The so-called Second Letter of Clement has long been regarded as an enigmatic text with an elusive message. This article seeks to elicit previously unforeseen coherence from the document by demonstrating how its content conforms with patron–client relationships at the discourse level. Drawing on tools from cognitive linguistics and socio-scientific reading models, a patron–client frame is constructed through which the document’s content can be organised. The frame consists of a patron ‘slot’, a client ‘slot’ and corresponding characteristics of asymmetry in status, an enduring relationship, and a reciprocal exchange of goods and services. When applied, God and Christ consistently occupy the patron slot, while the addressees fill the client slot along with the accompanying characteristics. As a result of the analysis, a more precise communicative goal emerges as most coherent: to evoke an ongoing reciprocal behavioural response from the audience to the gift of salvation. Contribution: The article demonstrates that Second Clement achieves coherence when understood in the terms of patronage, and as a result, a reciprocal behavioural response to salvation is presented as the most coherent purpose of the document.

Fisherwomen in the Moluccas (Maluku, Indonesia) frequently faced discrimination within a patriarchal culture that regarded the sea as a masculine and taboo space, especially during menstruation. This perception not only erased women’s social and economic contributions, but also constructed the sea as a dangerous realm governed by patriarchal norms. This study reread two Exodus texts, the rescue of Moses in the Nile (Ex 2:1–10) and Miriam’s song at the Sea of Reeds (Ex 15:19–21), through the lived experiences of fisherwomen in the Moluccas. The research was based on fieldwork conducted in the villages of Leahari, Seri, Wab and Lermatang. Using intercontextual feminist hermeneutics, which integrated historical-literary analysis with ethnographic insights, the study highlighted how women emerged as agents of liberation within watery spaces. The findings showed that rivers and the sea were not merely sites of danger but theophanic spaces where God manifested life through women’s courage, faith and solidarity. The sea was understood as a womb of life, a medium of both liberation and revelation, that opened space for a feminist sea theology connecting body, spirituality and women’s experience within patriarchal contexts. This study offered a new perspective to Exodus scholarship, contextual theology and feminist hermeneutics, particularly within Indonesia’s coastal communities. Contribution: This article contributes to the development of feminist biblical interpretation by introducing a contextual hermeneutic rooted in the lived experiences of fisherwomen in the Moluccas. It expands Exodus scholarship by reading the sea as a theophanic and liberating space rather than a site of danger. The study also advances contextual and feminist theologies by articulating a ‘feminist sea theology’ that connects embodiment, faith and women’s agency within patriarchal maritime cultures.

Christian congregations in Indonesia have been receiving more and more migrants, religious others and socially marginal people, but there was little empirical knowledge of how church leadership has conceived of the concept of hospitality to strangers. Hospitality has profound theological meaning and social danger in a pluralistic and precarious environment. This study aimed to establish and define typologies of congregational hospitality to strangers among leaders of the Gereja Masehi Injili di Minahasa (GMIM) in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, and determine its theological and missional implications. This study used Q methodology to develop a 48-statement Q-sample of hospitality based on biblical, ecclesial and ecclesiological material. Forty-eight GMIM leaders were asked to complete Q-sorts on a −5 +5 grid and were interviewed briefly post-sort. Shared viewpoints were derived and interpreted by using a by-person factor analysis with Varimax rotation. Three coherent factors were identified: inclusive, cautious and boundary-keeping and discipleship-oriented transformative hospitality. These typologies revealed divergent patterns of welcome, selectivity and boundary-shaping, as well as tensions between compassion and protection, charity and reciprocity, and programme continuity and structural change. The article reveals that the leaders of GMIM have worked with an implicit and opposite theology of hospitality, which informed the posture of their mission in a Muslim-majority democracy. Contribution: The mapping of these typologies and their application to world and African theological discourse has made this study an addition to empirical practical theology and a model for creating and training leaders, ecclesial self-reflection and the creation of more coherent and hospitable practices in Indonesian churches.

Dewesternisation is a concept still undergoing conceptual clarification and refinement. It is used in different theoretical approaches, often differently meant and assessed. Irrespective of its still uncertain theoretical scope, it appears to be a valuable tool for denoting the phenomena and processes taking place in global Christianity, especially in the ecumenical movement, including the World Council of Churches (WCC). The article aims to identify the crucial field of the WCC’ teaching that demonstrates and highlights dewesternisation processes within the ecumenical movement. Before tackling the main problem of this study, it discusses the issues ‘internal’ for dewesternisation and ecumenism, such as evolutionism, postcolonial theory and postcolonial theology. They all set a historical deduction that helps better comprehend dewesternisation within the ecumenical movement, as exemplified by the WCC. Literary analysis is the primary method employed in this study. Contribution: By identifying and exemplifying the term of dewesternisation within the WCC, the article contributes to its better comprehension, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere.

The development of the Christian Pastoral Care and Counselling (CPCC) approach aims to support the recovery process of schizophrenia patients, who have not been appropriately handled by the church. A lack of understanding of schizophrenia has led church ministers and congregations in Maluku to consistently identify schizophrenia patients as possessed by evil spirits or ancestral spirits, affected by witchcraft, experiencing original sin, or breaking traditional vows. Consequently, the recovery approach used by pastors is to perform exorcisms, which include prayer, covering schizophrenic patients with priestly robes, or striking them with the Bible. Through descriptive qualitative research using a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) approach and analysed using Clarke & Braun’s six stages, this study proposes a holistic pastoral counselling approach to support the recovery of schizophrenia patients. This pastoral counselling approach is expected to improve the spiritual well-being of schizophrenia patients, reduce anxiety, enable self-management and help them find meaning in life despite their symptoms. The development of this model not only focuses on pastoral-spiritual interventions but also collaborates with medical, psychological, social and cultural approaches to provide holistic support for schizophrenia patients. Contribution: This article contributes to the growing body of holistic pastoral theology studies, caring for and assisting with the recovery processes of patients with schizophrenia. The holistic pastoral theology approach is also interdisciplinary, encompassing the involvement of other disciplines, such as health and psychosocial-cultural studies.

This article is a prospective analysis of the past, present and future of the Pentecostal movement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Central to the doctrinal identity of this movement is the belief in baptism in the Holy Spirit, together with the ensuing gifts understood to flow from this experience. The study contends (argues) that spiritual formulations have never served to safeguard the doctrine from decline; indeed, the reverse appears to be the case. Situated within a systematic reconstruction framework, the research advances the view that the abandonment of the core dimensions, often under the guise of progressiveness, would lead to the rise of a new expression of Pentecostalism in the DRC. Given the study’s transformative orientation, an analytical method was employed to achieve the stated objectives. Both diachronic and synchronic perspectives were integrated, with particular attention to three Pentecostal dimensions (Christocentric and biblical, prophetic and pneumatological, and eschatological). Contribution: The present article undertakes an examination of three fundamental dimensions of Pentecostalism. It issues a call to Pentecostal Christians to exercise vigilance in safeguarding the movement’s core tenets to counter the proliferation of divergent forms of Pentecostalism. Such forms of Pentecostalism are characterised by practices, such as personality cults, which stand in tension with fundamental biblical teachings.

This article focused on emerging theoretical insights of moral and/or soul injury. The aim was to build a multidisciplinary practical theological theoretical framework. The evolving topic is introduced, followed by general perspectives on moral injury. Vaknin and Ne’ eman-Haviv’s theoretical model frames the scope, impact and therapeutic possibilities for moral injury. Limitations of theoretical and empirical frameworks are discussed, followed by theological and biblical perspectives on moral injury. Finally, a practical theological theoretical model for moral and/or soul injury is proposed, followed by the conclusion. Contribution: Moral and/or soul injury is a novel subject in practical theology or theology; since it has not previously been explored in the sphere of practical theology. This is a multidisciplinary reflection on moral and/or soul injury beyond silo psychological clinical praxes. Insights from multi-disciplines helped to shape a practical theology theoretical framework with fundamental biblical perspectives. The context is contemporary leadership, political, and social challenges in South Africa.

The global ecological crisis has intensified debates about religion’s role in environmental degradation. Although Christianity has been accused of encouraging exploitative views of nature, biblical theology offers constructive foundations for ecological ethics. This study develops an ecotheological reflection on land as God’s possession based on Leviticus 25:23, interpreted in dialogue with Papuan local wisdom. The research stands at the intersection of biblical theology, ecotheology and Papuan cultural traditions, particularly Hak Ulayat [customary land ownership], Ondofolo [the highest customary leader] leadership and cultural symbols such as the noken [traditional woven bag]. Using a qualitative–theological approach through biblical hermeneutics, exegetical reading, ecotheological literature and contextual cultural analysis, the findings reveal two ethical dimensions in Leviticus 25:23: stewardship and limitation as correctives to ecological exploitation. Papuan traditions affirm that land belongs to God and must be preserved for future generations. Integrating biblical theology with Papuan wisdom enriches ecotheological discourse and guides the church as educator and ecological agent. Contribution: This article contributes to the field of ecotheology by (1) offering a biblical exposition of Leviticus 25:23 as a theological foundation for ecological stewardship, (2) integrating Papuan local wisdom into Christian theological reflection, and (3) presenting the church as an agent of ecological praxis. The study aligns with the scope of HTS Teologiese Studies by providing contextual and interdisciplinary insights that connect biblical theology, ecology and local culture in addressing global ecological concerns.

This article examines the historical development and significance of creeds across various religious traditions, highlighting theological debates and socio-political contexts that shaped their creation. It investigates the contemporary relevance of creeds, evaluating their scope, content and functions within modern faith communities. Through literature analysis, the study explores the interplay between tradition and modernity, revealing the enduring significance of creeds in shaping religious identity and fostering unity in a pluralistic society. The study implies that faith communities can benefit from revisiting and revitalising creeds to ensure their continued relevance. It advocates for a thoughtful integration of tradition and modernity, encouraging dialogue around the role of creeds in promoting unity, understanding and shared purpose. The historical development of creeds illustrates their adaptability in contemporary faith communities, underscoring their importance in shaping belief systems and communal identities. This study contributes to a refined understanding of creeds in today’s diverse religious landscape. Contribution: In reconnoitring the relationship between tradition and modernity, faith societies can re-enter and invigorate dogmas, certifying their significance and timbre in today’s assorted spiritual landscape.