaan Kristus agar dapat memahami bahwa murid-muridnya juga membutuhkan bimbingan untuk dapat memahami tanggung jawabnya. Guru Kristen harus meningkatkan kompetensi yang ada di dalam dirinya dan selalu mengalami transformasi. Guru Kristen harus menjadikan Kristus sebagai gembala dalam pengajaran dan kehidupannya karena Kristus adalah Allah yang berotoritas. Guru agama Kristen harus menunjukkan ketaatannya kepada Tuhan dalam tugas dan tanggung jawabnya sebagai pembimbing yang menggembalakan anak didiknya. Saran untuk peneliti selanjutnya adalah untuk lebih fokus meneliti bagaimana mengukur seorang guru Kristen yang telah digembalakan oleh Kristus.