The National Conference on Theology and Public Life in the Indonesian Context 2026, organised by three leading interdenominational theological institutions in Indonesia – the Jakarta Theological Seminary, Bethel Theological Seminary Indonesia, and Amanat Agung Theological Seminary – facilitated an academic and practical dialogue on the relevance of Christian theology to contemporary public life in Indonesia.
Held from 20 to 22 January at Graha Bethel in Central Jakarta, the three-day conference brought together 500 theologians, scholars, and church leaders, both in person and online. Participants examined how Christian theology can provide critical and constructive responses to the Indonesian context of economic inequalities, structural injustices, and the dominance of free-market systems increasingly shaped by algorithm-driven technologies.
Witnessing hope in catastrophic times
In a keynote address at the opening session on 20 January, Rev. Dr Jooseop Keum, general secretary of the Council for World Mission (CWM), delivered a sobering assessment of the contemporary global context. He described the world as “deeply wounded” and shaped by “necropolitics”—death-dealing systems that profit from exploitation and destruction.
Keum identified several “death-dealing” forces such as the economic dysfunction of the World Trade Organisation and a shift toward exclusive, nationalistic economies; the rise of technology empires such as Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon, which now dictate global politics; and the alienation of human labour with the rise of AI, where workers are increasingly viewed as “surplus humanity” or data points rather than dignified individuals.
“Does ‘Ora et labora’—pray and labour—still hold value within Christian spirituality?” Keum asked, highlighting the threat AI poses to the traditional definition of human labour.
A call for humanising communities
Despite this “catastrophic” outlook, Keum asserted that the mission of the church is to be a “humanising community” that protects the “insignificant” from being defined by their economic usefulness.
He called for a return to “kenosis”—the practice of self-emptying love—by bringing the gospel to the margins. True discipleship, he argued, requires a presence among the oppressed rather than an alignment with power structures or academic isolation.
Keum concluded with a defiant vision of human worth, “To be truly human is not to produce; it is to relate, to love, to imagine, to dream, to grieve, to create, and to hope. Our dignity is not measured by usefulness. It is grounded in God’s creative love. We will never allow technological or economic systems to define human worth.”
Prof. Binsar Jonathan Pakpahan, dean of public relations and associate professor at the Jakarta Theological Seminary, expressed appreciation for Keum’s insights, particularly his reflections on artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, and their growing impact on Indonesia’s social and economic challenges.
