Multicultural Christian Education in an Indonesian Church Context

Abstract

This article seeks to explain the multicultural contexts forming learning model, basic concepts of church-based multicultural Christian education, and the need for churches to be implementing a cultural study perspective. A literature analysis approach was used to drive a discussion on multicultural education and to explain it in a descriptive manner. In implementing church-based multicultural education, Christian education is responsible to answer challenges and expectations by producing a more perfect union of learning and education, in order to create an Indonesian soul which professes mutual respect and acceptance, and which upholds a principle of life in togetherness. In education, each person brings the entirety of his/her existence, socio-cultural backgrounds, religion, and existing and to-be-existing skills as a part of his/her growth. Christian education should promote education and empowerment values toward a smart, broad-minded humans who build relationships based on their readiness to respect and accept others, not giving any room for character assassination, cultural destruction, and blasphemy. It is in this spirit of togetherness that the roles played in keeping the wholeness of respective faiths will be apparent.